Posted: January 12, 2018
“Run from what’s comfortable, forget safety, live where you fear to live,” said a thirteenth century poet and mystic who had got tired of the familiar and the routine.
Whilst there’s no point in being uncomfortable for the sake of it, if we want the sport ourselves to grow and improve, then we need to push beyond what we are currently doing, which will involve some discomfort.
Tackling the subject “Being comfortable about being uncomfortable” at next weekend’s Changing the Future event is Gemma Fay, perfectly qualified having become Scotland’s most internationally-capped (203 times) football player, had a spell as an actress and recently took a change of direction in a new career with rugby.
“If you are going to reach your goal, whatever that is in sport or any walk of life, I believe you are going to have to experience uncomfortable things,” says Gemma.
“A lot of times in life we shy away from things that will test us and make you question yourself because they are uncomfortable.”
Gemma admits to being a restless spirit, someone who has never sat still for long and is driven to be out there experiencing new things.
That partly explains why earlier this week the 36-year-old began a new job as Scottish Rugby’s new Head of Women & Girls’ Rugby. It will be a new, no doubt uncomfortable environment but she’s certainly up for the challenge.
“There have been times I haven’t been comfortable being uncomfortable and have probably made wrong decisions through fear of the unknown and fear of change,” Gemma explained.
“There have been others when I was forced to make decisions and I still had the same fear, but I knew if I wanted to fulfil my potential and goals I had to do them.
“It was going to be uncomfortable but I thrived because of it.”
Gemma might never have been in a rowing boat but she does have experience of rowing. Her previous job, for eight years, was as sportscotland’s partnership manager for rowing.
In that time she has seen the sport’s successes, particularly in Scottish Rowing’s high performance programme and she believes more is possible with the right approach.
“I’ve seen where Scottish Rowing has come from,” she explains. “I’ve seen the potential it has and how hard people have worked to afford the opportunities to the rowing community.
“There’s been a lot of success in a short time and when that happens a plateau will come.
“So, for Scottish Rowing and people rowing in Scotland to realise their potential they are going to reach a point when things plateau, and where they need to be prepared to move it on again.”
So, what is uncomfortable? That is a question to be answered differently by each of us. But if we can all push a little bit beyond our comfort zones then the sport will gain massively and we will grow individually. And in the process, becoming uncomfortable will become more familiar.
“My talk next weekend will be a cross between resilience, mindset, self belief - all those things combined into one,” said Gemma.
“I hope to get people walking away thinking more about the decisions they make, have made or are about to make and the real reasons behind why they are making them.
“Am I more uncomfortable at being uncomfortable?” “I don’t think you ever are but am I more willing to do it? Yes I am.”
Our Changing the Future weekend runs on the 20th and 21st January at the sportscotland National Sports Training Centre, Inverclyde and will comprise two days of keynote talks and workshops. There will be dinner in the evening celebrating rowing in Scotland which will include the presentation of the Scottish Rowing Annual Awards. This will be followed by a ceilidh. Bookings for the event close on Sunday 14th January.
For more information visit:
http://www.scottish-rowing.org.uk/index.php/takingpart/competition/calendar/633-ctf18-2
Posted: 26 June 2024 As part of sportscotland #VolunteerInSport month, we would like to shine the spotlight on...
Read more: ...
Posted: 26 June 2024 Please be aware of some of the planned and current coach qualifications...
Read more: Upcoming...
Posted: 24 June 2024 This weekend saw plenty of action for Scottish Rowing athletes with four...
Read more: Wonderful...
Posted: 24 June 2024 Last weekend a record number of over 2,300 female athletes (579 crews)...
Read more: Scottish...
Posted: 24 June 2024 Lunch Interval Thursday 4th July 2024 Henley...
Read more: Henley Royal...
Posted: 07 June 2024 Scotland’s leading rowers will have an added incentive when they arrive on...
Read more: New and old...
Posted: 01 June 2024 Hello and welcome to the June 2024 quarterly newsletter! What a busy few months it...
Read more: June...
Posted: 04 June 2024
Read more: LGBTQ+ Support
Posted: 16 May 2024 The inaugural Scottish Rowing Beach Sprint Championships, part of the Four...
Read more: Introducing...
Posted: 13 May 2024 The regatta season started off strong on the 20th of April as the Scotland...
Read more: Team Scotland...
Posted: 8 May 2024 Scottish Rowing is delighted to announce the appointment of Lee Boucher as its new...
Posted: 02 May 2024 We wanted to provide an update on Board recruitment following three new...
Read more: Board Update...
Posted: 10 April 2024
Posted: 8 April 2024 The Scottish Argonauts Project provides a unique opportunity for many of our...
Posted: 22 March 2024 Scottish Rowing is seeking a strong and dynamic Chief Executive Officer to...
Posted: 21 March 2024 After many years of hard work and dedication we are excited to announce that...
Read more: River Ayr...
Posted: 18 March 2024 The inaugural Scottish Rowing Beach Sprint Championships, part of the Four...
Read more: Beach Sprint...
Posted: 8 March 2024 In celebration of International Women's Day, Scottish Rowing is proud to...
Read more: International...
Posted:1st March 2024 Hello and welcome to the third quarterly newsletter! Happy New Year and...
Read more: March...
Posted: 27 February 2024 Scottish Rowing is seeking three new Directors to join its voluntary...