Nick Wykes 1970-2025

Yesterday, I went to the funeral of one of my supervisees - Nick Wykes. It was a terribly sad day, heartbreaking for his daughter, wife, parents, siblings, his wider family, friends, teammates, athletes and everyone who was there.

He was born 21 October 1970 and passed away on 19 February 2025, aged 54 years. He had a varied career, beginning in the drinks industry in London in the 1990s where he honed his now infamous mixology skills and met his much-loved wife, Emma. When they decided to start a family, they moved to Oxford, where Nick was born and brought up, and decided that he would support her in her career and be the chief parent on the ground. He moved into the world of sport science, firstly studying for a BSc in Psychology at the Open University, then for a MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Staffordshire University passing with distinction and finally for a Professional Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Birmingham. At this point, he also embarked upon the Qualification in Sport and Exercise psychology (QSEP) which is how our paths crossed. 

The move into sport science was not an accident. Sport was a passion, and American Football was the epicentre for him. Nick had been an accomplished player of the game and was keen when he retired to move into the role of coach so that he could pass on his love of the game to others. He was the Head Coach at Oxford Brookes University Panthers and the Oxford Saints Youth Team which he helped found. He lit flames in the hundreds of young people that he coached, inspiring them both on and off the field. He was able or do this because his passion, alongside sport, was people. He cared deeply about the people around him and about them becoming the best versions of themselves both as performers and as human beings.

The interest in studying to become a sport psychologist was about learning as much as he could in this area to ensure that he was the best version of himself and enable other people to be. Nick always had the latest piece of research to quote, or a statistic to back up his work. He oozed information about Sport Psychology and was well on his way to becoming a most excellent psychologist. Our supervision sessions were filled with his deep thinking, in-depth conversation, creative exercises and healthy debates. He was a true student of the discipline, intelligent, warm-hearted and funny. When I looked around the densely-packed (two, overflowing) rooms at his funeral, and listened to what people were saying, what struck me most was how much he was loved, how much he was admired and how much he helped people, both as people and as athletes. It also struck me that this was a man who lived in line with his values, who knew himself, who knew what made him happy and was able to put his time and energy into pursuing that. He applied what he had learnt to himself and what I saw, in that room yesterday, was that he had nailed it!

As Nick's colleagues and friends we are all the poorer for not having Nick here anymore but he lived, exactly as he wanted, true to his values, with authenticity, and love for himself and those around him. He goes in peace because of this, and that is, I think, all that anyone could hope for.