Marina Colmet, 33, Sports Coach in Pau
After a two-year Master’s in Physical and Mental Preparation with the STAPS course in Tarbes, Marina Colmet, following her passion for handball, began her career with the Saint-Nazaire Handball Club then joined the Bordeaux headquarters of the handball league. Since 2019, she has been a home sports coach and handball club development officer.
What university courses did you study?
I’m from Pau. After passing my Economics and Social Studies Baccalaureate with a specialisation in sports and handball, I wanted to become a PE teacher. When I saw that UPPA offered a STAPS (Sciences and Techniques of Physical Activities and Sports) course, I submitted an application. For me, it was an opportunity to study near my family while continuing to play handball at the weekends with my club. I played at National 3 level. I didn’t intend to turn professional but I wanted to combine my studies with my passion. I started my STAPS training in 2008. Then, in the second year of my Bachelor’s degree, I abandoned the idea of taking the CAPEPS and chose a specialisation in Physical and Mental Preparation. At undergraduate level, the programme focused on the human body – physiology, biomechanics, etc. –, but at Master’s level the emphasis was much more on the programme, to build fitness and train a person whatever their age and profile. On the sports side, we worked on two to three disciplines per semester, including all the sports we may be required to supervise: swimming, athletics, boxing, orienteering, football, volleyball... I also took the opportunity to take a weight training qualification, which opened the doors to CrossFit gyms.
Was it easy to enter working life after your Master’s in Physical and Mental Preparation?
At the age of just 23, I didn’t feel at all ready to start my own business, so I initially chose to work as an employee. I was hired by the Saint-Nazaire Handball Club before I had even finished my dissertation, thanks to my dual STAPS and ER (Federal Regional Trainer) profile. Then, a few months later, I had the opportunity to return to my home region as a development officer of the Bordeaux branch of the Handball League. My work involved training children, introducing students to handball in schools, activity leading, etc. I learnt a lot and was able to take the DEJEPS (State Diploma in Youth, Popular Education and Sport), which allowed me to coach players up to national level and to structure clubs. Then I did some training for the Île de France Handball League in Créteil, which gradually led me to training coordination and, at the same time, individual coaching. I started home sports coaching in 2019, first in Paris, then for the last two years as a self-employed coach in Pau. It’s going well! My clients have jobs that don't allow them to go to a sports club on a regular basis and they want individual training to stay in shape, prepare for a competition, lose weight, etc.
My only regret is that there are no entrepreneurship classes in the Master's programme. Anyone who is setting up a coaching business or a sports club would find them really useful.
What words do you spontaneously associate with UPPA?
Proximity, family atmosphere, quality of teaching.
What advice would you give to a young person starting a STAPS course?
Lots of young people take a STAPS course simply to play sports and have fun... Many drop out at the end of first year because they don't work hard enough. I’d like to warn those who think that STAPS is a “holiday destination” that to succeed, you have to have a project and work hard, just like on any other course!
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