On Monday 8th December, Kingham Hill’s annual Hockey Awards Evening once again shone a spotlight on the strength and spirit of women’s sport on the Hill.
From training sessions with Oxford Hawks Hockey Club, to a week-long tour in Barcelona, and a busy programme of competitive fixtures in between, hockey has continued to be a standout sport of the Michaelmas Term.
This year, we were delighted to welcome Sarah Robertson as our guest speaker. A Scotland Hockey Captain, Great Britain international, and the first Scottish player to be capped 100 times for Great Britain, Sarah recently retired from international hockey last summer and now works with Grays Hockey. Her talk was both inspiring and thought-provoking, as she reflected on her remarkable career and the rapid progression of women’s sport.
Sarah shared insights into her journey, showing photos of herself as a child playing football and rugby in all-boys teams, and speaking honestly about the challenges of elite sport. Having been part of the GB set-up for over ten years, she spoke about the commitment required to compete at the highest level — highlighting how sleep, diet and recovery are all part of a demanding lifestyle, particularly when preparing for the Olympic Games.
She reflected on the significant setback caused by the COVID-19 delay to the Tokyo Olympics, and the intense restrictions that followed. With overseas training impossible, the team prepared for Tokyo’s 85% humidity by training in greenhouses with heaters and steamers, completing intense 60-minute sessions to replicate conditions — a testament, she noted, to the dedication of both players and the wider support team. Despite playing in a stadium with no spectators, Sarah described the pride of competing across seven matches, and the joy of scoring her first goal of the tournament in the final game.
Beyond competition, Sarah spoke movingly about what sport has given her: lifelong friendships, travel opportunities, leadership, resilience and teamwork. She reflected on captaining Scotland in recent years, learning from inspirational figures, and the importance of navigating questions of identity beyond being an athlete. She also highlighted how sport can be a powerful platform, sharing examples from her teammates’ diverse pathways, including Miriam Pritchard’s work as an artist and athlete, Darcy Bourne’s activism, and Tess Howard’s campaigning for choice in sports kit.
The evening also celebrated the achievements of Kingham Hill players, with awards presented for Most Improved Player and Most Valuable Player across the U12/13 A & B, U14, U15, 2nd Team and 1st Team squads. And, of course, no Hockey Awards Evening would be complete without Mr Elliott’s iconic musical rundown of the U15s’ season, which once again proved a highlight of the night.
The evening was a fitting celebration of commitment, resilience and the many life lessons sport can offer, values that are clearly shared by both our pupils and our inspiring guest speaker.