Student hockey players at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) were in the presence of British sporting royalty, when an Olympic Champion attended one of their training sessions.
Team GB Women’s Hockey player Shona McCallin, who won gold at Rio2016, joined both DMU’s Men’s and Women’s hockey sides to offer words of advice, improve their game and inspire them for the rest of their British University and College Sports (BUCS) season.
The connection with the Nottinghamshire born hockey star is through the Hockey Club Chairwoman Lydia Briggs, who is Shona’s cousin.
The 24 year-old Olympian said: “Lydia invited me down to the session to pass on my advice and to also do a bit of training.
“The weather was a bit wetter and colder than I was expecting when I visited Leicester, but I was happy to get down there. I had a lot of fun helping them with set piece drill and tactics.
“I think it’s great having both the men’s and women’s teams training together and to have the coaches there from Leicester Hockey Club, one of the biggest female hockey sides in the UK.”
Coaches Lauren Osgood and David Hill work with both the men’s and women’s sides thanks to DMU’s partnership with Leicester Hockey Club.
Shona currently plays domestically for Holcombe Ladies Hockey Club who competes in the Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division, alongside Leicester.
Speaking about the level of hockey on show at DMU, Shona said: “It was difficult to judge the quality of hockey at DMU in such a short session, but I could see they all have the right attitude and attitude goes a long way in sport. I hope they all continue to learn and the results will come if they remain committed.
“The teams were delighted to have me there and it’s great for me to give back to these people who were our supporters throughout the Olympics. It’s so rewarding to give back to the community and I aim to do it as much as I can.”
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DMU Hockey Club Secretary, Leighton James said: “To have Shona join us at training was fantastic for players of all abilities and experiences.
“Her expertise and personality really shone through with the girls continuing their unbeaten run in the league and the boys performing with renewed vigour.
“We hope she enjoyed the session as much as we did and a huge thank you to our chairwoman Lydia for organising. We hope to continue our level of play up until Varsity where our own gold medal winning performance is needed.”
Shona is currently injured, but is hoping to get back into training in the New Year to help boost Holcombe’s title chances and also prepare for England’s defence of the European Championships in the summer.
Shona was part of the side that won the Championships in 2015, beating Netherlands in the final on penalties at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
Meanwhile, Shona is out giving support to local clubs and analysing the impact Team GB’s gold medal success is having on the sport. She said: “I hope our sport will cement itself in the UK as leaders alongside the likes of football. It would be great to see hockey on TV week in, week out.
“Hockey is a great sport, it is tactical and skilful. People don’t realise how much the game has changed, it’s fast paced, a lot more exciting and the game as a whole is improving massively.
“Playing hockey can be great for more than just health reasons. You can learn so much from the game, such as dealing with pressure, communicating and making friends which are all useful in later life.
So far this season, the men’s and women’s hockey side are flying high in the BUCS divisions. The women thrashed University of Bedfordshire in their last fixture, while the men ran out 2-1 winners against University of Nottingham.
Posted on Tuesday 6 December 2016