Rosie Hill is one to watch when it comes to athletics; a member of Jersey Spartan Athletic Club, she’s represented the island in many Interinsulars against Guernsey for both Netball and Athletics, as well as winning major international competitions like the Junior Island Games for Athletics.
Last year she came away from Sicily, where the Junior Island Games were held, with the only gold medal for Jersey, awarded for her win in the 400m hurdles. She hopes to retain her place on the podium in May when the Junior Island Games moves to Sardinia.
Age? 15
What exactly is it you do in athletics? Hurdles, mainly 400m hurdles but also sprint (85m) hurdles, and sometimes 200m or triple jump.
Schools attended Beaulieu Convent Primary and Secondary School.
Favourite ice cream flavour? Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough.
Favourite animal? Dog (wouldn’t want to upset my pet) but I’ve always wanted to see penguins!
Favourite food? Carrot cake.
Favourite running expression?
In my mind I’m Kenyan.
Pet hate? People not having any passions in life or having no drive.
Guilty pleasure? A bag of pork scratchings (Very, very guilty).
Where in the world would you like to be right now? Skiing in America.
When did you start athletics?
At 8 years old at Jersey Spartan Athletic Club.
How did you get interested in athletics? I always excelled at primary school sports day, and when I went along one day to Spartans I enjoyed it so much I stuck with it!
What’s the secret of being a successful athlete? Lots of training, determination and confidence in your ability.
How hard has it been to get this far? Quite hard. I’ve had a lot of disappointing performances at competitions on the way but you just have keep going, train harder and let it spur you on to do better rather than knock your confidence (especially with hurdles, it’s very much mind over matter).
Complete this sentence, ‘Not many people know that I…. have a first award for competition skiing.
Any accidents? Tell us about the worst…
I haven’t had any serious ones (touch wood) but I did once scrape the back of my leg all down the side of the hurdle when doing a drill, which managed to rip open my sock and leave a nasty bruise.
How do you prepare for a big competition? I try not to overthink it otherwise I start to feel very queasy! I eat lots of foods high in energy, get an early night, and do plenty of stretching beforehand.
Where’s the best place to compete in the world? The USA, if you happened to watch any of the Indoor World Championships which was on last month you’ll see they win as a nation hands down.
Tell us about your favourite athletics moment. Standing on the podium at the Junior Island Games recieving my gold medal, or having a chat with Linford Christie at a competition in England!
What’s your most recent competition – and how did you do? Well winter isn’t really the athletics season, but I went to my first Indoors competition where I competed in my age group – U17 – against the rest of the South of England over 200m, 60m hurdles and in long and triple jump. It didn’t go too well, but I guess I couldn’t expect much as indoors is very different to an outdoors track.
What’s your motto? Chin up!
How can people get into athletics in Jersey? You can join Jersey Spartan Athletic Club at any age (well, almost!). If you’re between 7 and 11 you can go along on a Sunday morning to have some fun, but if you’re older you can come on a Tuesday or Thursday evening, or both. You’ll be put into a group with people of similar ages, capabilities, and preferences over distance and discipline, so you won’t have anything to worry about! To get more information on the club visit www.jerseyspartan.com
