My name is Sam Walton-Sexton. I am currently in the first year of my Bachelor of Creative Practice (Arts & Design) at EIT. I was one of five lucky recipients of the Sport Hawke’s Bay / EIT Sports Scholarships which go towards my studies. The sports I participate in while studying are Rugby, Touch and Basketball.

I have just participated in a local Rugby Sevens tournament. At the moment I’m busy training for the New Zealand Touch Rugby National Tournament being held in Christchurch in early 2021. 

This year has been quite challenging. Rugby Union is a sport mainly played in autumn and winter. COVID-19 hit New Zealand at the end of March which put the season on hold. Club rugby can be played up to 20 weeks but the pandemic limited the competition to 9 weeks. 

The uncertainty was probably the biggest challenge that I had to overcome this year. It was tough to adapt at home to both training routine and study routine while not knowing when I would be able to go back to normal.   

These circumstances and the uncertainty has also affected my motivation to train. I struggled to stay motivated as I didn’t know if I would be even able to play sports in 2020. While being stuck at home during lockdown creativity was a way to keep fit and focused.