Emma Lincoln-Smith, once a Winter Olympian speeding down icy tracks at 130 kilometers per hour, is now embracing a fresh challenge as a firefighter in New South Wales. She is among the 227 recruits who graduated from the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Emergency Services Academy situated in Orchard Hills, Sydney.
From Surf to Skeleton
Emma, 36, hails from Narrabeen in Sydney, areas distant from snowy landscapes. Her initial foray into sports involved track and field, beach sprinting for Surf Life Saving, and surfing on Sydney's northern beaches. This diverse sporting background led to her selection by the Australian Institute of Sport as a potential competitor in the Skeleton discipline. The sport demands athletes to sprint and launch themselves stomach-down onto a narrow sled, navigating winding courses that can stretch up to one-and-a-half kilometers.
An Alpine Achievement
"I tried out alongside 60 other people and from there 10 of us got picked to go to Calgary to try the sport," Emma stated. "Then from there they chose five for the World Cup circuit." Despite Australia’s lack of alpine sports recognition, Emma impressively finished seventh in two World Cup competitions.
A New Chapter as a Firefighter
Twelve years onward, Emma's focus is now on contributing as a NSW firefighter. Reflecting on her Skeleton career, she recalled, "I competed for 12 years and went to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010 where I finished 10th. I was three-tenths of a second off a medal, so it was close, there was nothing in it." Moving on from her sporting past, she expressed her excitement about the new career path. "I’ll be joining a fire station shortly, and I’ll be with people that I’ll have to work closely with, and I just don’t want to let anyone down," she shared. "I think I’ll fit in really well and I can’t wait… just excited, more than anything, just excited."
It’s a world away from speeding head-first on a sled at 130 kilometers an hour along a twisting icy track, but rookie firefighter Emma Lincoln-Smith is eagerly embracing her latest challenge.
The Winter Olympian is one of 227 Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) recruits who have graduated today from the Emergency Services Academy at Orchard Hills in Sydney’s west.
Surf Life Saving and surfing
36-year-old Emma grew up in Narrabeen, a long way from the snow, and originally took up track
36-year-old Emma grew up in Narrabeen, a long way from the snow, and originally took up track and field athletics, beach sprinting for Surf Life Saving and surfing on the northern beaches of Sydney.
She was talent-selected by the Australian Institute of Sport as a potential competitor in the snow sport of “Skeleton,” a discipline that requires a participant to sprint and throw themselves, stomach-down, onto a tiny sled at high speed around winding tracks up to one-and-a-half kilometers long.
Alpine sporting powerhouse
“I tried out alongside 60 other people and from there 10 of us got picked to go to Calgary to try the sport,” Emma said, “Then from there they chose five for the World Cup circuit.”
Emma finished seventh in two World Cups, a great result for a nation not traditionally known as an alpine sporting powerhouse.
Emma’s sights
Fast forward 12 years and Emma’s sights are now firmly on establishing her value as a NSW firefighter
“It came very naturally to me, I don’t know why…I think because I surfed…just the body awareness and the ability to kind of go with the flow and move with the curve…”
“I competed for 12 years and went to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010 where I finished 10th. I was three-tenths of a second off a medal, so it was close, there was nothing in it. It was my third run of the games and I made a tiny little error and that was it.” Fast forward 12 years and Emma’s sights are now firmly on establishing her value as a NSW firefighter.
Fire station
“It was a great experience and I love it and I miss it, but I had to move on at some point, while I still had some brain cells.
“I’ll be joining a fire station shortly, and I’ll be with people that I’ll have to work very closely with…and I just don’t want to let anyone down. I think I’ll fit in really well and I can’t wait…just excited, more than anything, just excited.”
