Wednesday 16 February 2011

Golfing and Goosebumps in Sixth Form Enrichment


John Hoskinson came to talk to a group of 60 of our Lower Sixth students during one Monday afternoon Enrichment session. He has a clear and informative style of speaking and certainly has a strong message to get across. He spoke about his career in the world of professional golf, and drew a connection between the skills you need to develop at a high competitive sporting level and those required of a successful A level student: drive and determination, the ability to take yourself out of your comfort zone, and an appetite for hard work.

There was then a twist to the tale that left many of his audience a little stunned (as one girl later told me, 'I had goosebumps') when he explained about the tragic accident that completely turned his world upside down and led to a prison sentence — an experience he described vividly, driving home to many of the students how fragile our lives really are, and illustrating the need to think and act carefully when driving.

John made his own life experiences very relevant to the students and I know they had a profound effect. Hopefully they will learn from his mistakes and remember his words well into the future.

For a fuller account of John's talk, follow this link to a writeup of the talk by Charlie Skegg, one of our Upper Sixth students.

— Report by Kate Palmer, Enrichment Coordinator