King is a third year student studying Theoretical Physics.
We caught up with King as he told us about his time in UCL Boat Club and the community he has found.
Getting into rowing
Throughout my time at University, my main involvement with sports has been through UCL Boat Club, where I started out coaching, then gradually took on more of a leadership role. I began as an assistant coach, helping out with sessions here and there, and now three years down the line I'm leading a little subsection of the programme, and it's been so much fun.
I started rowing whilst I was at school (and mostly just because my mates did it), but now I'm eight years down the line, really enjoying it. But equally, it's an incredibly welcoming group, and a sport you can definitely be a part of as a beginner.
Finding my community
If I hadn't found sport with the Students' Union, my UCL experience would have been so, so different. I think that's one of the things I'm proudest of about UCL Boat Club - the community we've been able to build.
One of the things I'm proudest of about UCL Boat Club is the community we've been able to build.
I think, particularly this year, something that I've really loved has been the student coaching initiatives that have taken place throughout the year - workshops, meetings and informal sit downs to figure out how we can push student coaching to the wider community. Seeing these efforts then being promoted by the Students' Union felt like a testament to the work we've been doing to grow the diverse community within boat club.
The skills I've gained
When I think about what stands out to me the most this year about what I've gained from my time in Boat Club, it's a healthy relationship with sport, as well as learning how to de-stress of my own accord. My relationship with sport, my relationship with myself, with my friends, with people around me has gotten so much better since being involved in sport at university - and most of all, I've just really enjoyed it.
One of my proudest moments was being shortlisted for Coach of the Year last year at the Students' Union's End of Year Awards. I was chuffed when I ended up winning it - all the little messages people had written felt like a testament to the community we had built in Boat Club. The fact that the people I coached felt I had enough of an impact on them to nominate me for something so big felt amazing. I received the Unsung Hero Award at this year's End of Year Awards, which just felt incredible. The UCL Boat Club has truly shaped my university experience.
(Winning an award) felt like a testament to the community we had built in Boat Club