Olympic Bronze medallist Holly Young inspires Seaforth Public School students at World Teachers Day visit

Courtesy olympics.com.au

Dual Olympian and Sydney Northern Beaches local Holly Young (nee Holly Lincoln-Smith) shared her Olympic story with the students at Seaforth Public School as part of the Olympics Unleashed program.

The visit was in celebration of Year 6 teacher Alex Williams, who won the Australian Olympic Committee’s World Teachers’ Day competition in November last year.

Young, who won Water Polo bronze at London 2012 shared her inspiring journey through elite sport, from her first match at 13-years-old to her experiences at the Olympic Games in London and at Rio 2016.

Holly said she loved the opportunity to speak with the students, share her story and encourage them to work hard towards their goals.

“There is a misconception that it’s easy to get to an Olympic Games, that as athletes we’re just born to do it and it was natural talent. But, for most of the girls in my team and for myself it definitely wasn’t like that,” Holly said.

“I worked really hard to get there, there were people that were better than me and I think it’s really important for these kids to hear that and understand that.”

“You don’t want your life to be ‘what if’s’ and if you can teach the kids that from a young age, I think it is such a valuable lesson.”

“The message I hope kids will take away from today is to really believe in themselves, more than anyone else does, to never take no for an answer, to keep trying and to just keep fighting towards their goals."

With Brisbane 2032 just nine years away, Holly said she hopes to not only inspire the students to follow their dreams but help develop their passion for sport and the Olympic movement.

“I met some beautiful girls today who play down at Manly, which is where I started my Water Polo career. It was really special because I saw myself in those girls, that excitement, and I could tell that they just love the sport.”

“Brisbane 2032 might sound like a long way away, but it’s really not. For these kids, it is really exciting for them to hear our stories, to learn what it takes to get there, and then hopefully Brisbane 2032 will spark a little bit more fire in their bellies to keep going and keep reaching for their goals.”

Year 6 Students Hayley and Isabella said they found Holly’s presentation very inspiring.

“Having an Olympian come to our school was really cool. The main lesson I would take away from today is to never give up on your dreams and to keep pushing to achieve them,” Hayley said.

“What I found inspiring was just knowing how she got there and knowing that one day I could do the same,” Isabella continued. 

Seaforth Public School teacher and World Teacher’s Day winner, Alex Williams, said the students loved hearing Holly’s story and how she overcame challenges to get to where she is today.

“Holly spoke a lot today about overcoming obstacles, that was really important for the students to hear because they need to know that there will be hurdles in their lives and they are able to overcome them,” Alex said.

“It’s really important for our students to hear how Olympians have worked really hard to get where they have. Having real life examples and having the opportunity for the students to ask questions has been invaluable.”

Olympics Unleashed takes Olympians and aspiring Olympians into Australian schools to inspire and motivate students to be their personal best.

You can find out more and register your school here.