It’s important that when choosing a sport psychologist that you know a bit about them – along with other factors, their past experiences will shape how they will relate to you as an athlete. With this in mind, I thought it would be beneficial for my first ‘blog’ to be a brief introduction of myself.
I was born in Chicago and moved around the US many times as a child – I lived in Hawaii, Utah, California, and Colorado all by the age of twelve, and went to Boston at 18. While I didn’t realise this at the time, each move taught me something important about people and about sport. I’m very thankful to my parents, who made me try each sport I came across at least once – and if I didn’t like it, I never had to try it again. I doubt they expected me to love competing so much, or that the following years would be spent carting me from sport to sport year-round! In Hawaii it was track and field and dance; Utah was basketball and softball; California was football and swimming; Colorado was basketball, football, skiing, swimming, and most importantly for me, volleyball. Sports have been my life since a young age, and there aren’t many I haven’t at least tried; some of these sports became seriously competitive for me, but nothing quite grabbed my attention and competitive spirit like volleyball. From the age of twelve, I specialised in volleyball while also competing in other sports when I had the time. In this process I continued to learn about the unique cultures that accompany different sports, as well as how to be a professional athlete and the demands that come with this.
In the states, volleyball is one of the biggest women’s sports with some of the best opportunities to compete; I managed to play at university and Junior Olympic level until a major shoulder injury ended my career at 21. The sudden end to my sporting career left me devastated: not only had I lost my way to compete, but the one constant throughout my life seemed to come to an abrupt end. Thankfully, in the meantime I had been able to foster other interests and skills, namely getting my first degree in Psychology – without this, a difficult time would have been made much worse! This experience led me to become interested in the psychology behind injuries and how to better transition from sport to ‘real life’. It also prompted reflection on my sporting career and things I had often thought about as an athlete, but never in relation to psychology, such as the relationships that form throughout sport and the cultures embedded in particular sports or teams. After moving to the UK in 2012, I decided to further my psychology education, completing my first MSc in Applied Psychological Therapies, and then to specialise in sport through my second MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology. I’m now in the middle of my doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology. My life still revolves around sport, and I am always astounded by the athletes, coaches, and sporting staff – their dedication to bettering themselves and those around them inspires me to do so as well. I love nothing more than hearing peoples’ stories, their journey into their particular sport, – and helping those I work with accomplish their goals!
Recent Comments