11 minute read
Old Girl Olympians
Silver Fern on their chest, ‘By Love Serve’ in their hearts
Old Girls and sisters Theresa Fitzpatrick (peer year 2012) and Sulu Fitzpatrick (2010), both represent New Zealand on the international sporting stage.
Theresa recently won gold as a part of the Black Ferns Rugby Sevens team at the Tokyo Olympics, and Sulu is a Silver Fern and team vice captain, a superstar defender on the netball court!
Theresa and Sulu both represent our country with so much pride, heart and determination. They truly embody ‘By Love Serve’ and are inspiring role models for all our students. We felt very lucky to have had time with the sporting sisters.
Q. Theresa and Sulu, thanks so much for speaking to us. First up, Theresa, your gold medal win at the Olympics was so inspiring, what do you think makes a great team?
Theresa: Having good connections with your team is something very important as it creates a foundation of trust and respect off the field that will then transfer onto the field. A strong team culture is something that is of utmost importance to us. It was so special to be able to win the gold medal with all my teammates. It has been an intense five-year Olympic campaign filled with ups and downs, so to be able to bring home a gold medal for our family and friends, and for all who have supported us...we are so happy that we could do it for them.
Q. Sulu, What about you?
Sulu:We work hard to create an environment where everyone feels they are safe to be themselves and their differences are accepted. A family environment where everyone feels they can be honest, good or bad, is key to a happy and successful team culture.
Q. How amazing does it feel to represent your country with the Silver Fern on your chest?
Sulu: It’s surreal and you feel it’s not just about you, it’s for all the sacrifices and support from family and close friends. I feel grateful to the village which have got me here, my family, my children and my fiancé. Being a Samoan woman who gets to play the game, I love as a job is a blessing.
Theresa: It is truly a blessing and something I will never take for granted every time I put on the black jersey. We are told that we are only caretakers of the jersey and therefore should strive to always leave it in a better place than we found it. Representing my country and my family is an amazing feeling that will never fade away.
Q. How do you both support and encourage each other with your chosen sports?
Sulu: Love and prayer. We know how hard it is for one another mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Theresa: My sister has always inspired and pushed me to be the best athlete and the best woman I can be. We were always very competitive growing up and I think it helped to install a hard work ethic mindset from a very young age. Sulu is also an amazing leader and has the ability to motivate a team with her words AND her actions – this is something else I admire about my older sister.
Q. Did you play sports together a lot growing up? I can imagine lots of games of touch and netball in the backyard!?
Theresa: We played sports together growing up as a family like touch, basketball, athletics, backyard cricket and netball. So many memories. Sulu: We grew up doing everything together, poor Theresa. Everything from touch, cricket and capoeira to athletics and basketball. It was always competitive, especially when our younger brother Luke beat us!
Q. Why do you think it’s important to play a sport?
Sulu: Sport is a platform where people can learn to be brave, compromise, work towards a common goal and gain resilience and mental strength. It is also fun!
Theresa: Team sport has taught me many values that I can apply to my everyday life. The ability and importance to work as a team, in sport there are many highs and lows so resilience is also a value that needs to be learned, having a good work ethic in every aspect of life, being able to practice mindfulness by focussing on things you can control and not on the things out of control, is something I have found very helpful too.
Theresa: St Cuthbert’s gave us many opportunities outside of sport but also supported in our sporting endeavours too. Education is something that is very important in our family; you are only able to play sport for so long and therefore, having a plan for life after sport is also very important.
Sulu: ‘By Love Serve’ has been the guiding motto not only in everyday life but also in how we apply ourselves on the court and field. We loved our time at St Cuthbert’s and gained lifelong friendships.
Our Black Watch Black Sticks
We were so incredibly proud that one quarter of the 16-strong Black Sticks hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics were St Cuthbert’s Old Girls: Liz Thompson (peer year 2012), Stacey Michelson (2008), Captain, Julia King (2010) and Katie Doar (2019).
Our hockey Old Girls play an active and very special role in our school community. Just days out of MIQ, they were at school coaching our students, while proceeds from our Term 3 Mufti Day went to our Old Girl Olympians, to support their Tokyo journey. They also jumped on Zoom calls with our Junior students during the Level 4 lockdown!
We spoke with Julia, Katie and Stacey about their amazing Olympic experience, and why they will always have the little bit of Black Watch tartan in their hearts.
Q. How great was it to have such a special experience in Tokyo together with your fellow Old Girls?
Julia:It was very cool to all be at the Olympics together. We’re all friends and the connection of St Cuth’s among us is still strong. I coach hockey at school with Katie and went through school hockey with Stacey and Liz. We still joke and talk about the 2008 Fed Cup win! There was also a huge amount of support for us from St Cuthbert’s, especially from the hockey group which brought us all together and for which we’re very grateful.
Katie: It was honestly so great having the three other St Cuth’s Old Girls with me. Especially because we all have had a variety of different experiences in the international game. For me, I never got the chance to play with any of the girls at school, so being able to say we are all from the same school was special in itself. It was also extra special as all four of us wore our Pounamu earrings, and I felt an immense feeling of pride and gratitude of how lucky we are to be involved with the St Cuthbert’s community. Stacey: It was a very special experience. I have played with Julia and Liz for many years, and have known Katie since she was very young, so to experience a Games with people that are not just my teammates but also my friends, made it all the more special.
Q. What do you think makes a great team?
Julia: A team that has a tight connection on and off the field and who can stick together through all the highs and lows of sport; a great team is where all members have respect for one another and can get along regardless of age or experience.
Katie: A great team to me would be a team that has unity. I think that it’s important for a group of people to have each other’s backs. Having cohesion and an equality about each individual team member really stands out to me.
Stacey: I think it is important in a team to understand and appreciate what each person brings to the team, and to ensure everyone is motivated to bring together everything they can for the betterment of the team. I also think it is hugely important to communicate well, have respect for one another and always have a “team first” approach.
Julia: I learnt the work ethic to achieve set goals, perseverance and to constantly
strive to give your best effort with a positive attitude, also, the importance of having a great team culture, listening to feedback and to always enjoy what you do.
Katie: I learnt a lot whilst being at St Cuthbert’s. If I had to pick three main areas that helped me with my sporting journey, they would have to be enjoyment, resilience and gratitude. Obviously, resilience is something that I have had to do being away from home and mainly balancing my school with sport. This has helped me when times were tough and challenging, just to keep on keeping on. Enjoyment for the sport and everything I do stands out to me. It coincides with gratitude as the opportunity and extreme generosity in the St Cuth’s community is what has helped to get myself, and I’m sure the other girls, to where we are now.
Stacey: During my time at St Cuth’s I learnt the importance of diligence, hard work and the value of being prepared. I also learnt how to balance both my sporting and academic goals, which is something that has always been important to me. These skills have been invaluable in both my sporting endeavours, my studies and now my career too.
Q. What is so amazing about St Cuthbert’s hockey programme?
Julia: The hockey programme at St Cuth’s does a great job catering for and supporting all hockey players. It’s a fun, supportive set up that gets the best out of everyone and provides the opportunity to experience tournaments such as AIMS games and Fed Cup.
Katie: The community is what makes the hockey programme at St Cuthbert’s so amazing. There is a special connection between the past and present players. It is really nice knowing that the College and the group of people involved in the hockey community are still backing us as individuals and the team, as we try to achieve our best.
Stacey: The people. I have been very lucky throughout my career to have people give their time and expertise to help me as a player. This was a huge factor for me and my teammates while at St Cuth’s. My teammates were also top notch, we made such good memories training, playing and having fun together, and I am so grateful to have maintained many of these friendships over the years. The facilities at St Cuth’s are also amazing, having the turf on school grounds, especially as a Boarder, was the best.
Q. What makes you want to still be involved in teaching hockey to our girls?
Julia: Seeing the next generation of hockey players come through and passing on what knowledge I can to them and helping them develop. Also seeing the enjoyment that hockey brings to them is very wholesome.
Katie: I just love being able to watch the girls learn new skills and develop as players and individuals. It’s always nice being able to come back to the College and the old stomping ground; it helps to make me stay in touch with St Cuth’s. It’s nice to know that you’re helping the young ones achieve their best no matter how young they are.
Stacey: There have been many people throughout my career that have devoted time to helping me, and it is important for me to do the same for the hockey community. I was also fortunate enough to be on a sports scholarship at St Cuth’s and am very grateful for the opportunities this gave me; it is important to me to give back to a community that has given me so much.
Read more about St Cuthbert’s hockey on page 48.
“I learnt the work ethic to achieve set goals, perseverance and to constantly strive to give your best effort with a positive attitude.”—
St Cuthbert’s Olympians
Philippa Lindberg (1957)
Olympics: 1956 Sport: Swimming
Margot Blakely (1967)
Olympics:1968 Sport: Skiing
Jane Kingstone (1975)
Olympics: 1984 Sport: Hockey
Jessica Beer (1997)
Olympics: 2004 Sport: Fencing
Olivia (Polly) Powrie (2005)
Olympics: 2012 (Gold), 2016 Sport: Sailing (470)
Kim Noakes (2000)
Olympics: 2008 Sport: Hockey
Stacey Michelsen (2008)
Olympics: 2012, 2016, 2020 Sport: Hockey
Julia King (2010)
Olympics: 2012, 2020 Sport: Hockey
Liz Thompson (2012)
Olympics: 2016 Sport: Hockey
Theresa Fitzpatrick (2012)
Olympics: 2016 (Silver), 2020 (Gold) Sport: Rugby Sevens
Katie Doar (2019) Olympics: 2020 Sport: Hockey
