Sport up your life
Have a click through these interviews to see just how diverse our female sporting community is by meeting some of the women of UNSW sport.
Who cares if you’re not great, but when you’re playing sports you sometimes happen upon something that you’re really good at.
"Even if you’ve never done something before, if you approach it with enthusiasm and commitment, there’ll always be someone willing to help you out."
"I never would’ve guessed six years ago when I started playing volleyball that sport would bring me so many leadership opportunities, but I’m grateful for these avenues to grow myself."
"No one’s expecting you to be fantastic or an elite athlete, but you can have a go and do what you can. You can literally only do what you can do, and people see that."
"Joining the society has really changed my uni experience and made it a lot more positive"
"It doesn't matter what your background is or what you’ve experienced in your childhood, be it health issues or family issues, all of those things have made you who you are today, and sport will just develop you more"
"I hated judo to start, but now I'm working towards the Tokyo Olympics. I wouldn't have known I loved this sport unless I tried it. There's no loss in trying something, so just do it!"
"The great thing about the She Can campaign is that it offers opportunities to try out the different clubs for free through the beginner sessions. Come and along and try it, and then you'll be able to judge if it's a fit for you."
"The truth is that no one is going to think badly of you or change their opinion of you just because you're maybe not as good as the next person. We care more about how much effort you put in rather than how good you are."
"Put yourself out there and give it a go. Even if you suck at it, that's totally fine. I mean, if I went to play soccer then I would be terrible at it! But I would still give it a go and see if it's something I like."
"Student sport is definitely a community that you become a part of. I always felt a bit at odds with other sporting people because I had an academic interest, so it's nice to come to uni and find people who are doing the same thing as me."
"The whole way I just had to keep pushing and pushing. I fainted at the end of the race actually, but all I wanted to was finish. I ended up coming 10th in the world."
"I'm hearing impaired - well deaf actually. I have cochlear implants. Sport is a really good outlet for me, and because I'm quite visual and spatially aware as a result of being hearing impaired, it seems to come naturally to me."
"I think of Muay Thai as a family. Every time I walk through the doors, I know I can leave everything else behind. Everyone is so happy and ready to learn a new challenge together."
"Most of the time sport helps with uni. There are countless studies that show that doing physical activity helps with memory and retention. It helps me concentrate and compartmentalise my life. It's good to have an outlet that's not uni."
