Each week, GLAMOUR is profiling an awesome woman in sport as part of our Say No To Sexism in Sport campaign. This week it's hockey player, Beth Fisher, who currently plays for Swansea City. Beth is also an LGBT Sport Ambassador for Wales and a Stonewall Role Model.
"It was my PE teacher - who played hockey for Wales in the 1998 Kuala-Lumpur Commonwealth Games - that first inspired me. I wasn't very good at hockey to start; the girls at the club I played for at the time were all much better than me. I practiced every day for about a year, on my own, in my sports hall; I stopped when my skills were up to scratch and I got to a standard I was happy with. Then I made it into the Wales under-16 team. It taught me that if you put a lot of effort in, then you can achieve anything. Sometimes dreams seem far off but if you start at the very bottom of the ladder you can slowly work up."
Can you remember your first senior level match and what it was like?
"I can remember it quite clearly because it was my dream to get my first senior cap for Wales. I stepped out onto the pitch and I was absolutely hopeless. My coach at the time sat me down at half time and said, 'Who on earth was that idiot on the pitch?' She knew I was better than that. When I went back out I played a bit better, but it certainly wasn't my dream debut."
What has been the biggest challenge of your career?
"My whole hockey career has been plagued by injury. I was absolutely devastated missing the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year, but the work that I'm doing with Stonewall and the Youth Sports Trust has helped me realise that things happen for a reason. Through adversity there is always light at the end of the tunnel. There is a reason why these things happen to you. It's made me mentally stronger."
What is your favourite thing about playing hockey at a professional level?
"My teammates. I'm still friends with people I've known since I was twelve. Being part of a team with people that you get on with so well is a unique experience. Sport at any level can do that. I would encourage anyone to be part of a team sport- it helps you socially, physically and mentally."
Why is your role as a LGBT Sport Ambassador important to you?
"For me the fact that there are no openly gay Premier League footballers is a travesty when sport has such an impact on our cultural environment. One of the problems is that sport carries a lot of stereotypes. For example, if you're a rugby player you have to be macho and muscly. Growing up, I didn't know anyone who was gay so every time I heard the word 'lesbian' it was used negatively. Now, I always say, 'I'm a woman, I'm Welsh, I'm a sportswoman and I'm gay'; I want to increase the visibility of LGBT role models and use sport as a vehicle for that message. I don't want anyone to feel like I did, and if I help one little girl or boy be more confident then I've done my job."