Ever wanted to combine swimming, soccer & basketball all in one sport? Well Sunshine Coast local Nic Porter has mastered this with ease & is gearing up to make his Olympic debut! Let’s take a dive in and find out more about this local who’s making waves!
What made you get started in water polo?
In year 4 we had to pick a curricular sport to do in the afternoon. I really wanted to do touch footy with my mates. The director of sport suggested Water Polo because I was quite a good swimmer and I really enjoyed playing soccer at that age. Water Polo is a really good combination of the two. So he kind of suggested I play that and I’m super happy he did. Otherwise I wouldn’t be doing all the things I’m doing now.
What position do you play? What does it entail?
Goalkeeper. It’s pretty self explanatory. I love being a Goalkeeper. There’s a lot of pressure and if you make a mistake the team is going to suffer. So you can either be the hero or the villian. I really enjoy playing on the edge of that pressure. It’s a lot of fun and obviously being quite tall and long-limbed helps with that.
What’s been your highlight so far in your water polo career?
Definitely being selected for my first Olympic Games in Paris. But something that’s happened in the past would be winning an NCAA Championship in the United States in 2018 with the University of Southern California. Also winning a bronze medal in the European Champions League with my current professional club Natació Atlètic-Barceloneta.
Do you have any role models or influences in the sport?
I do have a lot of role models. A lot of the world’s best Goalkeepers in history. I used to watch a lot of their videos growing up. Probably my first role model for Water Polo was Cameron Piper. He was one of my first coaches and represented Australia in his younger days. He’s still someone I look up to to this day. He’s a fantastic guy and really influenced my career to head in the right direction.
Who are your biggest supporters?
My biggest supporters have got to be my mum & dad. With me living in Barcelona they get up at all hours of the night to watch all my games on live streams and are the first ones to send me messages after the game. Also my girlfriend Maria. She lives in Barcelona with me and she’s a fantastic support for me. Both when I’m in the pool and out of the pool.
What are your future goals in water polo?
Go to as many Olympics as possible. After Paris I’ve got my eyes on LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032. We’ll see after that and see how the body’s going. Love to keep playing for as long as possible. I’m currently playing professionally in Europe and I’m really enjoying that. So I’d love to do that as long as I can.
Any pre-game rituals or superstitions?
I always have a coffee about 1.5 or 2 hours before a game. My current coffee order is a double espresso. Very European. Just helps me focus and gives me that extra boost of energy for a game. It’s something I’ve been doing for a few years now.
If you could assemble the ultimate water polo team, who would you choose?
There’s so many answers I can give here. So many players I wish I could have played with. My answer is going to be quite patriotic. I’m going to say all the 13 boys that are in the Australian Olympic Men’s Team. That’s a great bunch of boys to play with and to be able to represent our country together is a massive honour and I love every single one of them.
The water is a wild place. Any wardrobe malfunctions?
As the Goalkeeper I tend to stay away from all the speedo grabbing that could lead to any malfunctions. It does happen quite a bit. Luckily for me and probably for everyone else there’s been no wardrobe malfunctions on my part.
What’s your favourite thing to do out of the pool?
Spending time with my friends, family and my girlfriend. Really just love being social. Love going to the beach, going for walks, getting coffee and going out for breakfast.
Are you a Trunk, Long Leg or Briefs man?
So this is a really hard question actually because I quite like the Trunks, Long Legs & Brief. I’m going to stick with all 3 honestly. They are just so comfortable. Different styles suit different occasions. Really enjoy all 3 of them.
If you could rock any Knobby design in the pool. What would you choose?
Definitely the Aussie Supporters collection. I reckon the colourway is just awesome. Super Aussie. Playing for the national team, maybe we could incorporate it as part of our uniform one day. Really, really love the Aussie Supporters collection.
If you could design your own pair of Knobbys - what theme would you choose?
I’d definitely make it a Sunny Coast themed design. When I was playing for Sunny Coast as a junior our colours were blue and yellow. So I’m thinking a little blue and yellow in it plus the beach and sun in there as well. I reckon you could make a really cool design out of that. Just a real local and home grown design. Something to do with that. I’ll leave that to the graphics team though.
Knobby is a Sunny Coast brand. Where's your favourite place to hang? Any secret spots?
Pitta street beach access at Peregian Beach. Spent a lot of time there with my family and my mates growing up and walking my dog there. It’s a beautiful spot and nicely wedged in between Peregian and Coolum so you get a lot of the beach to yourself and it’s a fantastic spot to hang out on a Sunday afternoon. It’s a beautiful part of the world and I always feel very happy down there.
Catch Nic doing his thing in the pool all over the Olympics coverage!