Curling Your Way Through Medical School

Abstract

Medicine has long been fashioned as a
degree with poor work-life balance; with
long hours and a breadth of content to cover
across the scientific knowledge spectrum.
Finding time to relax and unwind can be
challenging, especially at Medical School.
In this article, medical student Denver sits
down with Kevin Feng (intercalating medical
student) who is the Chair of Scottish
Student Sport Curling and the President of
Glasgow University Curling.
Denver: Can you introduce yourself & tell us
a bit about your journey into Medicine?
Kevin: Indeed. While I’ve always wanted to
be a criminal psychologist, my passion for
STEM sparked my interest to pursue
Medicine. I’m the current Scottish Student
Sport President for Curling, representing
students who curl all across Scotland.
Denver: That’s interesting Kevin, so what
inspired you to take this sport up?
Kevin: It all started at Fresher’s Fayre in 2nd
year (the first one after COVID-19
lockdown) and I really enjoyed the floor
curling set they had. Shoving a few curling
stones down the cloisters was really the
moment I knew this was my sport. That’s all
history now because I’ve been in curling for
the past three years which still makes me
quite new to the sport (since most curlers
have done it since school).
Denver: That’s an interesting history.
Balancing medical school alongside being
the Chair of Scottish Student Curling &
the President of Glasgow University
Curling must be challenging! What do you
do in these roles?
Kevin: I now largely oversee the daily
running of the curling club, communicate
with GUSA and support my committee with
their responsibilities. I’ve previously
served as Treasurer and VP across my time
in the society offering me immense
experience. At Scottish Student Curling, I
lead and work with a team of Vice-Chairs
working through organising tournaments,
bonspiels and introductory sessions.
Denver: Seems like a plateful of work, how
do you manage your time between medical
school and your commitments to the
sport? Kevin: Medicine can be quite intense at the
start, however I’ve felt that as soon as you
get a routine and diligently follow it, it can
make such as big difference. Curling was a
new sport to me when I joined, but I
fostered strong connections all across,
making it so much easier! It even perfectly
follows University of Glasgow’s examination
calendar since Scottish rinks are largely
only open from September to April, each
year.
Denver: Have there been moments where it
was particularly challenging to maintain this
balance? How did you handle them?
Kevin: Certainly! Medicine and the curling
club have quite a overlapping mismatched
schedule and this makes it a bit challenging– especially at the start of the year when
you’ve got freshers week and lots of
planning to do for the year ahead, while
trying to handle the 15 weeks in the deep
end! Nevertheless, I could actively rely on
the people I work with, especially when
times got difficult. I’ve found maintaining a
perfect work-life balance can be challenging
but certainly not impossible!
Denver: You’ve made it seem easier than it
looks! Now for the final bits, how does
someone join Glasgow University’s Curling
Society?
Kevin: Being a really open and inclusive
society, our new beginners always train
alongside Scottish trophy & tournament
winners offering a 1-1 mentorship and
excellent support. We would love to invite
anyone & everyone to come along to
our training sessions on Wednesday
afternoons during term time.
Denver: Lastly, what’s been your most
memorable Curling moment?
Kevin: Meeting Grant Hardie & Bruce
Mouat – current Team GB Curling players!