Our Specialist Sport students gained insights far beyond the sporting arena on Monday, when they spent an hour with two very special athletes – Melbourne Vixens Captain, Kate Moloney, and three-time Olympian, Belinda Hocking.

Kate spoke about her early days as a teenager in Melbourne, trying to break into representative teams and thinking it would never happen.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said. “It just made me want it even more.”

Kate also gave some great advice around time management for students balancing sport and study.

“My diary was my lifeline in Year 11 and 12,” she said. “Any time I didn’t have to be in class or at training I would get my homework done. It was about grabbing every moment.”

While Kate is on the cusp of her sporting journey, Belinda’s swimming career has just come to a close at the ripe old age of 26. She spoke to students about life outside of sport – of staying grounded and continuing to study.

“You can’t get too caught up in the winning and losing,” she said. “In sport, as in life, you just have to give everything you’ve got and be proud of yourself. Getting a uni degree will be like a fourth Olympics for me.”

In a lighter moment, Belinda recalled one of her memorable Olympic moments at the Beijing games.

“I was in the food line in the dining hall when my tray bumped into the person in front of me,” she recounted. “It was Roger Federer. He was so friendly and modest, introducing himself and asking about my event. There was a real sense of everyone being equal at the Olympics.”