Celebrating Swansea University Women in Sport

SWANSEA
UNIVERSITY
STUDENTS’
UNION
UNDEB
MYFYRWYR
PRIFYSGOL
ABERTAWE
Celebrating
Swansea University
Women in Sport

• Aimee Hawksley
• Ultimate Frisbee
• First year Modern Languages, Translation,
and Interpreting student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Skying a GB Ultimate coach in a tournament a few years ago to win the game.
What three words describe you best ?
Spontaneous, chatty, and quite laid-back
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Don't think I could name one specific person; I was really blessed to start
playing Ultimate on a team with a lot of women on it, which meant I had
lots of fantastic athletes to look up to and help me learn!
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
I love how sport brings people together regardless of their differences. Ultimate is
such a social sport, and on the teams that I've played on, people have always
been friendly and sought to build up their teammates in a way that I've not seen
in other sports. (It's also just a ridiculously fun game to play!)
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Absolutely go for it! Don't compare yourself to others negatively, especially when
starting a new sport or getting back into being more active, it doesn't help
anything! Your value doesn't lie in what other people think; be the best
sportsperson you can be: ask for advice, make the mistakes, and have fun doing it!

• Beckie, Rebecca, Oram
• Canoe Polo
• First year Business Management student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Having great weekends away not just bonding as a team and getting some great
game but getting to know other universities in the sports.
What three words describe you best ?
Bubbly, energetic and adventurous
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Bethan Littlewood, senior women’s team player, the team won silver at the
canoe polo worlds
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
The thing I enjoy the most is getting out of the university routine to try something
new each week and develop on my skills in the sport but also seeing the team
improving together and getting stronger.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
I would say always go for everything to make sure you try everything and learn new
things, you will never regret trying something new and may find the sport for you.

• Beth Richards
• Table Tennis
• First year Education student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Being part of the women’s team to go to the Commonwealth Championships in India in
2019 was an unbelievable experience for me, I played against some top
commonwealth players which was a crazy learning curve. Another great memory was
winning Malta open, going abroad and winning for your country is such an amazing
feeling.
What three words describe you best ?
Probably, confident, bubbly and competitive.
Who's your female sporting hero ?
My female sporting hero is probably Katarina Johnson-Thompson. She is incredibly
inspiring, she was often seen as the ‘underdog’ to Jessica Ennis-Hill, her grit and
determination helped her become Eu-ropean champion, world champion and
Commonwealth gold medalist.
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
My team- We are all really close which I think is so important especially when we’re
travelling and competing together. I also love always having a goal to work towards,
it makes training so exciting knowing that I am getting closer to my goal every time
I hit that ball.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Just to go for it. Through table tennis I have made friends for life and I have also gained
so many new life long skills that I know I wouldn’t have had if it weren’t for playing
sport. If you don’t go for it you never know what could happen.

• Chloe Davies
• Kickboxing
• Third year Sport and Exercise Science
student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Winning the WAKO British Nationals in 2020 or winning the World Championships in
2018 in three consecutive weight classes at senior level.
What three words describe you best ?
Feisty, competitive and bubbly
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Jessica Ennis-Hill because she became a regular face in the media numerous times,
especially after comments around her body image and she became part of a growing
female movement in sport tackling topics of sexism, eating disorders and bullying.
She’s an incredible athlete and I find her a great influence on females in sport.
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
What I enjoy most about being an athlete is learning more about my body every training
session; from getting new PBs at the gym, the preparation leading up to a big competition
and having a second family that I train with where we all help each other be the best athlete
we can be.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
My advice would be to just do it! Don’t wait for a new week or a better time, the sooner
you start the better you will feel and set small goals that are achievable. Have the main
reason to start being active or take part be for enjoyment and to be healthy. When you
start to say “I get to work out today” rather than “I have to workout today” you will be
a lot happier and are more likely to stay active.

• Emily Davies
• Netball
• Second year Sport and Exercise Science
student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Has to be winning the cup last season and beating C*rdiff in the league.
What three words describe you best ?
Loud (on court), committed, passionate.
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Serena Guthrie, Maria Folau and Gretal Tippett they’re all amazing but my
coaches at West Wales and Swansea have been my biggest female heroes.
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
Being part of a team, the friendships, the fun and of course the winning.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Push yourself and go for it, you won’t regret trying.

• Flame Dunn
• Aerial Sports
• Third year Zoology student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
My best sporting achievement was being voted as captain for Aerial Sports. I never
expected that to happen at all and it was just such a surprise.
What three words describe you best ?
Loyal, passionate and kind.
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Charlotte Watkins (the previous captain). She is the person who inspired me to
do Aerial Sports and to join the committee. It has made my university
experience and I can’t thank her enough.
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
The thing I enjoy most about my sport is the friendships that have come from it. Despite
being an individual sport, we are all so supportive of one another. Seeing everyone so happy
after they managed to do a move they have been working on for weeks really makes my day.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Never compare yourself to others. Remember that you are doing amazing no matter what
pace you are working at or what others are doing around you. Always remember that you
are doing sport for yourself. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself- it’s okay to have a
cheat day and a day off!

• Grace Bader-Jones
• Netball
• Second year Business Management
E-communication student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Achieving player of the match in my first premiere league in Cwmbran and competing
in the Diversity Tournament in Swansea University.
What three words describe you best ?
Funny, caring, and competitive
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Jo Harten/Serena Gutherie/Maria Falau
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
Pushing myself to the best that I can be, socialising with my teammates, being
competitive and enjoying successes with my team.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Every time your mind says ‘I will start my training/diet tomorrow’ don’t, start right then
when that thought enters your mind and don’t hold back. Always be respective of other
athletes and cheer on your teammates always in successes and losses.

• Harriet Barker
• Hockey
• Fourth year Research Masters in Sport and
Exercise Science student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Playing in the EHL National Premier League where I am given the opportunity to play
against world class/ international athletes every week.
What three words describe you best ?
Communicative, Friendly, Enthusiastic
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Billie Jean King – her fight and ambition inspires me to challenge myself everyday
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
The best thing to me about being an athlete at Swansea University is being given the
opportunity to compete in the annual Varsity competition, one of - if not THE - best asset to
Swansea University Sport.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Don’t be afraid to just keep showing up week in and week out – at first you might not feel
as confident to keep going but commitment is half the battle to fight!

• Issy Roberts
• Water Polo
• Fourth year International Relations and
American Studies student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
My favourite sporting memory is beating Cardiff at Varsity 2019, we’d been training so
hard and having been beaten by them earlier that year the pressure was on. It was so
amazing to come together as a team and win.
What three words describe you best ?
Driven, Loud and Leader
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Mallory Weggemann
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
I love playing a team sport as it really helps you to grow not only individually but as a
unit. Helping each other to improve on skills and to come together as a team is really
rewarding.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Go for it! I would encourage everyone to just get involved in any way they can!
Swansea offers so many different sports at different levels, there really is
something for everyone.

• Kate Sambrook
• Mountaineering
• Fifth year MA by Research in Modern
Languages student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Probably my first trad lead climb, I had never even considered that I might be able to
do it one day! I never thought I would have the opportunity to learn how to lead trad,
or be confident enough to do so but the Mountaineering club has given me not only
the opportunity to learn, but the confidence to try.
What three words describe you best ?
Brave, determined, passionate.
Who's your female sporting hero ?
I don’t really like to idolise people, I think putting people on a pedestal can be quite
harmful, but Shauna Coxey is definitely a female athlete who has done a lot for the
sport. I am always inspired by the other women in SUMC and I love seeing female
participation in the sport grow.
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
I really love the support and the friendships I have through rock climbing. As well as
climbing having lots of physical health benefits, the mental health benefits have
helped me a lot to get through difficult times.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Don’t accept unhelpful and unsolicited ‘advice’ from men at the climbing gym who don’t
know what they’re doing! Join a society at uni because this will give you a lot of
unparalleled opportunities and the chance to meet new people and develop your skills.

• Meg Cronk
• Netball
• Second year Law and Spanish student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Winning the BUCS plate against UWE with the third team last season. It was a tough
game throughout but to pull away and get the win, with the first team also beating
Plymouth University to win the Cup was an amazing achievement and memory.
What three words describe you best ?
Ambitious, competitive and driven.
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Laura Langman
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
I enjoy the team ethos throughout all areas of the sport and the competition.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
If you want to start playing a sport, a team sport is always a good place to begin: you will
get to meet a lot of people and this can encourage you to be more active as you can be
both active and sociable.v

• Tirion Thomas
• Rugby
• First year Midwifery student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Captaining RGC u18’s girls game against the scarlets, we found ourselves one try away
from the game ending due to point difference. However as a team we managed to lift
our spirts and played the best 35 minutes of rugby ever as a team. Managing to see
the whole game out and gain some points on the board.
What three words describe you best ?
Passionate, Determined, selfless
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Jade Knight – As she demonstrates to me that my ambitions in life are achievable,
having the career I have always dreamed of whilst being able to play the sport I love.
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
Family- Rugby isn’t an individual sport, whatever challenges you face you face them as
a team and as one big family. Rugby allows me to remain physically and mentally
healthy whilst also doing something I love.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
Give it a go! Why not? What have you got to lose? Do it for yourself, it doesn’t
matter what others think!

• Yoana Yankova
• Gymnastics
• Second year LLB Law student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
One of my favourite experiences has to be my first international competition – the
International Children’s Games in 2015 in Alkmaar, Netherlands. What made it such an
unforgettable experience was that it was a multisport event and there were teams
from all over the world, and the fact that we all lived in a ‘sports village’ together for
around 10 days meant that we could really get to know other teams and develop long
lasting friendships with people from across the world.
What three words describe you best ?
Positive, Sociable, Perfectionist
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Nastia Liukin
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
The resilience which gymnastics has taught me – it physically teaches you that you
need to fall many times before you succeed
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
The most important thing is to find the sport or physical activity which you enjoy the most, as
doing something which makes you happy is the most important. As long as you find an
activity which you enjoy, the benefits from it will come before you know it! Both your physical
and mental health will improve tremendously whilst having fun and socialising with people
who have the same passion as you. Also, try to set yourself small goals which are realistic to
achieve. You can still have a big goal which you want to get to, but it’s crucial to have the
smaller goals to focus on along the way so that you don’t get frustrated and lose motivation.

• Zoe De Surville
• Ultimate Frisbee and Climbing
• Second Year Zoology student
Best sporting memory or sporting achievement?
Playing my first BUCS game last November for the Outdoor regionals for Women’s
Ultimate. Due to transport difficulties we were only able to have 6 players for a 7 a side
game. We had 3 games lined up for that day. It was muddy and wet but I learned a lot.
Despite being tired we still managed to keep our spirits up and enjoy ourselves. It was
after that day that I really felt part pf the team.
What three words describe you best ?
Short, Energetic, hilarious
Who's your female sporting hero ?
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
I enjoy pushing myself. Being active is important to me because it is a time where I
can be out of my head and focus on myself. It gives me something to look forward
to. I really enjoy trying new things and being an athlete has enabled me to meet
many new people with a common interest and goal. It has enabled me to learn a lot
about myself. Can’t really imagine my life without any sport.
What advice would you give to other women trying to become more physically
active or wanting to start playing a sport?
I would say whatever sport you want to try give it a go. I encourage you to try as many
things as possible. If you want to get more active you will need to get out of your comfort
zone eventually, taking it small steps at a time is what will help you the most, it is the best
feeling of achieving something that you never thought of being able to do.