15 minute interview: Kata tonic
Zoe Campbell was
born and raised in Nottingham. She took up karate at the age of 8. She is
the current ladies world karate champion, having won numerous medals along
the way. She obtained a first class biochemistry degree at Birmingham
University before becoming a postgraduate student at Leicester-Warwick
Medical School. She works as a house officer at Walsgrave Hospital,
Coventry
Why karate?
I was a really hyperactive child. I had done lots of
other things such as gymnastics and ice skating, but mum couldn't
find enough for me to do, so at the age of eight I started karate training
four to five times a week. However, I didn't stop doing my other
sports such as netball and athletics, which I played at national level
while growing up. I also enjoyed football, which I continued at university.
What's your current training programme?
I train twice a day when I'm coming up to a major
competition, probably six days a week. My morning session (before work)
lasts 45 minutes, where I practise my karate. My evening session lasts one
and a half to two hours, and is predominantly fitness training. Once a week
I coach karate at Warwick University.
Is karate aggressive and dangerous?
No, it's all about skill rather than force. The
aim is not to cause damage. In fact, you get disqualified for hitting or
kicking too hard. My tactics include wearing out my opponents.
Students rehearse karate in routines called katas
Why medicine?
I always knew I wanted to do medicine right from being
eight years of age. It's not really something I can explain; I just
knew that's what I wanted.
Don't your twin passions clash?
It was never a question of me giving up karate to
study, or the other way round. Obviously, when I was at university finding
time was difficult and I had to juggle things, but it's really
important to have an outside interest. It helped me study and gave me the
determination to get through my exams, so the two have always
complemented each other.
Do you party?
Because a lot of my social time is spent training, my
social life was and is different from other people's. You just need
to work out what's most important to you, and going out drinking
every night of the week isn't. However, having social time with
your peers is important as well. It's about finding the right balance
really, and I think I got it right by spending one or two nights a week
doing something socially.
Did your lifestyle change when you became a house
officer?
Being employed is completely different from being a
student. When you're a student your time is more flexible. You can
choose when to study during the day, and if you want to miss an hour of
clinical work you can. However, when you're employed, you have to be
more flexible with your sport. Also, work can be stressful, especially when
you first become a house officer, so you feel more tired. You don't
necessarily feel like training after a long hard day at the hospital, so
you have to push yourself more.
What suggestions have you for people struggling with
non-work commitments?
Distractions from work and study are good for your
motivation. You have to be organised to fit things in. If something is
important, you need to make time for it even if it's demanding,
rather than giving up. I used to get up at 5 am to train and study.
What have been your proudest moments and biggest
achievements?
My best karate achievement was winning the world
championships in 2003. It felt strange in a way. People think I'm mad
when I say this, but it was difficult to win something I had always strived
for. It was a really happy moment, but also a bit of a sad and lost moment
because I thought, "Well, what do I do now?"
In medicine, my biggest achievement was passing my
finals because I'd re-sat my A levels, done a degree, and then done
medicine, so knowing that I'd passed was just the best day of my
whole life… and my mum's.
What are your medical plans?
I definitely want to be a physician. I really enjoyed
renal medicine and geriatrics, so maybe one of those. I will be doing a
foundation senior house officer rotation job after my house jobs, and then
I plan to apply for a general medical rotation.
And what about the karate?
This year I've got the biannual world
championships in Chicago in October and the European championships in
Poland in December. I've never won gold at the Europeans, so I
really want to do the double - win the world and the European
championships, and then maybe retire. After that I'd like to find
something different that excites me. I miss team sports, so maybe
I'll take one of them up again.
Are you enjoying medicine?
I love it. I wouldn't consider doing any other
job. . . except maybe being an astronaut.
Katariina Jarvi, preregistration house officer, Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry
Email: kat_jarvi@yahoo.co.uk
studentBMJ 2005;13:221-264 June ISSN 0966-6494
