What did you study?
BSc Honours in Performance Sport
Why did you choose to study this?
I grew up really enjoying sport and was very involved in it throughout my schooling. However, as I furthered my studies, I found working in sport a unique space. Here both the enjoyment of being involved in sport and people development could overlap.
Which teams and student-athletes/athletes are you currently working with?
Maties Basketball (Men and Ladies) and ParaAthletics (Zanele Situ)
What’s the best part about your job?
I thoroughly enjoy the diversity of people I have the privilege of working with. Working within a university environment we engage with many different student-athletes over time. I enjoy seeing student-athletes grow through sport. Especially seeing athletes at the start of a season, walking through the season, and seeing how they have developed into very different people at the end of the season, having achieved more than they previously could.
What’s the toughest part about your job?
Despite sport being very rewarding for the most part, there is a side to sport that is somewhat unforgiving and unexplainably out of your control. I have seen athletes/teams prepare diligently, work hard, and execute plans well, yet still fall short of their goals due to uncontrollable aspects such as injuries or not being selected for a team, to name a few. At times this can be a challenging space to navigate through.
You were both interns at the Maties Sport High Performance Unit straight after graduating with your Honours degrees. How did the internship prepare you for the work you are doing now?
Following my degree, I found I had a basis of knowledge, yet I lacked practical experience working within our field. Through my internship years I was provided with various opportunities to grow and increase my practical experience across many HP Sports codes. The experience I gained during these years have been the building blocks for where I now found myself within my career. Some key aspects involved using various pieces of technology within different sports codes, fundamentals of strength and condition, people skills, working within an integrated medicine and science team.
As female strength and conditioning coaches in a historically male dominated industry, do you have any advice for any young woman who would like to follow this career path?
Being in this space I have come to learn the beauty of the differences each one has to offer. I often remind myself that these unique differences are something to be celebrated. I found it is important to remain true to my values and steadfast in who I am.