Olivia Russell
The 18-year-old represented New Zealand at the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics Games this year in curling.
She said being an Olympian already was pretty special, coming from the small town of Ranfurly.
‘‘It’s unreal. It feels like a dream to this day.’’
She loved the social atmosphere at the games and meeting fans, other players and umpires from around the world.
‘‘Having kids say that they want to be like you when they’re older and you’re only 18 is an unreal feeling.’’
Being a top athlete in her sport, she did feel the pressure and expectations that came with it.
‘‘I feel like there is a constant target on my back to be the best I can be.’’
However, she was a problem solver and enjoyed the strategising aspect of curling.
‘‘You have to have an open mind and be a quick thinker and I like to say you need to leave your baggage at the door.’’
It was a good way to distract herself from general life.
She began curling when she was 9, when her step-grandfather took her to the curling rink in Naseby.
Curling was a way of getting to know her new step-family after she moved to Ranfurly from Mossburn.
‘‘Straight away I was hooked.’’
She did not know how far she would go with it, but nine years on she has played 19 international games for New Zealand and 14 of them have been at the Youth Winter Olympics.
Developing as a professional in the game came with its sacrifices, including learning to say no to friends when they wanted to hang out and she had to train.
She trained up to seven times a week and it had paid off, because this year she was selected as the junior women's skip for New Zealand.
Achievements
Selected for mixed fours and mixed doubles to go to Gangwon Korea for the Youth Olympics; 1st in the New Zealand junior mixed doubles (2023); New Zealand Junior women's U21 team, to compete at world junior B’s in Finland (2023); selected New Zealand development team (2023), that went to Norway for a 10-day training camp; skipped Maniototo Area School team to gold at South Island Secondary Schools tournament (2023); 2nd New Zealand mixed fours championships (2023); 3rd New Zealand Women’s curling championships (2023); Otago Academy of Sport 2024 Year 1 Talent Development Programme; school student council (2021-23); prefect (2022, 2023); school sportsperson of the year (2022, 2023).
Role model
Step-aunty, coach and former New Zealand women’s curler Bridget Becker.
Hopes for the future
To revive the sport of curling for the youth in Ranfurly.
Samantha Varcoe
It had been a dream since she was 10 to study medicine but after her mother Jane Morton’s cancer diagnosis she was committed to becoming an oncologist.
‘‘Seeing so many people support my family has made me want to be one of those people who can help tons of people and their families.’’
The 17-year-old found her mother’s death in August this year devastating but playing a team sport like hockey had offered her a lot of support.
Going to tournament week for hockey less than two weeks after that was a good distraction for her.
She was able to ‘‘get in to the zone’’ for 60 minutes and make her mother proud by being there, she said.
Samantha has filled a range of leadership roles at Maniototo Area School including coaching a year 7 and 8 hockey team, co-captaining her team and being a head student this year.
Her favourite part about it was having the younger students coming to her for advice and being a role model to them.
‘‘My approach is being kind and making people trust me.’’
She believed when people felt comfortable around her they were most likely to follow her as a leader so tried to be as supportive as she could be.
Next year she will be going to the University of Otago to study first year health science.
Achievements
Head student (2024); prefect (2023); board of trustees student representative (2024); hockey co-captain (2023-24); hockey coach (2022-24); NCEA level 2 endorsement with excellence (2023); level 2 chemistry endorsed with excellence (2023); level 2 biology, English, and maths endorsed with merit (2023); Peter Connolly Memorial Trophy - 1st Year 12 (2023); Clarke Cup - chemistry (2023); Otago Advanced Science Academy (2024); senior contribution to hockey trophy (2023); Maniototo hockey (2020-24); Maniototo netball (2023-2024); second in senior girls’ school athletics (2024).
Role model
Older sister Grace Toms.
Hopes for the future
Help as many people as I can.
