Balancing Books and Bars: Sports Scholars with European aspirations

For this team, the upcoming BUCS Nationals is less about podiums and more about momentum, with all eyes on the biggest aim of the season, Commonwealth selection. After last year’s BUCS competition was interrupted by injuries, the team’s immediate goal is straightforward. “We’re hoping to improve on last year, where we didn’t actually have a team, a few of us got injured in the warm-up. So hopefully this year we can make it safely through the competition, with all of us completing our routines successfully.”

Scholar Shanna-Kae has a particularly busy season. On top of finishing her final modules, she will be competing as an all-around gymnast with upgraded bar and beam routines. She’s facing a packed schedule, with a competition every two weeks.  Firstly at BUCS, then Welsh Championships, English Championships, and then the British Championships, events that double as trials for potential Commonwealth Games selection. Even with that intensity, she’s confident and supported.

That confidence comes in part from academic flexibility. When the combination of classroom hours and dissertation work threatened to overwhelm her competition season, Leeds Beckett staff stepped in. “They definitely helped me a lot with coming to the decision to go part-time … and what deadlines I would have to meet, and gave me extensions as well.” With module leaders offering clear guidance and deadline accommodations, she was able to switch to part-time study so she could keep progressing academically while training at an elite level.

Academics are a major piece of the day-to-day puzzle. The team studies subjects ranging from economics and finance to sport science; one gymnast said they’re studying science of sport performance, which “is similar to the interest that I have in sport.” The athletes recognised that, as sports scholars, they had unlimited support: “Gary’s (Beaumont) pretty helpful with communicating, helping to communicate with our lecturers and seminar leaders in case we need a bit more time.”

On the training side, the university-linked Leeds Gymnastics Club has been a constant in their lives. For Shanna-Kae, Leeds Gymnastics Club has been her whole life since she was four. She explains that long-term relationship shows in the tailored support she receives. Coaches coordinate training and rest days with her, helping her plan around competitions and recovery. “Me and my coach also work together on what days I’ll train and then what days I’ll have a day off, completely out of the gym.”

Perhaps most importantly, she’s committed to throwing herself at the opportunities this season but is equally clear about the need for balance: “I don’t want to consume myself completely in the gym, because I’ll just go into a spiral.” That perspective, supported by university staff, coaches and an encouraging peer network, is what lets her enjoy both her sport and her studies.

Looking ahead, priorities are both collective and personal, with many of the squad using BUCS to “dust off the cobwebs” for the upcoming competitions this year, with the Commonwealth Games and Europeans fast approaching. Connor, Mikey and Harry explain that the training atmosphere is intense yet deeply supportive, focused sessions where shared ambition fuels every rep. The dynamic balances fierce competitiveness and care, creating an environment where athletes are driven to improve but never feel alone.

We wish all of our Leeds Beckett Gymnastics Club athletes the very best of luck at BUCS Nationals this weekend, and don’t forget to keep an eye on our Beckett Sport socials for more stories on our Gymnast Scholars, including Luca Robinson and Luke Whitehouse.

Editor: Holly Graham (Beckett Sport Marketing Ambassador and Leeds Beckett University Journalism Student)
Photo credit: FISU World University Games