• Question: You say you've always wanted to be a professional sportsman, did you think that by becoming a sports scientist you would manage to get closer to your goal?

    Asked by beccasaurous to Stu, Helen, Jenni, Mark, Martin on 21 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by limey5298.
    • Photo: Jenni Tilley

      Jenni Tilley answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      I’ve never wanted to be a professional sportsperson – I’d get bored focussing on one thing!

      An understanding of how the body works and how to perform to your best will definately help those who do. I think some amazing sports people just have an instinct about these things though

    • Photo: Mark Burnley

      Mark Burnley answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      I’d liked to have been a pro sportsman, but I quickly realised I didn’t have the talent. Being a sports scientist helps me maximise my potential, but it also exposed me to truly elite performance, and I knew from those data that I wasn’t even close to the level needed to win anything!

    • Photo: Helen O'Connor

      Helen O'Connor answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      I didnt want to be a professional sportsperson – I wanted to understand how I could help others to become professional and get to the top of their game, but I know that I don’t have the skills to be professional in any physical job. Hopefully I will get to the top of the game as a sports psychologist though, and work with some really top athletes too.

    • Photo: Martin Lindley

      Martin Lindley answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      I have played hockey in the national league and also at international level.

      So I was playing at the highest level I could really….but hockey does not pay well ! so an amature status for me !

      I really enjoyed my time playing hockey and I got to travel the world a bit as well but the life span of a sportsman is short so I am very glad that I have my academic career as well.

    • Photo: Stuart Mourton

      Stuart Mourton answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      I would have loved to have been a pro sportsman but i realised very early on that i wasn’t going to achieve that. I wanted to work in sport though and was good at it so that is why i followed this path. I’m very glad i did!!

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