Siobhan is a member of GB Women’s Senior Wheelchair Basketball team, as well as being a current Senior World silver medallist and Junior World champion and 2x European champion. Having narrowly missed out on selection to the GB final 12 for the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she is now targeting selection for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Please describe your journey as a talented student athlete

“TASS provided me with the foundations of what it takes to be a performance athlete. The support services like strength and conditioning definitely helped towards the transition into being a UK Sport funded athlete. I was able to engage with elite athletes and staff which allowed me to learn how to effectively communicate within a team environment. The TASS support came at the perfect stage in my career. I had just begun to be a part of the GB Junior set up and needed the additional resources to become a rounded athlete.

“Having a dual career was something I had always wanted to achieve but wasn’t initially sure how it would work whilst pursuing a career as an elite athlete. Through TASS, I was able to engage with a lifestyle advisor and decide how I would best complete at the time my GCSE and then A-level exams. These skills then enabled me to complete an undergraduate degree alongside competing for GB.

“I finished my degree this May and I couldn’t be happier. After a difficult time following the relocation of the centralised programme, I am proud of my ability to complete a degree with minimal contact time and training full time in a different part of the country. My biggest academic accomplishment was completing my dissertation alongside competing and selection camps away from my university supervisor. Thank goodness for technology!

“It is not easy at all. But, you can’t be an athlete for life… you will eventually retire and being an elite athlete will only get you so far. Training 24/7 is great but having an outlet - in my case of studying - has been so beneficial to my well-being during tough performance periods.

“TASS has had a huge impact on my career. I’ve learnt skills that aren’t just physical performance factors, life skills that have enabled me to develop as a person.”

What would be your wish for the next generation of talented athletes?

“For athletes take every opportunity TASS offers to them. At the time you may not see the benefit or wider implications, but the support truly sets a platform for you to grow from in ensuring you are capable of achieving in both academics and sport.”

Use one word to describe what TASS means to you.

“Self-growth.”