Choosing to study at Wintec was a big step for me as I moved to New Zealand from Canada to study here. There were many factors that led me to Wintec but only ever one that led me to sport.
During my years playing netball, volleyball and soccer, sport opened many doors. I was able to travel and compete, creating memories with friends that I will always cherish. Every step of the way I had support and encouragement from family, teachers, my small town community and even complete strangers.
For months teachers drove me 45 minutes to a bus that then took me four hours away to stay with a host family in order for me to train and represent my province. Hours of training and fundraising became my reality because my family wasn’t in a position to support my sports financially.
After school I took a gap year, travelled a bit and came to the conclusion that sport has the power to bring change. As corny as that sounds, I knew that this is what I wanted to study and kids are who I eventually wanted to work with. The reason I chose sport was to support kids, like me, achieve and go as far with their sport as they want.
I chose Wintec as they were well known for being practical and hands on. I can now confirm this is very true.
The last four and a half years of my studies has been long! I was lucky enough not to hit the third year blues until my final semester. Throughout my undergraduate degree I changed my ‘specialty’ a number of times, dabbling in nutrition (cause it’s pretty cool) and finally landing on strength and conditioning. Realising that you suck at something you were so set on, to excel in another area foreign to you, is pretty daunting.
Sport offers a vast valley of careers and I felt that the staff at Wintec were always accommodating and understanding.
Wintec provided countless opportunities throughout my time there. I have built connections within many different schools and sports centers across the Waikato. I also worked in one of Hamilton’s lead gyms to further apply the skills I learnt in the classroom. Class time is great, but taking full advantage of the external opportunities is invaluable when developing skills and building confidence.
Currently I am working at St Peter’s School in Cambridge and looking to investigate the fatigue response in female youth athletes when completing different resistance training stimulus. I work with youth athletes almost every day while completing my Masters degree and also holding down a part-time job.
Studying sport isn’t as easy as most people think, but it is extremely rewarding.
