Personal Statement
Having been born in Malmo to a Slovakian mum and a Swedish dad, the sport is in my blood and nationality. Growing up in the UK, hockey has been one of the biggest aspects of my day-to-day life with my family and friends always commenting on how I probably spend more time at the rink than at home - the changing room is practially my bedroom (and my mum says they both smell just as bad)! My passion for the sport is shown through my daily visits to the rink where I usually don't return home until 1am; ice time is limited in the country so while team mates train 1-2 hours a week, I'm on the ice 6-8 hours with any team that will take me - no matter what time or day - which doesn't include the extra hours I spend working on my skating ability at public sessions or hand-eye co-ordination drills in my livingroom and general fitness in the gym.
Balanced in with my love for the sport is my motivation to succeed, both athletically and academically. My studies are extremely important and I strive for constant improvement in my grades as well as on the ice. In between training and running my own company, I do a lot of background reading into my favourite aspects of business: marketing, sales and advertising. With high aspirations to become the next Richard Branson (hopefully less beard though) as well as the next goalie to lead my country to an Olympic gold medal, I use my focus, motivation and organisational skills to ensure I'm constantly improving until I'm the best I can be at what I do.
My ability to handle pressure is supported by my studies in school this year; in the UK, it is common to study 3-4 A Levels. I have just completed my first year of 6 A Level qualifications while also making the final selection round of Team GB trials in ice hockey to which I got invited after having only been a goalie for 8 months. I feel like I would reach my highest potential both academically and athletically by studying in the USA, and my experience with training for so many different teams every week gives me confidence that I would fit into your team without worries. I'm an extremely hard-worker but I can still bring fun to a changing room, and although my jokes may need improving, I assure you my hockey and academic ability are much better. :)