The best women’s Sevens Rugby player on the planet!
That’s who our students had the good fortune of meeting when Charlotte Caslick OAM and Australian Women’s Sevens Co-Captain stopped by for a chat at Matthew Flinders Anglican College on Tuesday, 6 June!
Charlotte generously took time out of her schedule to meet with and inspire our girl students in Years 5 and 6 in the Senior Primary School as well as some of the athletes in our Secondary School's Flinders Elite Athlete Program.
The conversation was facilitated by Mrs Peta Rogerson, our HPE Teacher and Director of Coaching (Touch Football). Peta and Charlotte used to play together in the Australian Women's Open Touch Football Team before she switched to Rugby Sevens.
Charlotte shared her journey from a girl who at age five, growing up in Brisbane, dreamed of being an Olympian. Playing athletics, hockey, touch football and rugby league through her schooling journey, Charlotte enjoyed exploring many sports before deciding to give her all to rugby sevens at age 16.
Now 28, she plays for Australia and is a dual Olympian, winning her first gold medal at the inaugural Rugby Sevens competition at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
The students were inspired to hear how Charlotte has triumphed despite setbacks such as COVID lockdowns and injuries from a fractured back, ruptured tendons in her hand and a torn hamstring.
Charlotte also noted that some of the students in the audience may go on to compete in their chosen sport in the Brisbane Olympics 2032!
After answering questions, Charlotte spent time with the girls, signing autographs and having selfies taken with them.
What our students said
Sisters Amber in Year 5 and Summer in Year 6 were excited for their peers to hear from Charlotte. Amber and Summer are passionate about sport and are talented athletics competitors; they both won Age Champions in their age groups at last week's Flinders Senior Primary Athletic Carnival.
Amber, who is a pen pal with Charlotte, said, “The best thing about meeting Charlotte today was being able to let other girls see how amazing and talented she is. Charlotte encourages people to follow their dreams. I hope to be like her when I am older and play rugby sevens for Australia. She is the best player in the world!"
Summer said, "Listening to Charlotte today made me realise that anything is possible, and that you should never give up on your dreams. Being part of a women's team like that would be amazing. They get to travel the world and have lots of fun while they do it!"
Here are some of the key takeaways our students and staff learned from Charlotte:
- Charlotte doesn’t focus on the losses – she learns from them and then shakes them off to focus on what’s next.
- Losses make the wins all the sweeter.
- “Rugby is my job, so I have to be disciplined and show up.”
- “To keep motivated, I try to get something new and positive out of every single day’s training or match.”
- “I’ve always led by example. I like training and I like to work hard.”
- Stay fit in the off-season (then it won’t hurt so much when you start training again!)
- It’s important to train and play hard, but also have fun in your downtime.
- In a team sport, you can’t have individual success without team success.
- Playing different sports as a child helped Charlotte with her Rugby Sevens career.
- Pre- and post-match routines and rituals are great, but don’t get hung up on them because what if they don’t go to plan! You need to be able to adapt.
- Find a way to switch off and take a break for your wellbeing. Charlotte has a cattle farm in country Queensland and lives at Bondi by the beach – the best of both worlds, she believes!
To meet some of our student athletes and learn more about our Flinders Elite Athlete Program (FEAP) visit here.
FEAP provides mentoring to our student athletes to help balance their academic and sporting lives and improve their wellbeing.
