Rand Park High School science teacher and hockey coach Erin Christie will be jetting off soon to Tokyo to proudly represent her country as hockey captain of the South Africa women’s national field hockey team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Christie is the coach of the school’s first girls’ hockey team for 2021 and was the school’s head girl, top scholar and hockey captain in 2010.
Speaking about her Olympic dreams Christie said, “Our team has big goals, and they are well known amongst our team. We have been training immensely hard, and we want to do as best as possible.”
She added that the South Africa team were definitely the underdogs as they were ranked 16th in the world, and only 12 teams were competing in the Olympics. Currently, the Netherlands is the top ranked team.
“Our biggest focus is on Tokyo and making sure that we make a great name for ourselves there. The opportunity to perform on the biggest international sporting stage there is a great honour.
“What we do in Tokyo could determine the future of South African hockey. We have a lot of responsibility to carry the flag for South African hockey, and we hope to inspire further generations of hockey players and show that we can impress on the world’s stage.”
Christie said she was excited for her learners to watch her compete, and added that it was an amazing opportunity for her learners to see her as more than a science teacher.
“There has been so much excitement in my classroom, and we have literally been counting down the days for the tournament to begin. “After the curveballs Covid-19 threw us this year and last, it is great to see my learners so excited about something once again and I hope to make them proud.”
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are set to begin on 23 July.
After the Olympics, the team will shift their focus to next year’s Hockey World Cup and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
