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THE ALLEYNIAN 709
SPORT
Had you even heard of Zoom in 2019? Just a year on, I feel as though it has been a part of our lives forever, and the means by which we have been able to share so much during a very challenging period. During the first lockdown, we loved talking to sporting superstars Eoin Morgan, Chris Jordan OA, Zac Crawley and Tommy O’Flaherty OA. The success of these talks inspired Phil Greenaway and me to follow up in the winter months with a series of sports-themed webinars addressing subjects we felt needed to be talked about more publicly, including mental health, racism, fear, anxiety, resilience, pressure, leadership and nutrition. We welcomed experts from a range of fields, with Wednesday evenings becoming our regular slot. Our guests were Tony Strudwick, Marvin Sordell, Maddie Hinch MBE, Captain Louis Rudd, Henry Fraser OA, Thomas ‘Hal’ Robson-Kanu and Matt Lovell. Tony afforded us an insight into the life of a sports scientist. It was fascinating to hear how he went from being an aspiring professional footballer to pursuing a career in sports science, subsequently working with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. His tales of supporting the likes of Marcus Rashford and Ronaldo were fascinating, offering important educational messages. It was an honour to spend an evening talking to Marvin Sordell, who shared stories of being rejected and released from academy football but who never lost sight of his goal of reaching the top level of English football. This he did, playing in the Premier League and the Olympics. Marvin spoke openly and honestly about his struggles with his own mental health, and the challenges he faced in the world of professional football, eventually taking early retirement and pursuing a career as a writer, speaker and producer. The topic of racism was also discussed, sparking an interesting debate. Olympian Maddie Hinch spoke in detail about the GB hockey team penalty shoot-out victory in the 2016 Games final and about how the years of practice and rehearsal for that moment helped her to deal with such a high-pressure situation. The vital nature of training and preparation was a theme that ran through her talk, as was the importance of keeping a smile on your face. Maddie’s webinar was watched by hundreds of pupils and parents, and a particularly enjoyable feature of the evening was the range of wonderful questions from the floor. We had an extraordinary evening with Captain Louis Rudd, who talked about leadership, resilience, marginal gains, role models and dealing with the most pressurised of situations.
We barely touched on his distinguished military career, but it was interesting to gain a brief insight into his 34 years in the Royal Marines and SAS. Louis’ inspiring tales of his polar trips, both solo and as part of a team, will have lit the spark of adventurous spirit in many of our viewers. An hour simply was not long enough. Henry Fraser is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. His talk was incredible, although quite overwhelming at times (see Dennis Ivin’s review of this talk, over the page). He is an extraordinary person, an OA of whom I know everyone in the Dulwich community is immensely proud. If you are not familiar with Henry’s story, I urge you to read his books and to look at his art. His message emphasising the importance of acceptance, and of seeking help and support but of always being determined, is one that we should all reflect upon. We look forward to welcoming Henry back to Dulwich to share his advice with all of our pupils. Wales legend and Premier League star Thomas ‘Hal’ Robson-Kanu spoke with great clarity about his mental approach to fear, which includes the reframing of thoughts into positive feelings and an emphasis on gratitude for the opportunities we are given. He stressed the importance of breaking down goals into manageable chunks, noting the dedication required to achieve your potential, and spoke about how to avoid allowing yourself to be deterred by setbacks. His own personal setbacks led him to explore the value of nutrition for recovery and injury prevention. It was a real delight to talk to such a positive role model. Leading sports nutritionist Matt Lovell was our final guest of the series. Matt has worked at the top end of elite sport for over 20 years, supporting many national and professional teams as well as individuals. Matt’s breadth of knowledge was apparent to all, but we particularly appreciated the small, simple tips that we can all adopt. He gave great nutritional advice, but also touched on sleeping habits and routines, and the roles these play in our performance. His was an extremely informative and important talk. I would be lying if I said I did not get a little nervous ahead of each of the talks, but listening to each of our guests address such a range of issues has had a great impact on me and I hope others feel the same way. It was an honour and a pleasure to present these webinars, and I hope to return with more, next academic year. Thank you to all who tuned in.
Nick Brown looks back over this year’s series of online talks, which offered students, parents and staff the opportunity to hear from a fascinating range of speakers
SPORTS
WEBINAR
2021 SERIES
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