Our Specialist Sports students were treated to an inspiring Life Skills session on Monday by Olympic rower David Crawshay and Melbourne Vixens netballer Chloe Watson from the Victorian Institute of Sport.
David, along with his rowing partner Scott Brennan, won the gold medal in the men’s double sculls at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, while Watson has represented both Victoria and Australia at U/21 level.
David is a Lawyer by profession and spoke to students about the importance of paying attention to every part of your life. “Never stop learning; never close yourself to new ideas,” he said.
He also talked about the mental preparation for an Olympic event.
“By the start of the gold medal race in Beijing, all the voices in my head were saying, ‘Get out there; show them what you can do’. It was years of preparation leading to that one moment.”
Chloe encouraged the students to “find the thing you love and work hard to be the best you can possibly be”. If you love what you’re doing you WILL work hard – you’ll be excited to train and better yourself. Always ask yourself – how can I do that better?”
Students had plenty of opportunity to ask questions and many stayed back after the session to chat with Chloe and David about the challenges faced by elite sports people.
