On Thursday 11th April our Year 11 pupils were treated to a visit by former 400m World Champion Daniel Caines. This visit formed part of the strategy to support our Class of 24 pupils as they near the summer exam series. With the build up underway to the first exam on the 2nd May, there is a buzz of focus on revision and dedication.
Daniel was bale to develop this with his insightful and inspiring life story. There are striking similarities between the journey of Dan and those our Year 11 are taking towards the summer and it was really appreciated by our pupils to get to understand, it doesn’t matter who you are – We can all be successful.
Initially Daniel was not a natural born winner in athletics, like most pupils not every subject would be a strength
After successive disappointments Daniel wasn’t interested in pursuing his dream further, perhaps in a mock or an assessment the grade achieved wasn’t what we had hoped for.
It was at this intersection that Daniel took it upon himself to make the difference. Listening to the wise words of support around him from his friends, family and teachers, he made the changes to his life required and focused. Put in the ‘time and effort’ and developed his technique with determination and precision.
By the tender age of 21 Daniel was a World Champion who had represented his country at the 2001 Olympics in Sydney, despite being ranked 81 out of 82 he made it through the heats to the final gaining 5th place at his first Olympics. Despite speed bumps along the way, the dedication to succeed is what eventually led to his success.
Perhaps the most important moment of the discussion for our pupils came as Daniel drove home the impact of a positive attitude. It would be easy to give in and say ‘never going to happen’ but success is something we could decide to achieve from within. Essentially it is up to our pupils how they see their future now. Whatever the current position, they can all improve and focus on ‘marginal gains’ as they see their way through to the exam season.
Overall the points Daniel made were extremely relevant and encouraging to our pupils, who universally applauded his appearance and message. A big thankyou to Daniel for coming, we can’t wait to have him back soon.
Don’t forget you can check the summer exam series timetable here: https://www.etonecollege.co.uk/exams/
