Study is an important component of my life.  It stimulates and challenges my mind, keeps me busy when I am training and helps get me closer to earning a degree.

Luckily enough, I am a member of the 2018 Magpies wider training group.  This provides me with the opportunity to study with the help of a Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union- EIT Sport Scholarship.  The group trains six times a week.  This consists of four gym sessions, which are held on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings.  This works in conjunction with the two field sessions, held on Monday and Wednesday nights.  This schedule is somewhat similar to the structure for the Bachelor of Recreation and Sport, which requires me to attend up to eight classes a week.  In addition to attending class, I consider it very important to study in my own time.  If I’m not in the gym or throwing a rugby ball around, I am completing assessments or revising using my study notes.

The reason I study is because I want to provide myself with the opportunity to set myself up for life after sport.  My idea post-study job role includes being a high school physical education teacher or a strength and conditioning coach for sport teams.       

Kianu Kereru-Symes