Sporting Success with Beth Gill

Central High (Class of 2014) Alumna, Beth Gill, has had great success this year with British Canoeing. Her achievements include winning the Gold and World Champion title in the C1 Women’s Short Course at the 2022 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships. At the same competition, she also won Bronze in the C1 Women’s Standard Distance Race. Beth also won Silver in the Women’s C1 Short Distance Final at the Marathon European Championships. Why did you/your parents choose CNHS?

I remember listening to the Head Teacher, describing to potential new students how ‘If there were a table to be lifted, or chairs to be put away, the girls would do it’, referring to the all-girls education. This struck a chord with me, along with the warm and friendly environment, high achieving sports department and enthusiasm across all areas of school life.

How old were you when you first arrived at CNHS?

I joined CNHS at 11 years old in Year 7.

What do you wish you had known on your first day at CNHS?

Don’t be nervous! Be yourself, work hard and do what makes you happy. One of the best things I did was fill my lunchtimes with activities and clubs!

How did CNHS prepare you for your future career in sport?

CNHS provided me with a multitude of opportunities. Teachers and staff were so supportive in enabling me to find what I enjoy most, whilst also guiding me through my academics and finding a balance that got the most out of me as a person.

There were times at school where things made me nervous or uneasy, but this was because we were encouraged to push towards goals that seemed difficult to achieve. I think that the ability to set high achieving

goals and then go after them, although putting yourself in uneasy situations, is something that is so important in any future career, not only in sport.

When I look back on my time at CNHS, I can’t recall a time I was told I can’t achieve something. The philosophy always seemed to follow the lines that anything is possible if you put your mind towards it.

What skills or knowledge did you learn at CNHS that you found most useful in your sporting career?

Definitely time management and organisation. But also, decision making, in that there will always be things you want to do more than the other, but you have to make choices on what to prioritise. No one can make those decisions for you therefore you learn to make them yourself.

How did sports at CNHS help you kickstart your sporting career?

The sports department at CNHS was incredible! I can’t think of any way of describing just how incredible it was. There were numerous sports activities before, during and after school. I found myself trying to fit multiple clubs into one lunch time which, although hectic, helped with both my organisation and time management skills! We’d travel all around the country whether that be for GDST Rallies or the numerous National Finals we qualified for across a variety of sports from cross country to athletics, trampolining to hockey. By Year 13, I became quite proficient at packing a bag!

From my first memories in Year 7 at Monday morning cross country with the then Head of PE, Jackie Atkinson, to sitting in the PE office answering the final round of questions before being accepted onto the GB Canoeing programme in my last few weeks at CNHS; the sports department really did kickstart my sporting career. I look back on my CNHS sporting path with both pride and gratitude.

What are you most proud of from your CNHS experience?

As Sports Captain I presented the end of year Sports Celebration of Achievement. The evening used to be held in the main sports hall in front of students, staff, parents and invited guests from across the GDST and sports world. It was really daunting! This is something that I would never have dreamed of doing when I joined the school in Year 7, but I now look back on as one of my proudest achievements whilst at the school.

What is something at CNHS that you absolutely loved being a part of?

Sports teams! Sport enables you to be part of a group of people with a common passion and determination. It really does bring people together and creates long lasting friendships. As a pupil in Year 7 I knew many girls in the years above me through training and competing in various sports. A fond memory would be attending the National Cross Country and Athletics Finals in Year 7. The team would be made up of a small number of Year 7s all the way up to Sixth Form and over the years we’d spend a lot of time together training and competing across the country. Being able to learn from and talk to others of different ages was so important both whilst I was at school but also an important skill for later life. For me, I wanted to continue this as I became one of the older girls and pass this on through the School. I enjoyed being able to have conversations with younger pupils to help them if needed and support in coaching at various sports clubs.