A University of Worcester student has spoken about coming agonisingly close to winning the Home Nations tournament, in her first time as a senior England hockey player.
Ellie Summers, 22, from Leicester, who is studying for a joint honours degree in Art & Design and Education at Worcester, played for the England Universities side that conceded a scrappy late goal to Scotland in a tense final match to narrowly miss out on the title, despite the fact that they had finished with an identical win/loss ratio to the champions.
“The Home Nations was crazy,” Ellie said. “One of the best experiences of my life. I’ve played at a high level with Leicester Ladies in the past, but this was another world. To play in front of such large crowds, and to have the media interest, it took things to a whole new level for me.”
Ellie, who can play at centre midfield, centre back and right back, said the support she has received at the University of Worcester, has made it possible for her to pursue her dream of representing England without compromising on her studies.
“The support from the university has been brilliant,” she said. “I’ve had access to strength and conditioning sessions, free massages, free injury clinics, it has all really helped me train hard and study properly too. A lot of girls have to ask the governing body for extra support, but I haven’t had to do that because Worcester has everything covered.”
And Ellie feels that far from competing with each other, her sport and her studies have actually complimented each other well. “If you’re up at 6am to train, you’re up, so to start studying at 8am isn’t really a big deal,” she said. “Hockey was a good outlet from my studies, and vice versa.”
Originally Ellie, who graduates this year,had intended to become a teacher, but now she is thinking of pursuing the other half of her degree and becoming a graphic designer, while continuing to play hockey. “I’d like to explore how far I can go,” she said. “I can’t say that it would be the full international squad, I don’t yet know if that’s a realistic goal for me, but if you don’t set those kinds of goals and try to reach them, then you’ll never know.”
Ellie has combined her studies and hockey with volunteering at New College Worcester, teaching art to visually impaired students.
“It has really changed how I think about graphic design, but also about hockey,” she said. “Looking at things from multiple perspectives, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, these are all really valuable skills that I have gained at New College. I will miss them very much when I graduate.”
