How Minerva helps athletes stay connected through injury
11th November, 2024
Minervans may have spotted a few familiar faces in a recent BBC article on top young athletes “I lost my identity after sport injury” discusses a new study on the emotional and psychological impact of sports injuries, and features Gemma Peters, who coaches at Minerva.
We talked to Gemma about her rowing journey and how she has made the most of opportunities at Minerva.
“I joined British Rowing’s Performance Development Academy in September 2022 when I started at the University of Bath, who boat from Minerva Rowing Club. I began coaching for Minerva in June 2023. I started with the Juniors and as I began to meet and get to know more people from the club, members started to offer me more work and were so appreciative of my coaching and advice. Everyone was so welcoming and I began to love being around Minerva.
“Having been struggling with an injury I developed six months into my rowing journey, Minerva and its members have no idea how grateful I am to them. Finding out my injury meant I had to stop rowing was a massive low point for me, especially with the progressions I had made so early on in the sport, but Minerva helped me stay connected to the rowing world during this injury, and also opened up a path to a potential coaching career.
“The opportunities Minerva have provided are never-ending. I am currently the Assistant Coach for their Junior squad, I run a weekly circuit session (open to all the squads), I run a GoRow indoor session twice a week and frequently get asked to take some videos and work on video analysis with different crews and individuals.
“When my injury first took me out of the sport I didn’t know what to do with myself. Going from training 12-plus sessions a week to basic rehab was a massive blow, as was how was I going to fill my spare time? I like to be busy, I’m not someone who enjoys sitting still. So in simple terms, the coaching saved me. I made myself available to the Minerva members to contact and they made the most of that!
“I love how unique the rowing as a sport is and how much everyone loves it. It brings me such joy to see the older population, especially at the club, still going out on the water multiple times a week and how keen they are to keep it up. They are also so keen to keep improving, which is where I come in handy!
“The feeling you get when you are out rowing is unmatched. For me, the closest I can get to that feeling now is driving the launch when coaching. Again, having the opportunity to still be able to get out on the water, even if it is in a slightly different boat, is so great not only for my coaching development, but also from a mental health point of view.
“It has been such a relief to have been able to stay involved with the rowing world without actually having to row. My greatest fear was that I would be unable to stay involved when injury hit, but that has not been a problem at all. I love the community Minerva has created. The members are so lovely to be around, which is just one of the many reasons why I love helping out whenever I can.
“It is rare to find a community like this, especially in the sporting world. It is also a refreshing change for me, as most of my sporting journey I have been surrounded by overly competitive environments and teams and individuals who are solely training for results over anything else.
“I’ve worked with so many amazing people, including individuals who aren’t members of Minerva but attend my GoRow classes. Some of these individuals are inspiring and truly wonderful to work with. I feel so appreciated at the end of these classes, which means I also feel like I have achieved something out of the session.
“I feel like such a valued member of the club, with people always checking up on me and making sure I am involved with different club events and dinners. I really do not know how I would have got through this injury without the club. Thank you Minerva!”
