Rising Stars: Trinity students' road to success
by Sam
Sport is a big part of life at Trinity and almost every student plays at least one of the many sports the school has to offer. Obviously, school work is very important, so it can be hard to try to balance sporting commitments with your studies! We caught up with Tommy and Kathy, two Trinity sixth form students, who have played for the England Lambs rugby team and the Great Britain water polo team respectively.
Did you play sport before you came to Trinity School?
Tommy: I had played rugby before I came to the school, but it was at Trinity where I had my first experience of playing in a team of boys all my age.
Kathy: I was a water polo player before I came to Trinity but the school has definitely been a great opportunity to learn more about the sport and develop so many more skills. Also, Trinity has motivated me to get better at water polo and without Trinity I would never have made it to the level I am.
Did you play sport before you came to Trinity School?
Tommy: I had played rugby before I came to the school, but it was at Trinity where I had my first experience of playing in a team of boys all my age.
Kathy: I was a water polo player before I came to Trinity but the school has definitely been a great opportunity to learn more about the sport and develop so many more skills. Also, Trinity has motivated me to get better at water polo and without Trinity I would never have made it to the level I am.
During this Dubai tour I played my first game for the A team, which was a great experience. I wasn’t actually in the A team before the tour but came into the team due to an injury. |
What are your best memories from your time at Trinity?
Kathy: My key memories of Trinity so far are mainly based around sport as I am in the netball, hockey and water polo teams and have at least one match every week. One of my best memories is when the water polo team came fifth in the Nationals last year. Just going to the Nationals was a great experience let alone finishing in a good position! I also enjoy classes and being at Trinity as it is such a friendly environment. Tommy: We were the first group of boys to go on a rugby tour to Dubai and that was a really fantastic opportunity. During this Dubai tour I played my first game for the A team, which was a great experience. I wasn’t actually in the A team before the tour but came into the team due to a player breaking his arm in a training session a few days before we were scheduled to fly out. Tommy, how did you feel when you were told that you had been selected for the England Lambs? Tommy: I was really excited! Rugby has slowly become something that I want to take more and more seriously and playing for the Lambs is such a great opportunity, to represent my country and gain further exposure to top quality rugby. Kathy, you have got a place at Michigan University on a water polo scholarship. How did you feel when you found out? Kathy: I was so excited and when I put the pen to the paper it was definitely one of my favourite memories of my life. When I was fourteen, my friend went off to America, which seemed so cool and from then on I have always wanted to go there and when I got the offer, it was a surreal moment. |
Tommy, what do you think is the main attribute that someone needs to succeed in sport?
Tommy: Tenacity, because there are so many people with natural talent and it is the people who put in the extra hours and train who rise to the top. I started playing in the B team at 11 and have never played for an academy and yet I have now been selected to play for the Lambs.
Tommy: Tenacity, because there are so many people with natural talent and it is the people who put in the extra hours and train who rise to the top. I started playing in the B team at 11 and have never played for an academy and yet I have now been selected to play for the Lambs.
I took some of my exams in Azerbaijan while competing, so it has been hard!
Finally Kathy, how have you found balancing sport with school work?
Kathy: It has been tough, especially during my GCSE years as I missed 12 weeks of year 10 and 11. I also took some of my exams in Azerbaijan while I was competing, so it has been hard! But I found that just managing your time correctly and making your plans flexible is important because you never know when a competition could pop up.
Kathy: It has been tough, especially during my GCSE years as I missed 12 weeks of year 10 and 11. I also took some of my exams in Azerbaijan while I was competing, so it has been hard! But I found that just managing your time correctly and making your plans flexible is important because you never know when a competition could pop up.
It is not only students that have to find the right balance between sport and work, teachers have to as well! We spoke to Mr King, Head of Junior Form, to see how he found it when he was playing for the Great Britain water polo team at the 2012 London Olympics. You can see his responses in the video below.