SPORT
Lessons from hockey royalty
The School has been graced with hockey
royalty this year with Mark Knowles,
current Captain of the Australian Men’s
Hockey team, coming out to the School
twice this year to run coaching clinics. The
first session was as a result of the “Dare
to Dream” function held in May, where
a limited number of spaces were made
available for a coaching clinic that was held
in June. The second clinic, held in August,
was open to students from Years 2 – 12
and on this occasion Mark was assisted by
arguably the greatest hockey player of all
time, Jamie Dwyer.
hockey players in the world. During the
clinics, Mark not only demonstrated some of
the tricks of the trade but he spoke about
what is required to become a successful
international hockey player.
The clinics provided an invaluable lesson for
all present on the dedication, determination
and perseverance required at this level of
sport to survive the highs and lows and
create opportunities for success.
In international hockey circles Mark is held
in the highest regard by his peers and his
resume is almost without parallel. Having
represented Australia in 245 games, he
was in the team that won a gold medal at
the Athens Olympic Games. This year he
captained the Kookaburras to a gold medal
at the World Cup and within a month of
that victory he led the team in another
tournament triumph at the Commonwealth
Games.
For those Guildford Grammar School
students present, this was an incredible
opportunity to learn from one of the best
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