Last Friday we were extremely fortunate to have former England Netball Captain and Commonwealth medallist, Pamela Cookey, spend the day at Tormead. Pamela spent the day leading practical sessions for pupils from Years 5 to 10, all focusing on a specific aspect relevant to them. The pupils worked so hard during these sessions and Pamela was complimentary of the pupils’ attitude and skills on display. She also led a shooting session for the P.E. teachers and netball coaches which turned out to be fiercely competitive!

As a celebration of International Women’s Day, over lunch time Pamela gave a talk about how she got to where she is today, and the importance of balancing education alongside sport. This was an insightful and inspiring talk giving everyone the belief to achieve. Overall, it was an exciting and uplifting day, and perhaps might even inspire a Tormead England Netball star of the future!

Amelia Edwards, Head of Netball

Last Friday, Pamela Cookey, a former England netball captain, came to Tormead to talk about her journey in netball, and host an hour long netball session for the A, B and C teams in each year group. Her talk was very inspirational, and she spoke about how her parents and coach were very supportive and helpful during her netball journey. Her speech included the main characteristics you would need to become a professional netballer. Pamela also talked about the previous netball teams she played for, including her university team, counties, and school and club netball. When it came to the netball session, she taught us a couple of defending tips, such as not jumping as much when trying to intercept a ball because your marker might be able to react and run around you. Pamela also taught us what technique she used to use when she was shooting; she would write ‘smile’ on her hand, so that when she took her shot, she would smile and her body would loosen up, in order for her flick to be more exaggerated. Soon, Pamela will be travelling abroad to commentate on the handball Olympics. Overall, Pamela Cookey’s visit to Tormead was very successful, and I’m sure we all learnt a lot out of it! – Lilia, Year 7