Personal Statement
I play elite-level ice-hockey in the UK and hope to major in Psychology, which I am currently studying along with PE (Sport Science) and Photography in my last year of secondary school in England.
As a student, I am attracted to Psychology’s exploration of the mind and the case studies that come up in our curriculum, from the first experimental work on perception and sensation by Wundt in the 1870s through to more recent work on mood swings, OCD and peer beliefs. As an athlete, I am attracted to what Psychology can add to how we understand sports performance, which was traditionally considered in purely physical terms but which we now realise is affected by any number of mental processes which can enhance or limit our potential.
I am particularly aware of this because in the past two years, I have experienced many highs and lows in my sports career. For example, winning the National Playoffs was one of my favourite moments and a great way to finish the season. However, only making it as a reserve on the GB U18s ice hockey squad was a low. In learning to cope better with negative outcomes, however, my interest in Psychology went from theoretical to practical. I often felt overwhelmed at the many thoughts of not being good enough or comparing myself to others. This type of thinking affected not only how I performed on the ice but also my attitude towards school.
Learning how to win
Around January of 2022, my confidence was at an all-time low, after experiencing a setback in my hockey career. The end goal seemed almost impossible to reach, until I decided to change the way I looked at negative outcomes. I started to focus on being able to achieve little goals over longer periods, rather than trying to get to a level I wasn't at yet and beating myself up about it. The more I appreciated and celebrated the smaller, more achievable wins, the faster I was able to progress. Slowly, I regained my confidence and started improving at a faster rate.
At the age 15, I was recruited to play elite-level ice hockey for one of the top two women's teams in the UK, while also playing for two boys’ teams. In the summer of 2023, I focused on hockey as much as I could by travelling to Sweden to participate in a two-week hockey training camp run by CHS, followed by a one-week event in St Louis, MO. Girls from all around the world came to showcase their talent in front of varsity coaches who were leading the training sessions. Not only did we focus on the on-ice aspect of hockey, we also listened to seminars about smart hockey, types of plays and breathing techniques, aimed at making us more efficient players but also reducing anxiety and stress.
As I’ve started focusing more on mental health, I’ve also considered the mental toughness, strength and endurance it takes to be a student-athlete. Being mentally tough is one of the most crucial characteristics of an athlete and is what separates second place from first. Since starting ice hockey at the age of nine and playing as the only girl in an all-boys team, I have learnt to be resilient, because my mental game is constantly being challenged. I have also learnt to appreciate the importance of mental well-being and, as an athlete, acknowledge when my body and mind need rest.
The need for balance
One of the toughest factors I have had to overcome is the balance between my sporting life and my school life. In the past, I found it more difficult to apply myself to school work than sport. However, as I went through the first year of sixth form, I realised that what makes a sportsperson great is balance. One night, on a busy school week, I came across a podcast by the entrepreneur and trainer Chris Ronzio and was hooked in an instant. In this podcast, Ronzio—who overcame diabetes to become an all-star athlete—discussed how creating an alter ego for the different aspects of one’s life could help develop the mindset needed to strive, succeed and be the best version of oneself. In this way, creating an alter ego may be the key to creating the balance I need between the two most important aspects of my life.
The book Hockey Tough was recommended to me by my coach. Hockey Tough, written by Saul L. Miller and later revised, with Mark Messier, with the subtitle “A Winning Mental Game”, builds on the physical skills of the sport by strengthening the mental factors that apply directly to the game. By reading this I learnt how to control my emotions and maintain composure, stay focused in clutch situations, play aggressively, not carelessly, and improve my performance game in and game out—lessons that can be applied to school as well as sport, and that would be of help to countless athletes, not just those playing ice hockey.
I now want to understand mental processes better—both the academic side and also the practical application—because, in addition to my student ambitions, I think I am uniquely empathetic and read people’s behaviour well, am fascinated by cognitive neuroscience, and can imagine building a career on this. I found it uplifting to understand mental resilience and toughness because I was then able to help not only my teammates on the ice but also my friends off ice—and that seems to be rare.
