We were delighted that Crista Cullen took time out from her busy schedule to visit the Cooper Crescent site. She talked of her journey from playing schools hockey through to winning an Olympic gold medal in Rio. Perhaps the most striking part of her story was the fact that at fifteen years of age she was told that she would never play for England or G.B. Crista was deemed to be very athletic but with minimal technical ability on the hockey pitch. There were two options, give up hockey to concentrate on athletics or prove her coach wrong. She chose the latter. To this day Crista accepts that she was never the most talented player in the squad but her dedication, determination and work ethic ensured that the girl who was never supposed to represent her country is in possession of a gold medal for hockey and Olympic champion. Crista was also awarded the MBE for services to hockey.
