Kate Walsh was made captain of Britain’s hockey team in 2003.  She was born in 1980 in Withington, Manchester.

Kate’s initital sport of choice was swimming and practised regularly well in to her teenage years.  Her mother was a hockey player and Kate vowed to never play the sport as she hated standing on the sidelines shivering whilst watching her.  One day though she tried the sport and loved it.  Kate decided then to ditch swimming in favour of hockey as she it meant she could avoid the getting up so early for training.

Walsh made both her England and Great Britain debuts in 1999 and has since gone on to play at the full range of international tournaments – the 2000 and 2008 Olympics, two World Cups, three European Cups, two Champions Trophy, two Commonwealth Games and three Champions Challenge. As a defender she has twice won medals at international tournaments at her hometown of Manchester— silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and bronze at the 2007 EuroHockey Nations Championships.

In a recent interview about her captaincy and the prospects of the British team this year, Kate said:

“…the Olympic gold is the dream. When I watched it [the Olympics] when I was young I sat there thinking ‘I want a gold medal’. To stand on that podium and hear the national anthem. When I see people in that position you want it to be you and your team.”

It is clear that in Kate we have a great captain, someone who could inspire us all the way this summer.  I, along with the rest of Britain hope that Kate’s dream comes true.