Harry Collier-Smith, Candidate for BL Sports Officer
Role Description: Joining a sports club (we have over 60!) can be a great way to pursue passions and build strong friendships. Every year, we have thousands of new students eager to get involved and the Sports Officer plays an important role in being the voice of these students. As a Sports Officer, you will be given the opportunity to develop and approve new clubs, plan and deliver events as well as allocate funding, all while working closely with Students’ Union staff. You’d also ensure that BLSA sports clubs and the Students’ Union maintain strong communication so that everything runs smoothly!
What's your favourite moment from being a student here?
My favourite moment since joining Barts was attending Association Dinner for the past two years. Every time I am left immensely proud of being part of the BL community and have a greater appreciation of the history of our institution. I leave feeling inspired by all the amazing contributions from my fellow students, and it motivates me to do more for the BL community. It shows me that while tackling a medical degree, it is possible to balance academics with sport, societies, and volunteering. It reminds me that university isn’t just about getting a degree, but also the memories and the positive impact you can make on other people’s lives.
What's something you've done that you're proud of?
My proudest moment since joining Bart’s has been captaining BL Water Polo’s men’s team to a title challenge in BUCS tier 1. Before university I had never played the sport before, and it posed a massive challenge to myself, as I had hardly swum since I was 10. Furthermore, the past two years we’ve only managed to beat one team, so our performance this year has been a massive change in a positive direction. What I am most proud of however, is that the team this year has become a happier environment were people want to play for each other. University sport shouldn’t feel like a chore, so I am proud the team is so much closer and happier. We are now one win away from claiming the league title which in the club’s 77-year history, I don’t think we have done before!
What is a problem facing students and how do you propose to fix it?
One massive burden on students at the moment is the amount of stress that running sports club’s causes. I want to be able to ease the administrative burden of running sports clubs, by working with qmsu staff to streamline the process of arranging fixtures, booking transport and facilities, checking subs balance etc... These process’s shouldn’t be time consuming but often take weeks to happen as they get lost in the inbox of qmsu staff. Financial worries are another thing that plagues sports clubs. Using my knowledge from being a member of the club sport board, I want to educate clubs on how to best use the club sport development fund, and what to write on their application’s, to ensure they get the extra funding they deserve. I intend to create a document that can be used year-round by clubs, as well as educating presidents at the annual presidents meeting.
