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  • Stories
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    • Waves of Pain
      • No Respect!
      • Death Wish at Fairy Bower
      • Fried nuts
      • The ocean is a trickster… especially Hawaii’s North Shore – Gas chambers bites the unwary!
      • Titus Kinimaka’s nightmare Christmas
      • Dix dumped – the trials of a self-confessed elite body surfer
      • The little surf that nearly ruined a promising career…
      • Rabbit killer – a master takes a caning at pipeline!
      • Death Wish at Fairy Bower
      • Easternmost memory – surfing in the wild at the end of the continent
      • Nothing ruins a good surf like a couple of blokes with automatic assault rifles…
      • Agony for Miki Dora
      • Smashed at Gas Chambers
      • Who was Europe’s first surfing woman? Introducing the wonderful Witch of Newbury.
      • A bad day at Palmy – surfies and clubbies at war!
      • When being a proven waterman is not enough!
      • The highs and lows of surfing Sunset Beach while competing at the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational
      • An American midnight surf – that goes very wrong!
  • What does it mean?
    • What is a snake?
    • What does “shag” mean?
    • What does “Freddy Jones” mean?
    • What does “hook and ladder” mean?
    • What does back walk-over mean?
  • Philosophers Sport Bar
    • Socrates and Aristotle debate football defence
    • Michel de Montaigne on coaching sports
    • Ancient philosophers discuss what makes the beautiful game beautiful! Laozi and Socrates get technical.

The things that made me… Clare Polkinghorne

February 9, 2017 By TIMOTHY EDWARDS Leave a Comment Filed Under: The things that made me

The statistics, awards, selections, accolades, medals and achievements speak for themselves. Clare Polkinghorne, a tenacious, tough and effective defender for both Australia (Matildas) and Brisbane Roar (W-League), has played 26 internationals and over one-hundred W-League games. She is Captain of both the national team and her club team the Roar (where she has been club Captain since the team’s inception).

captain
This is what a captain does!

Clare Polkinghorne has led Brisbane to two Championships and two Premierships and led the team in no less than five Grand Finals. She has been a permanent selection in the Australian Matildas side since 2007 and was part of Australia’s Asian Cup winning team of 2010. Despite her achievements and role as Australian Captain, Polkinghorne is known for her humility and lack of fuss. Her commitment to hard-work and life-long learning set an example to her team-mates for both Brisbane and Australia.

Here Clare Polkinghorne fills us in on some of the most important things in her life… some of the things that make her what she is.

My parents

My parents have always been my biggest supporters. They have influenced me but also let me learn things on my own. They have been two living examples of what it means to be an honest, hard-working, caring and thoughtful human being.

a mum to learn from
A mum to share my love for coffee with… and to learn from.

 

The Olympics

My first experience of the Olympics was watching the 2000 Sydney Olympics on TV as an 11-year-old. From that moment, I had dreamt of becoming an Olympian and reaching the pinnacle of a given sport. This ignited my passion for sport and for the pursuit of excellence

happy
Yup. I think that means we are going to the Olympics!

 

Coffee

I love how versatile coffee is. Having coffee with mates as a social outing. Having coffee while being immersed in a book. Having coffee as a pick me up during the day. I love trying new cafes but also love my local spots.

clare at coffee
A morning brew at a favourite place.

 

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

This book is the best book I have read. It is a powerful, emotive and confronting book that uncovers just how much humans are capable of enduring. It’s probably the first book to really have a lasting impact on me.

Hanya-Yanagihara_A-Little-Life
Clare is not the first to highlight this book as a major influence!

 

Football

Ever since I was 5 years old, football has opened so many doors for me and has provided opportunities that otherwise would not have presented themselves. I have been lucky to experience some incredible things through football.

roar17
The current Brisbane Roar crew.

 

Roger Federer

He epitomises what it means to be an athlete, a real professional in his sport. He is able to appear calm at the most critical times and he is in control of his mind and body. I have always admired the way he plays tennis, but also how he conducts himself as an athlete.

roger-federer-dubai
Roger Federer… its not hard to see the impact that this bloke has had on Clare Polkinghorne both as a player and a Captain.

 

Mums Roast

In addition to being delicious, mums roast usually means the whole family is together. Whether it be a celebration, or someone returning home, a roast signifies a special occasion and it signifies the family coming together and enjoying each other’s company.

 

Learning

The more I learn, the more I realise I little I know. This has been important for me as it has shown me that there is always room for growth as an individual. It is important to never stop learning.

hard work and life long learning
Hard work and learning never stop!

 

 

asian cup victory
We are going to win the Asian Cup!

 

TIMOTHY EDWARDS

Tim Edwards has had a completely rubbish sporting career so it is odd that he seems so obsessed with sport and adventuring. As a basketball shooting guard he had an okay jump shot but couldn't do anything else. As a rugby hooker he spent more time puking then actually playing. As a runner he won an awful lot of consolation prize chocolates for coming fourth but almost never won a ribbon. Despite his inadequacies he still loves sport and has opinions on almost any sporting subject. Tim has spent large parts of his working life in publishing and writing roles and has even done his share of teaching sport management to Uni students. He has coached more sports teams than he cares to remember. Tim is an awful surfer and skier but his lack of competence does not bother him one little bit!

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Tagged With: Clare Polkinghorne, defender, football, Matildas, Roar, soccer

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