Arts students took out both Sportsman of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year at the recent Blues Awards for their achievements in martial arts. We caught up with Sportsman of the Year Riley Phillips-Harris to talk about his busy schedule as a student and high-performing sportsman.
Riley Phillips-Harris doesn’t have much time to socialise or sleep. He’s too busy studying towards his Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) conjoint and practising kickboxing and Taekwondo.
At the recent Blues Awards, he won the coveted Sportsman of the Year title for his achievements in martial arts. Arts and Law student Tia Tuiburelevu took out Sportswoman of the Year for her achievements in Karate.
“I first got into martial arts growing up in a little town in Northland called Kawakawa,” Riley says.
“Growing up I did ballet and rugby, but my mum — an emergency room doctor — saw too many instances of young men being the victim of violence, so she got me into martial arts as well. From then on I was very lucky to have wonderful coaches and instructors who knew how to inspire young boys."
"It was a great outlet teaching humility, confidence and self-control — and it gives you a whole lot of grit in the process. I won my first national competition the next year and from then on I was hooked!”
Riley has won an impressive number of accolades. He was a quarter finalist at the 2015 Taekwondo World Championships in Venice, and won gold at the International Taekwondo Federation World Cup, the International Sports Karate Association World Cup and at the International Sports Karate Association US Open.
“One standout moment was winning the silver medal in Brighton, England at the Taekwondo World Cup — my first World Cup as a Junior. Bruised, broken and battered after having nine fights in one day, having that medal around my neck and being able to hug my mum afterwards is something I will always remember.”
But the times when things haven’t gone his way have also had an impact on Riley.
“There have been a fair few failures. I like to remember these when I do achieve something and realise that it was all part of the whole learning experience in making me a better sportsman. I really like to embrace these times, learn from them and keep those lessons with me as I go along.”
Once he’s graduated, Riley hopes to work on his own business.
“I have a keen interest in entrepreneurship. I am starting a business called Divvy through Velocity, the University of Auckland's entrepreneurship programme. It's an adventure tourism business and I'd love to be able to run it while I pursue my Olympic dreams. I'm aiming for the Olympics in taekwondo in Tokyo in 2020 and pursuing a kickboxing world championship alongside that.”
With so much going on his life, Riley says he has to make some tough decisions on what he can commit to.
“You can't do everything. I have to be very strict about what I do. Everything comes with sacrifices and it's often impossible to decide what to say no to."
“But without the support networks I have I couldn't manage what I do. My family, the University and my friends are all very understanding and supportive. It means I don't have to shoulder the struggle on my own.”
When it comes to advice for any of his peers looking to excel, Riley has some great wisdom to share.
“Whatever it is that you're interested in, whatever it is that keeps you up at night — do that, pursue it through the ups and downs. Work hard at what you love, because to succeed in what you love you've got to live a few years of your life working like most people won't, so you can live the rest of your life like most people can't.”
Find out more about the Blues Awards or Velocity.
