Sample Sports Science Personal Statement
My life so far has been defined by my journey of discovering new activities, other people and myself through exploring the outdoors and turning it into my playground, with hiking, skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking, snorkelling and sailing being just a selection of the activities I have had the privilege of dedicating my time to. Just as importantly, through leading this lifestyle I have discovered the wonderful community of outdoors enthusiasts whose passion to enjoy practising sports in nature and helping others to discover such activities knows no bounds. Indeed, growing up in this environment has inspired me to follow a career in which I can help others to realise their physical and mental potential through the great outdoors. I see the challenge of a degree in sports science as a highly rewarding and fulfilling first step on the path to my ultimate goal of one day running an outdoors activity centre, through which I will gain proficiency in coaching skills and the science behind peak sporting performance.
Since realising the central role that I wish outdoor activities to take in my professional life, I have approached the academic side of physical pursuits with relish and zeal. Building on the grounding in sports and applied science I gained through my initial BTEC qualifications, completing the Extended Level 3 Diploma in Sport (Outdoor Activities) has transformed my understanding of so many different aspects of the relationship between the physical and the psychological, the best techniques for coaching sports and the science behind the human body. I’ve especially enjoyed the challenges of the varied study workload that the BTEC demands, especially since I am now pursuing it as a distance course, meaning I have a high level of self-responsibility for ensuring I progress in line with my potential.
I am also currently completing Level 1 and 2 ski instructor qualifications and have gained a lot of satisfaction from formally studying coaching techniques as part of the course. I have found training to be a ski instructor has very effectively complemented the coaching and instructing experience I have already gained through volunteering. In recent years I have volunteered to teach school children the basic skills of kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking and rock climbing, and I have also helped to run introductory rock climbing activity days. I have found it very interesting to discover the diverse range of ways that different people are able to learn techniques and the different methods that can be used to help people of different ability levels. I hope to be able to also apply my coaching skills to sailing after I gain additional RYA sailing qualifications later this year.
Some of my work experience has also been focused on the outdoors. I work seasonally as a beater, a role that involves flushing out birds and grouse prior to a shoot. I love the challenge this presents of gaining an intimate knowledge of the woods and researching the birds’ living habits. I am also responsible for controlling the dogs used in the shoot, a task that requires a cool head and the ability to respond to the unexpected. Away from the countryside I have also enjoyed working as part of the customer service team at Argos.
In addition to taking part in a very wide range of outdoor sports as frequently as possible, when I can I also take on extended outdoor challenges. For example, while at school I was a member of the Army cadets, through which I completed several different outdoor challenges as part of a team. I loved working with my fellow cadets and taking on the responsibility of contributing to my unit. I also often take part in expeditions across the UK with my college mates. Aside from the physical exertions of these demanding challenges, the expeditions have also been a brilliant hands-on way of discovering the UK’s natural diversity and understanding a range of environmental issues.
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