Watching the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, I have been in awe of the athletes and in particular Australian athlete, Jaclyn Narracott. At a young age, Jaclyn’s dream was to become an Olympic champion. Inspired by her uncle, Jaclyn originally competed in Track and Field. Her ambition was to compete in athletics at the summer games but that changed when she joined the Australian bobsleigh squad.
In order to pursue her dream, Jaclyn said goodbye to her family and travelled to Europe to train in a sport that does not exist in Australia. Having suffered major concussion, which resulted in 6 months of rehab, Jaclyn’s resilience, determination and mental toughness paid off with a silver Olympic medal.
When watching these elite athletes compete, it is clear that this is not an individual sport, even if it is just one athlete competing. Each athlete has a coach, a physiotherapist, a manager, a training partner and the support of family and friends. When the television coverage crosses to various parts of Australia to show gathered family and friends, their commitment to the athlete is obvious in their body language, costumes, words and displays of emotion.
The pursuit of success is the same in any game - set goals, train hard, train regularly, be open to advice and mentoring, reflect, take care of yourself and be persistent. Training for the Olympics or hurtling down a bobsleigh track is not always going to be a smooth ride and neither is school life, but we focus on teaching our students the importance of demonstrating courage, confidence, grit and humour.
Setting goals now allows our students the chance to visualise the finish line and keep their eyes on the end game. Each bump along the way grows strength and character, where crossing the finish line provides a strong sense of satisfaction, regardless of a medal. We are all here to cheer you on.
Finally, congratulations to our Year 10 “Enterprising Women” team of Reshmi, Bronte, Nettie and Sophia, who presented at Questacon this week a pitch on teaching teenagers and young adults financial planning, and subsequently featured in an article in Canberra Weekly.
Julie Jorritsma
Acting Principal