Private School News

FARNBOROUGH HILL’S SPORTING STAR

Alex Danson, a member of the Team GB hockey squad at the Beijing Olympics came to Farnborough Hill to talk to students today. Alex is an Old Girl of the school, having left after her A level studies in 2003. Her talk to a capacity audience was inspirational, appealing not only to sporting enthusiasts but to anyone wanting to achieve their dream in any field. Alex described her time in Beijing as ‘the most incredible time of my life, my biggest dream was to reach the Olympic Games.’

A former BBC Young Sports Person of the Year nominee, Alex is now 23 and has been playing hockey for 17 years, having started in the back garden of her home. She said that it was while at Farnborough Hill, in Year 8, that she was encouraged to join a hockey club and further her ambition. She described Farnborough Hill as ‘a brilliant school where I had all the support I needed.’

At 16, she was one of the youngest ever England internationals, making her debut against Germany in October 2001. She now has 106 caps for England & Great Britain to her name. Her GB debut came in January 2007 in the 2 – 1 win over South Africa in Stellenbosch. Alex has Bronze Medals from the 2006 Commonwealth Games and two European Cups, including last summer in Manchester when she was part of the England squad that secured Olympic qualification. She was also a member of the winning team at the 2002 Champions Challenge and 2005 KT Cup.

Alex impressed on the girls that if you have a passion, there are no limits to what you can achieve if you give your all. She admitted that she has had incredible opportunities but that in order to make the most of those opportunities she had to believe that she could achieve, and she had to be totally committed. Alex lives to play hockey and has to make difficult decisions, often missing out on social events, in order to be at the peak of her performance. Always at the back of her mind is ‘will this action make me a better player’. She suggested setting small goals, saying ‘if you don’t grasp opportunities you can’t expect to be really successful: small things can make a huge difference’. Alex said that there had been setbacks, times when things had gone wrong, but these are character-building and define you as a person. Alex’s personal motto is ‘leave no stone unturned’. She believes in living without having regrets.

Asked why she has chosen to compete at the highest level, she said ‘I love the game with a passion, have real ambition and love winning medals!’ However she thinks that what makes her job so special is being a member of a team: ‘I play because of the people around me.’ She warned against feeding your own ego and pointed out that this is not what makes a good team player. Alex completed her talk by showing the Farnborough Hill girls a fascinating behind-the-scenes video of the Beijing games.

Picture: Alex Danson with the Barbados Tour team at Farnborough Hill