Laura Linnane, graduate of the MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology, made the leap from secondary school teaching to return to SETU as a student.
Laura grew up loving sport, which led her to play camogie for her home county Clare for over a decade. Having studied a BSc in Science, and then a Postgraduate Diploma in Education at the University of Galway, Laura began her career as a science teacher at St. Flannan’s College in Ennis, Clare.
Camogie coaching
Combining her love of sport with teaching, Laura continued her involvement with camogie: “I began training school teams and getting involved as a selector with the UL Ashbourne winning teams for two years. I also got involved in coaching the Clare senior camogie team. I have three kids, and their involvement has now brought me back to the start as an under-six camogie trainer!”
Challenging yourself
Laura’s motivation for studying the MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology programme at SETU was “a mixture of being interested in working with people to help them achieve their potential, and a love of sport. I have been teaching for over 15 years and I wanted to challenge myself and see what opportunities the course may open for me.”
Opportunities
Laura discusses the biggest impact on her career as “becoming energised by having interests and opportunities outside of my role as a teacher. I had the opportunity to present the findings of my dissertation at an event in SETU titled ‘The female athlete - Lessons from high performance sport’. I have also started working with teenage girls in a camogie club in a performance coach capacity. My role is to enhance team cohesion, confidence and communication.”
Transferable skills
Laura continued: “I enjoyed all aspects of the course and found elements were transferable from sport to school, and other areas of my life.”
“Team building and sports performance psychology were the two modules that I felt offered the greatest benefit for me working with young people in schools, and with teams. I found that building confidence, maintaining focus and promoting resilience are as relevant to students in preparation for exams, as they are in athletes looking to achieve in sport.”
Travelling to University
“Studying at Waterford was a great experience. Most of our lectures were in the Arena which is very easily accessible and made the logistics of travelling from Clare very doable,” Laura commented.
Residential weeks
A highlight for Laura was the residential weeks: “They were excellent - catching up with classmates and being immersed in the course for the week offered a real chance to connect. The lecturers are very approachable and have hands-on experience working with athletes at the highest level of sport. Their insights and perspectives help bring the theory to life.”
Advice
Laura’s advice to prospective students: “I procrastinated for quite a while as to all the reasons why it would be too hard and challenging to return to education and do the Master’s. Once I took the first step, I realised there was so many people willing to support me, which gave me the confidence and belief to keep going.”
Laura continued: “I loved the course. I learned so much and am very proud of what I have achieved and hope that new doors and opportunities continue to open for me.”
