Maddie Hinch MBE tells WW Podcast that her potential was spotted before she’d even picked up a hockey stick
Maddie Hinch MBE tells WW Podcast that her potential was spotted before she’d even picked up a hockey stick
“I kept getting told I was too small and dynamic”
Hockey player Maddie Hinch, MBE, tells the Wellness That Works podcast by WW (WeightWatchers) that her career as Team GB’s goalie was the result of a PE teacher’s hunch.
The 32 year old who played a pivotal role in England’s gold medal triumph at the Rio 2016 Olympics, initially complained when she was put in goal at the age of 12.
“I was a good football player and when I started at this new school, the PE teacher said ‘It is hockey next term Maddie and I think you should be goalkeeper.’ I didn’t even know what hockey was and knew from football that goalies do a lot of standing around, but as the new kid I had no say. I was then handed this huge bag of kit that stank,” she says.
It took years for Maddie to be seen as a star player. “I struggled to get picked for teams,” she says. “I was an athlete and used to running around, so I had my own style of goalkeeping, coming off the line a lot and diving around. That hadn’t been seen before and naturally worried selectors and coaches. I kept getting told I was too ‘small’ or ‘dynamic’.”
She got spotted while standing in for another goalie and said: “I don’t think I would be the keeper I am or achieved what I have done if I hadn’t had quite such a tough start.”
Other highlights from the interview include:
• How the GB team have kept morale up during lockdown
• How it felt to win a gold for the first time
• Maddie confesses that she has enjoyed being a homebody during the pandemic
• The pandemic has encouraged Maddie to take a step back and make friends and family a top priority.
Click here for full transcript
You can listen to the episode in full and subscribe to WW’s new podcast, Wellness That Works on Apple Podcasts & Spotify
ENDS
About WW
WW - WeightWatchers - is a global wellness company and the world’s leading commercial weight management program. We inspire millions of people to adopt healthy habits for real life. Through our engaging digital experience and face-to-face group workshops, members follow our livable and sustainable program that encompasses healthy eating, physical activity, and a helpful mindset. With more than five decades of experience in building communities and our deep expertise in behavioral science, we aim to deliver wellness for all. To learn more about the WW approach to healthy living, please visit ww.com. For more information about our global business, visit our corporate website at corporate.ww.com.
About the Wellness That Works Podcast
Wellness that Works is a weekly podcast for anyone who wants to build healthy habits, whether that means eating better, moving more, shifting your mindset…or all of the above!
Listen in as friendly hosts - and WW weight-loss programme experts - Sam Rees and Lily Randall spark honest conversations with inspiring members and discuss all things health, weight loss and wellness.
You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts & Spotify