Former FirstPoint USA client, George Northwood, has recently completed the first year of his rugby scholarship at the University of Mary Washington. We recently caught up with George to find out about his experiences in the states so far, and to get some advice for prospective student athletes.
George tells us that he has been thoroughly enjoying his time at Mary Washington so far. Stating that the highlight of his freshman year was playing rugby in New York; and having the game streamed live across the world. George also states that the Eagles reached the top 30 in the US, which was an amazing achievement for the team.
The campus at Mary Washington is not too big; only around a 15-minute walk from end to end. With regards to the sporting facilities at Mary Washington, George tells us they are absolutely amazing. George states the gym facilities are like nothing he’s ever seen, and students have full access to weight trainers, speed coaches and health and nutrition coaches. The pitch is state of the art, and a scoreboard is soon to be installed.
Throughout his first year, George tells us that he did not have the opportunity to work, as his visa did not permit it, but states that there are opportunities to work a certain number of hours on campus.
One of the main challenges for student athletes can be finding the balance between socialising, studying, and training. George tells us he has found managing his time relatively easy though. He focuses on studying and training throughout the week and then tends to keep his weekends for socialising. Stating that this has worked very well throughout his freshman year, and is also very easy to stick to.
Finally, George offered some advice for anyone thinking about a sports scholarship out in the states. He suggested starting training early, and to work on your fitness over the summer as you will be worked very, very hard out in the US. George told us he has not experienced anything quite as intense as the training as a college athlete.
Thanks for sharing your experiences so far with us, George. We’d like to wish you the best of luck for the rest of your time out in the US.
