Commonwealth buzz for hockey goalie
Maidenhead: Furze Platt PE teacher represented Scotland
A Furze Platt Senior School teacher who represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games has spoken of her ‘amazing’ experience and support from friends, family, pupils and colleagues.
Nicki Cochrane, a PE teacher at the secondary school in Furze Platt Road, represented her country at the recent games in Birmingham, where she played goalkeeper for the women’s hockey team.
After two wins over Kenya and South Africa and two defeats against eventual silver medallists Australia and New Zealand, the Scots finished sixth after a 3-1 defeat in a closely fought contest with Canada.
Ms Cochrane, who’s represented the 17th-seeded national
team since 2012, told the Advertiser that it had been ‘amazing’ to represent Scotland at the games.
“For Scotland, this is one of the only times you can come to a big multi-sport event, and it’s amazing being part of Team Scotland,” she said.
“It’s been incredible; for over half our team, this is their first [Commonwealth] Games, so a few of our girls didn’t know what to expect, but you could just see how buzzing they were when they got here to see what the athlete’s village is like – it’s really special to be a part of.”
The 28-year-old got into hockey after being introduced to the sport by her thengeography teacher whilst living in France.
Although the Games took place during the school holidays, preparation for the athletes takes place in the last few weeks of the school year, requiring a ‘difficult’ balance between work and sport for Nicki.
“The school has been amazing,” she told the Advertiser.
“Last summer, [Furze Platt] were amazing giving me some time off work to represent Scotland at the Women’s EuroHockey Championship.
“You just have to fit in your training before or after work; I play club hockey as well, which helps me a lot with
training. It is a bit of a juggling act, but it’s all good fun.”
On her support from colleagues, Nicki said: “I’ve had loads of messages from loads of the teachers, all of the PE department have been watching the games, messaging me afterwards and asking how it’s going.
“The support has been unreal – they’re like my number one supporters, which is great.”
With the Games now concluded, Nicki has a few days off before she makes the short trip to Dunkirk with her teammates for the 2023 Women’s EuroHockey Championship Qualifiers where they will face hosts France, Austria and Switzerland.
She said: “I’ll definitely be using those days to switch off and take some time off hockey, and then it’s back into it.”