My first skiing competition at fourteen marked the beginning of a life-changing passion - to become a professional skier and study sports science. My fascination was fuelled by my childhood in was fuelled by my childhood in was fuelled by my childhood in France, where I would work on ski camps during the school holidays and immerse myself in the sport, determined to learn more that would help to achieve my goal.
As I propelled myself through the opening gate and plummeted down the white slope, I knew my skis were only skimming the snow beneath me, and every twist urged me on to the finish. I looked up to the clock to confirm fourth position – a creditable achievement for any athlete.
Though driven to compete and improve on fourth place, a series of inexplicably poor performances made me investigate what was holding me back. My knees had begun to weaken, and I was eventually diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.
Following the diagnosis, I no longer ski competitively, but continue to ski for fun. Although I was disappointed to have to reassess my aim of turning professional,I do not regret the illness – everything happens for a reason. I now know that personal experience of physical problems will give me a deeper understanding of the principles of sports science, and of ways that athletes can be affected. My long-term career goal is to become an exercise psychologist – primarily helping to increase exercise participation and motivation levels with the application of psychology. Studying a sports science degree is the first step to achieving this dream.
It was important for me to survive and learn from the experiences of skiing. My abilities were channelled into a variety of sports - athletics, netball, hockey - you name it. At sixteen, I moved to Scotland. I spent a year fulfilling a challenging academic schedule that would perfect my English language skills, but enjoyed building on my sporting interests in the second year of college; I interacted with all students, and became a key player in many sports societies. The value of enthusiasm and teamwork in sport was especially demonstrated to me in the position of Netball captain; one of my proudest moments was the team reaching second runners-up at county level. I am now exploring activities such as yoga and horse riding, as well as cross-country running, and I take an active role in weekly sports meetings and by contribute sport results to the local newspapers.
All my experiences, whether challenges or obstacles, have contributed to my desire to pursue studies in sports science. I want to pursue studies in sports science. I want to find out what helps athletes to recover from illnesses, and how they achieve ultimate human performance.
Clearly, motivation is the tool that must be nurtured and used to achieve performance stability and continuous growth. I am attracted by the fact that sports science is a continually developing subject and that it combines many disciplines - physiology, biology, chemistry and nutrition. The work of Bengt Saltin has particularly captured my attention, and I take pleasure in reading his publications on Muscle Research and exercise science.
I do not approach this application process half-heartedly. I have carried out research half-heartedly. I have carried out research on the different degrees available, and your sports science degree was the only programme that excited me. I am applying to no other institutions.
Although I am unable to fulfil my dream of becoming a professional skier, I am dedicated to pursuing sports science and understanding the dynamics of exercise programmes. I will prove to you that I have the intellectual stamina and commitment to excel in my academic studies, and will make the most of opportunities given to me.
