Lessons we can all draw from the London Olympics
Headmaster of Warminster School, Martin Priestley, wants his staff and pupils to take on board lessons from the Olympics, such as how hard work and resilience are necessary alongside talent.
Olympics. Not only have we witnessed a golden performance for Team GB, but – despite a few problems with empty seats – the organisation of the Games appears to have been overwhelmingly successful. The media, initially sceptical, fault-finding and nit-picking in the run-up to the Games, seems to have caught the bug and for once this has reflected the overriding sentiment, which has been one of support and of pride. The turning point here was obvious: Danny Boyle’s multi-layered,
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witty and sparklingly creative opening ceremony has rightly been hailed as a triumph; its self-deprecation and humour (aided by Her Majesty’s contribution) provided a wonderful counterbalance to the focus on Britain’s heritage and its historical, cultural and sporting legacy. As the Games have unfolded, new heroes have emerged and established stars been reaffirmed. So far, even the weather has co-operated and while parts of the South West were experiencing yet more serious flooding, the Centre Court roof was still largely surplus to requirements at Wimbledon. As an example to our young people, the Olympics have thrown up
so many wonderful values. As a school we have embraced the Games to reflect upon vital lessons and themes, on some of which I have written in earlier articles. Many of our students saw the Olympic torch as it passed close to Warminster. Several of my colleagues volunteered in the staffing of the Games and one acted as a medal bearer. In June our Speech Day guest of honour was Ben Hunt-Davis, who won Olympic Gold in Sydney in 2000 as part of the men’s coxed eight. He spoke inspiringly about resilience as a key attribute in his success: a success built in his case not on a series of unbroken glittering triumphs but rather on learning vital lessons from painful setbacks in the run-up to Sydney. To the amazement and delight of our students, at one point he pulled
his gold medal from his back pocket and handed it to the students to pass around. His excellent book,Will It Make The Boat Go Faster, has been part of my summer reading: it provides invaluable lessons and advice for
Above: The winners of the Interhouse Cup on sports day Below: Pupils watch the Olympic torch pass through Wiltshire
anyone interested in success, and I recommend it to you. He now works for Team GB and I saw him fleetingly on the BBC’s coverage from Eton Dorney. He must have been thrilled by the rowing team’s achievements. Nor, when school resumes a few weeks from now, will we forget
the lessons of our Olympic experience. For our staff training day, we will welcome two-time Olympian Matthew Syed, author of Bounce, a must-read for anyone interested in the science of success, and the mindset and culture that support it. A three-time Commonwealth table tennis champion, Matthew has since become a decorated and respected journalist and broadcaster. His book reflects themes close to my heart: the importance of hard work in developing ability and the dangers in believing the myths of ‘genius’ and ‘talent’. We need to help our young to develop a ‘growth mindset’: one which
sees ability as malleable via investment in effort and training, rather than fixed and determined by genes and IQ. For all the gifts of Usain Bolt, if the Olympics tell us one thing, it is that talent is not enough. I have never met him, but I am sure that Ben Ainslie would agree with me that success is built on dedication, sacrifice and resilience. I am sure that Andy Murray, previously the perennial ‘nearly man’ in the grand slams of tennis, would agree that failures should not be ignored or conveniently forgotten, but embraced as opportunities for learning. As headmaster, I am determined that Warminster School must be a
community which embraces these vital truths. We try hard to be a ‘growth mindset’ school and the Olympics, and Matthew Syed’s contribution to our training day in September, will provide a vital spur to our efforts as we resume our challenging but rewarding endeavours after this most glorious of summers.
• Warminster School, Church Street, Warminster, BA12 8PJ, tel: 01985 210100. Visit
www.warminsterschool.org.uk.
6 WILTSHIRE LIFE Schools Supplement October 2012
YEAR is a long time, isn’t it? Lest we forget, the summer holidays of 2011 were dominated by the London riots. As I write this, just two days after the heady experience of ‘Golden Saturday’, the nation basks in the glory of the London
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