London – Dr. Simi Pam is a Nigerian-British hospital junior doctor for the NHS and a rugby player for the Bristol Bears Women.
To mark Black History Month, The Bulrushes spoke to Dr. Simi about her inspirational rugby journey.
From a very young age, Dr. Simi’s parents let her try every sport, from ballet to swimming to track and field, until she picked up shot put in 2009.
“With shot put, the GB team was where I was basically heading,” recalls Dr. Simi.
“Fast forward to around 2013, when I got into the University of Bristol, I needed a new setup.
“But things did not click for me, and I started to struggle.”
Dr. Simi was not performing her best at nationals and felt like “I was burned out; I needed a break to focus on university”.
In 2017, she took a year away from shot put but did not really miss it and eventually decided that was the end.
Meanwhile, she was focusing on completing her medical degree, also but was trying out different things.
“University was intense; I even tried open mics, but deep down, I wanted to find a team sport that I enjoyed,” said Dr. Simi, who has an athletic physique.
“A friend of mine said you should go and try out rugby.”
Dr. Simi said she knew little about rugby.
Although she had no connection to the sport, rugby was big at the University of Bristol.
“I got into the team; I did not know what I was doing,” Dr. Simi remembers.
“They told me they would put me into the game, into the collision zone, and there I found a level of enjoyment and physicality.
“I played on the third team and then moved to the second team.
“Until the head of the university team saw me, and I found myself playing pre-season and signed within a few months.”
Dr. Simi opened up to The Bulrushes about how she felt being one of the only black girls on the team.
“It was an accepting space; the players were all different, and it was inclusive,” she said.
“I have a confident personality; me and the girls look similar — muscular, which is celebrated in rugby — and I could be who I am.”
Asked what she was doing to inspire more girls to get into rugby, Dr Simi said: “Visibility means being unapologetically me and being authentic by sharing my story through social media, going into schools, and doing Q&A’s.
“I just want to spark an ambition; you can do both—be a doctor and play a sport—even if you don’t want to become an athlete.”
On how she balances being a doctor and being a rugby player, Dr. Simi said: “I am organised; I always try to see when I need to do more and when I need to rest.
“The team is also very supportive, and they know it is easy to get burned out.”
On changes she wishes to see in the sport, Dr. Simi said: “We need to see more at the grassroots level for black and brown girls; they need to be exposed to rugby, so we can increase numbers at the top level.”
In her message to girls who want to play rugby and sports in general, she said: “I’ve learned so much about myself through sport, and I can see how much it benefits me as an adult.
“I’ve learned how to communicate and have goals that I can apply to training and in life.
“So even if you don’t want to be professional, sports can be a good space and an escape.”
*Photos by JMP Sport.
