Olympian Keesja Gofers Is Taking Baby Steps This Mother’s Day

Two years ago, Australian Olympic water polo player Keejsa Gofers – inspired by the majesty of a sunrise over Byron Bay – wished all mum’s a Happy Mother’s Day via a heartfelt Instagram post.

“Beautiful sunrise for a beautiful day!” wrote the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete. “There are a thousand ways to be a mum and a thousand different kinds of mum. Happy Mothers’ Day to all the women who give love & support to children. This day is for you ”

Now, seven weeks into motherhood, Gofers can’t help but to laugh when asked to articulate how she’s navigating that journey, and how their beautiful newborn daughter, Teleri, has changed her and husband Scott Nicholson’s life.

“It’s a big learning curve, but an amazing one,” said Gofers, as she prepares for her first Mother’s Day. “It’s something no-one can prepare you for in terms of having someone being completely reliant upon you, but also being obsessed with them.

“It’s completely changed mine and my husband’s lives, but it’s so hard to put into words.”

Though, the two-time Olympian said support – and strength – is always close at hand.

“My Mum, Arlene, is a huge role model and even now she continues to show how tough mums are,” said Gofers. “I also have my Dad, Tao, and my two older sisters who are mums. There’s also Scott and his family.

“It is an amazing job and one, as they say, that’s underpaid. While I’ve only been doing it for seven weeks, I think what I’ve appreciated even more are the values of Mums and Dads who are raising the future through their kids.

“When I think of the sacrifices that were made for my sisters and me . . . I think it was because my parents believed in us because the amount of effort and energy they put into what we wanted to do was enormous.

“You don’t realise the sacrifice as a kid. You think: ‘I can get to 10 pool sessions a week’ but you do not think how that is up to your parents. There were weekends when my mother had to drive to five different pools for me and my sisters to do what we loved.

“In the few weeks I have been doing this, I really do appreciate my Mum and Dad more. My parents are great examples for me to follow in supporting Teleri in whatever it is she wants to do.”

Gofers returned to training with the NSWIS water polo program’s squad earlier this week; her first step in the quest to represent Australia at next year’s Paris Olympics. However, she noted attending training was different these days.

“I was given the doctor’s all clear to return to training this week, all very moderate of course,” she said. “It’s been awesome to attend a couple of NSWIS sessions because it’s nice to get back to normality after your world is really turned upside down [in the best way possible].

“And while it is ‘normality’ I find myself thinking in between training drills: ‘I wonder what she’s doing?’ ‘Is everything under control?’ It has only been seven weeks, so pretty much everything is a new experience.

“It took me two hours . . . two hours! . . . to make sure everything was ready for my first training session. I put everything out, but still forgot something! I’m still figuring it all out.”

Gofers, whose husband, Scott, coached the Sydney University Lionesses to the Australian Water Polo League title a fortnight ago, added that she’d benefited greatly from the support NSWIS provided throughout her pregnancy.

“I went to a few NSWIS sessions while I was pregnant, which was great,” she said. “The water polo program with [Head Coach] Bec Rippon has been super accommodating and super welcoming of me being involved in the capacity I could.

“That made me feel as though I’m not that out of step. Sometimes when you have a big break returning to training can be daunting, you wonder what returning is going to be like. However, the fact I could continue – given it was a very limited capacity – that [concern] wasn’t even a consideration.

“The biggest consideration for me this week was the logistics of getting everyone sorted and organised.”

Gofers said it was also special to know her coaching staff, gym coaches, and physiotherapists from NSWIS and Australian Water Polo have worked in tandem to ensure she enjoyed the smoothest possible return to sport.

“It’s not super common for someone to try this [returning to water polo from motherhood], so it is great that everyone understands we’re not experts on this, so let’s work together. That’s why it feels to me as though it has been very smooth.”

Gofers plans to follow the lead of such athletes as Australian tennis greats Evonne Cawley and Margaret Court by continuing to compete at the highest level after becoming a mother.

“I’m at the stage where I’m simply giving it a go,” said Gofers, who is also a highly sought after floral designer. “I’ve been an athlete before, and there’s things that can trip you up . . . every day is different as an athlete.

“But I’ve never been a Mum, so I’m in the ‘see how I go’ mindset, and I’ll do my best. I have an amazing team of supporters with my family: Mum, Dad, Scott and his family, so I have everything I could possibly want to be an athlete again.

“My goal is to compete at Paris – well, not only to compete, but to win a medal. I’m not coming back just to make the team. I believe the team can do well. At the moment I’m working towards smaller milestones, but Paris is the ultimate goal. I would love for my daughter and my whole family to be in the crowd.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS.