Wealden Times | WT178 | December 2016 | Interiors supplement inside

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Inspiring the future
GB hockey player
and Olympic gold
medallist Susannah
Townsend returned to
her prep school, Russell
House, to talk to
the pupils, answer
their questions
and provide a skills
masterclass in hockey
There are some occasions in life
that are so exciting that children
take the memory with them
throughout the rest of their
life. A Friday afternoon in November at
Russell House was one of those days.
It was the day that the school welcomed
former pupil, Susannah Townsend, fresh
from her team’s stunning gold-medal
winning success at the Rio Olympics.
During the afternoon, she answered
questions from the children while her gold
medal was passed excitedly from one to
the next. Each had the chance to marvel
at its weight and size and – perhaps – to
be inspired to think: “I could do that!”
Susannah Townsend told the children
that when she was their age, she too had
sat where they were in the school hall and
that she had been taught by some of their
teachers. She told them that there are
days when she doesn’t feel like going out
to train, but that it’s always important to
persevere. If you don’t try, she said, you
will never know if you are good or not.
She explained how the whole GB hockey
team was committed to providing positive
role-models for girls and to promote the sport
they love. She said they wanted to inspire the
future and sustain the heightened interest
in hockey that their success has generated.
Russell House headmaster, Craig
McCarthy said: “Susannah Townsend
was such an inspiring figure for our pupils
and our staff! The fact that she started
her sporting career on the pitches that
they are playing on today shows them
that, with determination and self-belief,
they really can realise their dreams.”
After having answered the children’s
questions – and in spite of the fact that she
was walking with crutches following an
operation on her knee – Susannah, together
with South African women’s hockey team
member, and London Olympian, Dirkie
Chamberlain, joined the children outside
to direct a hockey skills masterclass. The
children ended the session bursting with
excitement and keen to put their coaching
tips into action in their next match.
station road, Otford, Kent tn14 5Qu | 01959 522352 | www.russellhouseschool.co.uk