She gave up a degree to play hockey for Australia

This local girl gave up a science degree to play hockey for Australia.

From a country girl growing up in Armidale, to an undergraduate student  at Sydney University, Georgie Morgan never dreamed she’d be representing her country and hoping for selection into the 2016 Rio Olympics Hockeyroos team.

Hockeyroos

At 23, Georgie is an integral part of the Australian women’s hockey team, living and training at their team headquarters in Perth. Growing up as a tomboy and playing every sport under the sun (little athletics, swimming, netball and cricket), Georgie first got into hockey at the age of 7 because of her older sisters.

She picked up the game very quickly and from the age of 12 onwards, played at a state representative level. She still has vivid childhood hockey memories, “I would spend hours hitting hockey balls on my backyard tennis court and training before school at the local hockey pitch.”

However, it wasn’t until the Sydney 2000 Olympics that she attended with her family, that Georgie realized her true drive and passion to be successful in the sport.

Despite her love and dedication, journey to becoming a national sportswoman has had its obstacles.

In 2013, Georgie underwent hip surgery, impacting her form and fitness and meant she missed out on selections for the Junior World Cup team. “I was devastated and went through a phase where I struggled with motivation and was no longer enjoying hockey.”

However, with wonderfully supportive coaches and family networks, Georgie dedicated herself to getting back on track and at the end of 2014, made her debut for the Australian Hockeyroos.

Hockeyroos

Now living and training in Perth to represent her country, Georgie has had to put her studies of Exercise Physiology at Sydney University on hold to meet the high demands of being in the squad.

However, she doesn’t regret it one bit and feels incredibly privileged every time she gets to put on the Hockeyroos bodysuit. “It’s pretty hard to put into words how it feels to play for my country. I get butterflies in my tummy each time I line up before the games to sing the national anthem.”

With Rio Olympics just a couple of months away, Georgie is focused on making selections into the touring team. She says she is concentrating on the areas of her game that need improving and where she needs to be fitness-wise to become an indispensible member for the team. She added, “my goal is to be in the best physical condition of my career by the Rio games in August.”

We wish Georgie the best of luck with Olympic selections and hope we’ll get to see her dominating the field in her green and gold later this year.

Stephanie King

Stephanie is a qualified Exercise and Sport Scientist who lives and breathes all things health and fitness. An Eastern Suburbs local, Stephanie spends her weekends being active outdoors, sipping on an espresso and hunting down the best smashed avo toast in Bondi. She has travelled to 5 out of 7 continents, jumped off one skyscraper and out of one plane to date.

No Comments Yet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Verified by MonsterInsights