What 18 months ago seemed a dream is now a reality for Calrossy Alumni Alice Arnott (Class of 2015), who has been selected to represent Australia as part of the  Hockeyroos Team for the 2024 Olympic Games! Alice was presented her ticket to Paris at a special Hockey team announcement on Monday, July 1.

Alice’s journey to this incredible achievement is nothing short of inspiring. Her hockey talent was always evident and often on display representing Calrossy at the Hunter Region Independent School (HRIS) and Combined Independent School (CIS) levels along with various Tamworth Representative teams.

After graduating from Calrossy, she moved to Sydney earning a Hockey Scholarship with the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) and joining the Australian Futures Squad (Under 18’s). Alice studied full-time at the University of Sydney, where she completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Master of Public Health, all while balancing and maintaining her rigorous hockey training schedule.

In 2016, Alice faced a significant setback when she tore her ACL, putting her out of the game for 14 months. But in true Calrossy spirit, she bounced back stronger than ever. By 2017, she was selected for the National Junior Squad (Jillaroos), where she competed until 2019. Her talent shone through, earning her a place on the NSW Open Women’s Team (NSW Pride) from 2019 onwards, leading to a premiership win in 2022.

Alice joined the National Hockey Development Squad from 2020 to 2023. She even took her skills overseas, playing the 2022/23 season with Dutch club Klein Zwitzerland.

After missing a spot on the 2023 National Squad, Alice admitted that at that stage she thought "that door" had closed for her.

I thought that (Hockeyroos) was kind of done and then I got called up for the series against India, which was obviously very exciting" the striker said.

"And that kind of changed everything for me"  Her Olympic dream seemed within reach.

Alice made an unforgettable debut for the Hockeyroos against India in Adelaide, scoring in her first match and playing a total of three matches. Following this, she moved to Perth to train with the Australian National squad.

Earlier this year, Alice played seven games for the Hockeyroos in India, earning two Player of the Match awards and scoring a goal in front of 15,000 fans in the world’s largest hockey stadium. Her hard work has paid off when she was officially named in the 22-woman Hockeyroos squad for the Paris Olympics on Monday.

Alices' former PDHPE Teacher Wendy Wheeler said "We are so proud of Alice’s achievements. Her journey from Calrossy to the Olympics is a shining example of perseverance, hard work, and determination – qualities we strive to instill in all our Calrossy students".

Congratulations Alice! The entire Calrossy community will be cheering for you as you take on the world at the Olympics next month!

Main photo courtesy of David Mariuz, Instagram

Pictured below - Alice Arnott (far right) as part of the 2015 Calrossy HRIS Team