We were delighted to welcome Olympic curling champion, Eve Muirhead, to Ballard. Eve visited our Pre-Prep and talked to our Year 2 pupils before presenting to our Sports Scholars followed by our Year 9 pupils.
Eve spoke about her achievements, her love of curling and the highs and lows of her career. Eve first appeared on the World Curling scene in 2007, reaching the Olympics in 2010 as skipper at only 19 years of age and winning Gold at her fourth Olympics (Beijing, 2022). She spoke in depth about what makes up a winning attitude: effort, determination, positive thinking, leading and Improving, self-belief, focus, being brave and, most importantly, enjoyment.
Eve talked about her biggest challenge, recovering from hip surgery in 2018, and how it was important to set realistic goals, stepping stones towards your end goal. So although she still wanted to win Gold at the Olympics, she focused on staying as fit and healthy as she could be; walking, undertaking all the rehabilitation, then starting to slide again, then looking at the Nationals, Europeans and finally world and Olympic stage again.
She encouraged our pupils to use their focus and determination to overcome hurdles. When GB failed to qualify for the semi-finals in 2010, Eve trained harder and practiced more. When a 2-3 hour game can come down to the last throw and less than an inch, improving everything by a small margin can make a huge impact. She showed her Olympic Gold medal to the pupils and allowed the scholars to hold it and try it on whilst they asked questions after the talk.
Eve retired when she had become Olympic, World and European champion, however she is still challenging herself. Only days earlier she had completed the London Marathon having not really run before. She followed a training programme and achieved an incredible time of 3hrs 25min for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, raising nearly £6,000 for this worthy cause. You may donate here.
Eve hopes to continue to help others and she certainly inspired our pupils.
