From the snow and ice of Beijing to Forrest Primary in Canberra, three Winter Olympians shared their Olympic journeys with students to inspire them to chase their dreams.
Beijing 2022 Closing Ceremony Flag Bearer and ski cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim, four-time Olympian mogul skier Britt Cox and Beijing 2022 top five bobsledder Bree Walker joined 100 students from Forrest Primary as part of Olympics Unleashed.
The athletes shared their Olympic journeys and how they were able to set goals and work with a team to overcome challenges to become Olympians.
Britt, a four-time Olympian and 2017 World Champion mogul skier, said she loved the opportunity to connect with students through Olympics Unleashed.
“It’s so fulfilling to share our Olympic journey and help students chase their own dreams,” Britt said.
“Sport has so many positive messages that can apply to all aspects of young people’s lives.
“We really wanted to hone in on goal setting and did a workshop with the Forrest students on setting their own goals.
“Writing down your goal is so important – it solidifies it and makes it real. When you set big goals, even if you don’t achieve them in the end, it can take you higher than would have ever been possible if you didn’t aim there in the first place.
“My goal was an Olympic medal, and I wanted it more than I wanted to breathe – while I missed out on a medal in my Games, I’ve come to realise that everything else I’ve achieved, from being World Champion, winning World Cup medals, an incredible decade competing and travelling the world, simply wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t set that crazy goal."
- Britt Cox
“No one should be afraid to set a goal because they’re afraid they might not achieve it – it sets you on a path and opens up so many incredible opportunities on the way.
Sami shared how overcoming challenges throughout her Olympic journey, including suffering a stroke before her first Olympics, had made her the person she is today.
“It’s such an uplifting experience to connect with the students and share lessons I’ve learnt along this Olympic road,” Sami said.
“No mater what these students are aiming for – in sport, the arts, their study – they will come across some challenges along the way. Knowing it’s OK to ask for help, to work with people to get through hard times and see setbacks as an opportunity will help you no matter what your goal is.
“The students had some incredible questions, it really blew me away. I hope they took away some great lessons from our Olympic experiences and can apply them in their own lives.”
For ‘Bobsled’ Bree Walker, the school hall brought back strong memories.
“As well as a bobsledder, I studied to be a PE teacher, coming back to primary schools is always a big love of mine,” Bree said.
“I remember being in their shoes – watching the Olympics on TV and having an athlete coming to our school. To have the chance to share our story and help inspire these students is an incredible part of being an Australian Olympian.
“We talked a lot about goals and each student got their own goal setting card – so they can go home, think about some things they want to achieve and then write them down – setting those goals down is the first step to achieving them.”
Forrest primary teacher Tara Durnin said the students loved hearing the Olympians’ stories firsthand.
“The whole presentation was amazing and incredibly well done,” Ms Durnin said.
“The athletes were incredibly well spoken and engaging. We had so many students come up to us after telling us how much they loved it.”
Olympics Unleashed takes Olympians and aspiring Olympians into Australian schools to inspire and motivate students to be their personal best. It is free for schools, thanks to the support of respective state Governments and the Australian Olympic Committee.
