Hello! 

Thought it would be best to introduce myself! I am Abbie, your new SU Sport Officer and I’ve been in post for just over a month now. It has been a very busy month to say the least, but it has also been very insightful and enjoyable; I can’t wait for the year ahead.

So, what have I been up to?

I started handover from Elizabeth on June 12, funnily enough my 22nd birthday! The day consisted of many introductions but also lots of happy birthday songs (thanks Jiji) and gluten free brownies (thanks Amber). The 2 weeks involved getting to know the role and the SU Team, outlining goals for the year, and completing many workshops such as public speaker training! Being left on my own on the Monday after Elizabeth left was daunting, however I believe I’ve slotted into the role well and I am already in a good position to have a successful year.

Most recently, I attended BUCS Conference in Leeds. This is an annual event where all sports staff and Sabbatical officers from institutions throughout the UK attend 3 days of talks, workshops and networking events. I attended workshops on the cost-of-living crisis in sport which was very interesting to see the stats and figures explaining that many students are cutting down on extra-curricular activities to save money and found out ways to help reduce the burden on students so they can partake in sport again.

Also, I attended many talks on BUCS TV and questioned some decisions from the COO which would make streaming events harder for students and the University; hopefully my opinion was taken into consideration.

Finally, I met some amazing sporting figures, such as Sir Clive Woodman and even snapped a photo with Ellen White MBE. Overall, the week was a great opportunity to meet other Sabbatical Officers and I made great friends with some Southwest officers who I will be working with this year- we even came second in the pub quiz, and I won my first ever BUCS medal! It was amazing to see how many Sabbatical Officers were female this year and its empowering to see the impact women are having on sport.

Straight after Leeds, I had my own graduation. If you were about on Friday 14 then you will know that it was not the day I was hoping for! So much rain. I ran around the office, soaked in my dress, on the desperate run for umbrellas because myself and my family came unprepared!

I had the honour to speak at my graduation ceremony on behalf of the SU, in which I spoke of gratitude to my fellow graduates and relived fond memories of our time as students. It made the day very special, and I’ve had great feedback from my friends and their families of how they loved the speech, and it summed up their time at the University very well. I look forward to speaking at other graduations throughout the week and hope to get the same response!

That’s all for now! If you wish to talk to me more about what I’ve gotten up to, or you want to ask any questions about the upcoming year, please email me on susport@bath.ac.uk or pop into my office on the second floor of the edge.

Talk to you soon!