DOUBLE DIPPING Sophie Quirk is running hard at study and rugby.
Juggling university study with a burgeoning career in rugby union is a challenge Sophie Quirk is more than happy to accept.
FOR most of us the thought of taking on a professional sporting career and a university degree would sound like a nightmare – for Sophie Quirk, it’s a dream come true.
The 19-year-old plays for the Griffith University Rugby 7s team, which earlier this month surged to the top of the AON Uni 7s Series ladder after a win against the University of Sydney.
Though the NSW team proved a formidable opponent a number of hard-earned successes won out for Griffith, including Ms Quirk’s “lungbursting” dash for an overtime try.
But what many might not have realised is there was more to the effort than meets the eye – while giving a stellar performance, she was still recovering from glandular fever.
“It’s such a short season you don’t really want to miss anything. I was recovering from it so I wasn’t at my worst stage, I was on antibiotics and heaps of vitamins,” she said.
According to Ms Quirk, this attitude is common among her teammates, even adding she had put off surgery until the end of the season to avoid missing out on the game.
Growing up in a sport loving family she’s already tried her hand at a variety of different activities throughout her life,
but said she had a special connection to rugby.
“I grew up playing touch, netball, basketball, a little bit of athletics, pretty much all sports, and then my big cousin Alicia Quirk in the Australian team went to the Rio Olympics,” she said.
“Then I was just at a touch carnival one day and one of the guys said I should try, and so just with that and my cousin, I thought I’d just give it a go.
“I tried out for the Under 18s Brumbies team and got into that, so my first game was the Under 18s Nationals when I was 15.”
A love for the sport has kept her going despite some nerves over the more physical side and earned her praise from her coaches.
Assistant coach Setu Naseri “hung up his playing boots” to pass on his knowledge to the next generation, and said he was proud to see players like Ms Quirk on the field.
“She’s definitely very committed in terms of training and her approach to her football, even when she’s ill or injured she still rocks up to training,” he said.
“She’s always keen to lend a helping hand especially with our local program, we’ve got a number of inexperienced players in our Griffith Knights team and Sophie’s always the one that’s eager to help.
“She’s been around the scene for a little bit now and she’s definitely a good example of what it is to become a student athlete.
“I remember sitting next to her on the flight back from a tournament and she had all her study notes out in front of her, prepping for an exam, so she’s someone who’s managed to have a really good balance on those competing priorities in her life.”
Now looking towards her final tournament of this season, Ms Quirk hopes to make a professional career in rugby like her older cousin.
With Alicia Quirk having been her biggest hero coming into the sport, she said she hopes to do the same for other up-and-coming young athletes in the future.
“Because rugby is such an emerging sport, the people playing now are going to be a big inspiration for the next set of stars in the Rugby 7s,” she said.
“I would really like to be an inspiration to younger girls coming up through rugby. I would just say to them to give it all you’ve got, you’ve got nothing to lose and it’s an awesome sport.”
The Griffith Uni 7s team finished up their 2018 series in the Adelaide final over the weekend.