This month, and the last few months, have been the busiest time for me. I began my 4th and final year at Stirling University and it wasn’t long before I had to begin work on my honours project. Working on my work for my final year has taken over a lot of my time. However, this has not stopped me from volunteering for most things that come my way.
I have recently started to volunteer every week for PLUS (Forth Valley) in which I work at their After School Club events for primary and high school students that have disabilities. This has been an amazing opportunity for me to meet new people, gain new skills and experience which will hopefully stand me in good stead for graduating next year!
Along with volunteering for PLUS I have also had opportunities to volunteer in my role as a Young Person’s Sport Panel member. Although not being able to volunteer this month in my role I did get to volunteer at the very first Wheelchair Sports Extravaganza. This event was amazing, as it saw a lot of young people come and try a range of different sports, from archery to athletics to wheelchair rugby. One of the other opportunities I got involved in as a Sport Panel member was the media training held at Stirling University. Both of these events got me thinking more about my future in sport.
Having had a lot going on in my life, and at University, I have had to seriously thinking about my sporting career. With many injuries and low points during the last few years of my athletics career I found myself becoming less enthusiastic about the sport. However, wanting to remain active and fit got me thinking about other opportunities, and with the help of the media training and the Sports event, I decided to try something new.
And so, here I am, almost 6 months later into my journey, having started a new sport- basketball!
I have, also, not officially mentioned anywhere that I have started this new sport, and transitioned from athletics. This being the first time, is pretty scary I must admit!!
This month has been great for myself in this new sporting chapter. I have recently been on a weekend trip to Nottingham to play basketball in the British Women’s League for Angels of the North 3. This league was the most fun as I was able to meet many new people in the sport from all over the country and also got a chance to watch GB Paralympians play in the first division- which was an amazing opportunity. Managing to play four games while I was away and meeting great people along the way, I can honestly say that starting basketball was a great decision for myself at this time.
Colette Martin