Our Specialist Sport students were privy to some incredibly valuable information this morning when they attended a presentation by two elite Australian athletes – Olympic medallist and water polo champion Rowie Webster, and Victorian Institute of Sport hockey player Meg Pearce.

Rowie talked to students about sports psychology and the many ways she and her teammates in the Stingers prepare for the pressures of Olympic competition. She urged our young athletes to put themselves in training situations that replicate those moments of extreme pressure.

“Don’t wait until you’re on the big stage to find out how you’ll respond,” she said. “Your mindset in those moments will be the one per cent that makes the difference.

“You can be a ‘participant’ – or you can be the very best.”

Meg Pearce, who is studying nutrition, talked about its importance in every aspect of performance.

“How you train is how you play,” she told students, “and that includes nutrition. The key is to know your body, what it needs to recover, and what it needs to perform.”