DUAL OLYMPIAN HANNAH BUCKLING FINDS BALANCE IN DUAL CAREERS

Dual water polo Olympian Hannah Buckling understands the work-life balance better than most.

Buckling has spent the last 11 years training and playing with the Australian Women’s Water Polo team, representing Australia on 191 occasions including at two Olympic Games (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020).

Away from the pool, Buckling is studying a Medical degree, and is currently in the final few months of her studies. Maintaining that sport-life balance is something that Buckling said can’t be underestimated.

“I found that finding a balance in life was so important, not just for my performance but also for my general wellbeing,” Buckling said.

“As water polo is not a professional sport, having that balance was particularly important. I was aware that water polo would not be a realistic long term career path for me, so pursuing a passion outside of sport was somewhat of a necessity.

“I have been so fortunate to have found two things in life that I am incredibly passionate about, and that gave me balance between sport, study and a social life!” she said.

Despite having to work through the challenges, Buckling said the benefits of pursuing a dual career far outweigh the setbacks.

“Studying and playing, while challenging at the time, has given me so many transferable skills to step into the workforce,” Buckling said.

“Being a student-athlete ensures you have excellent time management, good communication skills and makes you incredibly proactive, just to name a few. These ’soft skills’ are invaluable in whatever post-sport path you choose to take.

“I am currently on a critical care team, placed in the Emergency Department. Outside of my practical placement I spend a lot of time studying and also work part time in the Emergency Department as a technical assistant, taking bloods and putting in cannulas.

“In my retirement I have found a little more time to dedicate to seeing friends and family. While I no longer have a rigorous training program, life tends to be endlessly busy and still requires all those time management skills I learnt while training and playing,” she said.

But Buckling admits it wouldn’t have been possible without the support from her network of friends, family and teammates.

“Having a good support network is so important, no matter what stage of life you are in,” Buckling said.

“Particularly as an elite athlete, and the challenges that may throw at you, having a supportive network of family and friends is so important in managing stress.

“Outside of this, forming relationships within your sport and your university are so important to help navigate balancing sport and study.

“The ability to speak openly and discuss realistically the options for things like part time, deferring and arranging catch up for missed classes is critical to being able to manage training and course loads,” she said.

Upon reflection, Buckling said her biggest learning has been making the most of opportunities presented.

“I am incredibly fortunate to have had the experience I’ve had,” Buckling said.

“The biggest thing I have learnt is the importance of taking the opportunities presented to you, chasing goals you are passionate about and being creative in finding ways to do so,” she said.