INTERVIEW: Stephanie Rice on changing lanes in her life

For Stephanie Rice, who called it quits on her stellar but brief career at the age of 25 in 2014, there was no plan. Only a desire to move on to the next phase of her life and learn on the fly.

Speaking to Sport360 at Jumeirah Emirates Towers during her trip to Dubai last week, the triple Olympic gold medallist turned entrepreneur didn’t look like a former athlete struggling to come to grips with what she left behind, but someone excited to see what’s in store ahead.

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“There’s so much that goes on in that transition, where if you haven’t been in that position you probably wouldn’t understand,” said the Australian. “Like some of the highs you get from performing in front of a crowd or at the Olympics standing behind the blocks – those types of feelings are never replicated again.

“I had to be okay with never feeling that way again. I think a lot of people get depressed or can’t handle that transition, so they struggle a lot. I just had this open approach where I’m going to try everything and see what works for me.

“It was a full-time job. I was very much about doing this sport and it’s going to have a 10-year lifespan and then at the end of it, I’ll look what I want to do then. Everyone’s different and whatever works for you, but I never thought about it. So when I finished I was like ‘oh, I have absolutely no back-up plan’ or nothing that I started to get the ball rolling on. So I had to start from scratch.”

The one-time golden girl from Queensland knew her time in the pool was over following the London Olympics in 2012.

The Games were a far cry from the astounding success she enjoyed in Beijing in 2008, when she captured gold in three events: the 200 metres individual medley, the 400 met-res individual medley and the 4×200 metres freestyle relay – all in world record time.

Beijing shot her on to the world stage and made her a national hero Down Under. London was on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Three shoulder surgeries, including a debilitating arthroscopy three months before the Olympic trials, derailed any hope she had in defending her titles.

Ultimately, the wear and tear her body endured was the reason she exited the sport at the time she did.

“It’s not like I didn’t love swimming, but it started to become more dealing with injuries and understanding what my body could handle and sacrificing another four years,” Rice said.

“Really, the way I planned my life, was around the Olympics. So it was a four-year growth spurt. After finishing the London Olympics, I was like ‘okay, am I going to do this for another four years?’ I just didn’t think I was able to keep going and I didn’t really want to. I didn’t have anything else that I really wanted to achieve in the sport so I’m really happy I made the decision when I did to stop.

“That phase afterwards is kind of about learning who you are out of the sport. I’m not Stephanie Rice the swimmer anymore, I’m Stephanie Rice the… You try to figure out what that is. Now it’s much more about business and learning to develop that area of my life.”

Understandably, the decision to retire didn’t come immediately after Rice’s disastrous experience in London.

The time spent between the Olympics and her official retirement consisted of a sabbatical in which she figured out her future in swimming, while exploring other areas of interest.

Those interests included getting into television as a reporter on Channel Nine’s Today show and as a contestant on the network’s Celebrity Apprentice Australia.

Rice was the last one standing in the third season of the reality series in 2013, beating out Olympic sprinter John Steffenson and boxer Jeff Fenech, among others, to become the youngest Celebrity Apprentice winner worldwide.

Rice’s entrepreneurial and business skills may have come as a surprise to viewers, but not to the former swimming star.

“I just knew from [when I entered high school], I was sacrificing whatever it took [to reach the Olympics] because it was my dream and my goal,” said Rice. “So there was always an entrepreneurial vibe to what I do. Like I’m doing it on my own shots, I’m making the calls and work whatever hours it takes to get the results.

“So when I finished sport, I still wanted to do all those things that I learned from swimming, but I didn’t want to work a nine-to-five job, that just didn’t excite me as a person. So I started doing different ventures. That freedom is what excites me the most out of life.”

Her entrepreneurial endeavours have continued post-retirement, including designing sportswear for Russell Athletics, launching kids swimwear line RACERiCE, representing Bioglan Superfoods and Organo Gold coffee company, as well as co-writing a health and lifestyle e-book titled The Art of Wellness.

While she’s flexing her business muscles, Rice isn’t solely focused on financially supporting herself in the next phase of her non-athletic career. She also wants to give back to the sport that has played such a massive role in her life, which is part of the reason why she visited Dubai.

Intrigued by the growth and development of the UAE and its sporting scene specifically, Rice views the region as being in-line with her passion of helping lift swimming from the schools to a professional level.

During her stay, Rice put on a number of swimming clinics with Dubai College and Jumeirah Emirates Towers – something which could just be the start.

“It’s not a come in-and-out quick mission. It’s very much getting to know what people want, how I can help and just give some of the skills and knowledge I’ve learned through the years back to the sport’s youth,” Rice said.

Rice documented much of her visit on her various social media profiles, from Twitter to Instagram to Facebook. She remains active, inviting and engaging with her followers, despite past social media faux pas.

In 2010, Rice was caught in a controversy when she tweeted “Suck on that f******!” after Australia’s win over South Africa in rugby’s Tri-Nations. She later deleted the homophobic post and apologised, but the repercussions included luxury car manufacturer Jaguar ripping up a sponsorship deal.

Last year, Rice backpedaled from medical advice she gave in an impromptu Q&A on health and wellness, hosted on her Facebook page.

Rice has said she’s learned from the situations, but won’t back away from social media, which she views as an invaluable tool.

“I have to look at it like I take the criticism because I’m doing something different and I don’t need everyone to like me. I don’t feel like I’m being outspoken, it’s just me saying what I believe in.

“I think you’re in denial if you don’t use it. It’s such an incredible business tool and opportunity to connect if you use it well. It’s about figuring out how to use it well. If I didn’t use it, I wouldn’t ever have these opportunities.”