Feb 5, 20212 min read

Poise + Performance: Samantha Dirks

Updated: May 8, 2021

Today's Poise featured athlete is Belizean-American athlete, Samantha Dirks. An inspiring athlete challenging herself to grow and claim her true potential as an Olympian for Tokyo 2021!

What Inspires You? Achieving goals that I have set for myself and putting the work in I know it will take to accomplish these goals.

What is your current season goal?

Qualify and compete in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics in the 400m

What would it mean for you to represent Belize at the Olympics? To qualify/ compete for Belize would mean so much to me and my family because we grew up always watching sports, especially track and field during the Olympics. It would be nice to bring that energy to my country so they can be proud of a Belizean competitor in the Olympics, which we don’t get to see very often!

What is the most significant challenge you face in achieving your goal?

Overcoming mental barriers.

Fit woman, Samantha Bowe doing a handstand outside

How are you working to overcome your mental barriers?

I’m working to overcome mental barriers by maintaining sight of my goals on and off the track. I find setting goals and writing them down keep me focused on the things I want to accomplish. Setting my sights on goals I plan to attain help me keep myself focused on the ultimate reason why I am in this sport and fitness- to be my best self.

What is a technical aspect of your sport you are focusing on or have previously improved?

I really am focusing on technique through the finish when my body is tired but I still have to execute proper form.

"Focus on your self growth and maturity in what ever sport you participate in. Give yourself credit for progress but always be hungry to be better!"

~ Samantha Dirks

What is your approach to Recovery?

I think recovery should be taken as serious as training. At times I fail to realize this and put off things I know I need to do to sustain physical health. Nutrition, self treatment and massages are so important to an athletes’ recovery and must be treated as such in a regular basis.

Samantha shares one of her favorite fitness routines

Can you tell us more about GetSamFit? What inspired you to start helping others with wellness?

GetSamfit was inspired to help the people I can’t help directly with my services to aid in weight loss and diet/nutrition. As a personal trainer it can be frustrating at times because I can’t help everyone and be there 24/7. Thanks to social media I’ve been able to reach out to people I might have never met before and it allows me to give people information who are in a state of being ready to begin their journeys but have no idea how to start. As of late I’ve been very busy with my in- person workload as a mobile trainer so I’m trying to find a balance between online and in-person sessions. I truly do enjoy what I do!

You have a B.S. in Nutrition Dietetics and Food Science. Has this knowledge helped you in how you approach your own training as well as your clients? Having a Nutrition/ Dietetics background as well as being a Certified Personal Trainer has truly helped me in every aspect of my professional life. I’ve realized that as an athlete I wasn’t doing things that I should have been, to take care of my body inside and out. Realizing this has made me more accountable for myself, as well as my clients. Essentially I find that practicing what I preach is the best way so I can have the personal experience and knowledge to guide my clients through their journeys too!