Carla Teece

I’ve been involved in sports throughout school. I was also drawn to the theoretical side whether that was physiology, nutrition or sports psychology, so I chose to study Sport and Exercise Science. How the human body works together to perform, and how all the different factors influence an athletes performance, is really interesting to me.

I started athletics at a young age. My dad was a Commonwealth Games 400m athlete, and I’ve always followed in his footsteps. As a kid I did multiple different events, and it was soon quite clear that I excelled in the sprints. I’ve always enjoyed sprinting because of the self-discipline and motivation the athlete has to have to see results, and the rewarding feeling you get when you PB [personal best] after putting in months of hard work. There are many challenges in sprinting as it’s a very demanding sport on the body – there’s always setback after setback. It’s a challenge in itself keeping my body free from injury and illness.

My biggest inspiration has been Dina Asher-Smith. I’ve always related to her views on performance and setbacks. And my all-time sporting hero is Usain Bolt. His journey and the global impact he had on athletics is inspiring.

Racing in front of thousands of people is an experience I won’t forget. So I’d love to revisit the Orkney 2025 International Island Games XX [the International Island Games brings together athletes from 24 island groups across the world to compete in 12 exciting sports]. It was probably the best sports event I’ve experienced and the atmosphere was unbeatable.

Laboratory work is definitely my favourite part of the degree. Each day we do a practical session in the labs, which could involve blood sampling, Vo2 Max testing [measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilise during intense exercise], even psychological testing. Sport and Exercise Science is quite a practical degree, and it’s great for someone like me who loves getting involved in practical work.

I’ve always wanted to work in high performance sport. Testing professional athletes and teams in order to improve performance, or working as a personal trainer are two of my career goals.

My lecturers got to know me and made it a friendly learning space. They’re all really passionate about their modules and always want the students to do well. They introduced topics that I’d never learned about before – I’ve found new interests in my studies.

Balancing a student/athlete lifestyle can be overwhelming. Trying to train 5-6 days a week while keeping on top of coursework and trying to have a social life can sometimes feel impossible. My best advice to any future student trying to do the same is: it’s okay to take a step back and have a rest day when you feel it’s needed. There’s a lot of pressure on trying to be the best athlete you can be while balancing everything else, so take it one day at a time – and create a timetable. Sometimes I have multiple pieces of coursework due around the same time, and it can feel quite overwhelming. I tackle this challenge by creating a timetable and giving myself time in the library each day, tackling one piece at a time.

The sports facilities at Edge Hill are really good, modern. I tend to use the athletics track. It’s in really good condition, and after a session I use the sauna and steam room. The gym has a nice environment, and is perfect for anyone to use. The sports centre has the facilities for high performance athletes – great for a sprinter like me.

I’m part of the athletics team, which I believe is the best EHU sports team. Although I would say that. And I also enjoy watching athletics, as well as women’s football and cycling. I find it really motivating watching people succeed and reach their goals.

There’s always something going on or an event to go to on campus. It’s a really pretty campus and walking from my house each morning is really nice. There are loads of options for food and lovely places to socialise with friends. It’s the best thing about studying at Edge Hill.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my friends and visiting new places. During my time at Edge Hill we’ve gone on adventures to Formby beach and Southport, and had many good nights out in Liverpool.

A favourite place on campus is the Hub There are so many places to go and sit with your friends alongside food choices like Subway, Costa and Morrisons. And the new Students’ Union is great. I use it on my breaks between lectures, and it’s where my friends and I eat lunch most days.

When I graduate, I’ll miss the people I’ve met at Edge Hill the most. I was drawn to Edge Hill’s community feeling. Growing up on the Isle of Man, it’s a very close-knit community. In school I’d always felt supported by my teachers as I studied alongside my sport, so I wanted to go to a university that had the same feeling. Edge Hill is a campus university, and I enjoy the fact that everyone is in one place. It’s located in Ormskirk, a small town in West Lancashire which is really lovely and similar to home.

My advice to anyone interested in sport science? Get stuck in with practicals, and try to keep on top of work as this will save you a lot of stress.