What sport are you involved in and what do you love about it?
As the Sports President at my University, I have had the opportunity to try a multitude of different sports but the one I love is archery. For me, archery is so impactful because it’s a sport that anyone can try. I picked up the sport off the back of COVID to connect with other students after an isolating first year of university but also to push myself out of my comfort zone and try something new. Now, two years later, I compete nationally and have friends for life! The accessibility of archery alongside the community found within the discipline is one of the many reasons I love the sport.
What motivated you to be a part of the Young People's Sport Panel?
I was motivated to join the YPSP after hearing a previous panel members talk to their positive experience being on the panel. From both my personal experience in both recreational and performance sport to my daily work aiming to facilitate student sport at my institution, I applied for the panel in the hope of bringing my knowledge and skills of student sport into the national conversation while also gaining a deeper understand of the greater world of young people’s sport across Scotland.
How do you think sport can help support young people in Scotland?
As someone who once believed sport ‘wasn’t for them’, I have experienced first hand the potential sport has to change someone's life. Through my sport of archery, I found a community of like-minded people and a new career path I never once thought possible. By stepping outside of my comfort zone, I was shown the positive impact being active can have on young people and I hope by being on the panel, I can help show young people like me that sport and physical activity can be for them, they just maybe haven’t found the right one for them yet.
Is there a role model who inspires you? What is it about them you admire?
It’s hard to choose just one person, from my family to friends however someone that comes to mind is Nicole Gray, my sports president while I was studying at university. She was the first person who encouraged me to take on a leadership role within sport and provided me with so many opportunities to learn within that experience. Without her help, I wouldn’t be working in sport today.