In 2008, Laura Bartlett (class of 2006) officially became an Olympian at just 19 years of age. Then in 2012, Laura and her GB teammates secured 3rd-place in the women’s hockey event, in-turn bringing home those coveted Olympic medals. 2022 marks the tenth-anniversary of Laura’s Olympic success and with this in mind, we caught up with the former pupil to talk all things hockey, and life after sporting retirement.
Laura let’s go right back to the beginning. What do you remember of your first days at The Glasgow Academy?
I remember my first day at The Academy like it was yesterday. My twin sister was in the same class and Mrs Thomson was our teacher. We were tasked with drawing a picture of something which made us happy. I drew my first family home which I had amazing memories of.
Every morning my Mum would lay out my uniform in her bedroom and over the radiator. I loved feeling that cosy warmth when putting my shirt and pinafore on. My mum would buy the blazer to last us a few years so I do remember the blazer fairly drowning me on my first day.
Was there any one teacher who had a particularly positive impact on your time at the school? If so, what made them special?
At The Academy sport was obviously a major part of my experience. Mrs Crawford and Miss Bannerman were an early driving force towards my hockey career. I always loved having my sports lessons with them and they certainly knew how to get the most out of my abilities. They allowed us all to have fun and enjoy our sports classes, but knew when to draw the line and really push us to get the most out of sporting opportunities. At times, I did push my luck with them and I’m sure they will admit I was a little too cheeky, but they definitely enjoyed the banter as much as we did. I thank them both so much for their support.
What do you miss most about school life?
People say University is the best time of their lives, but I’d have to disagree, school was by far the most amazing years of my life. Everything at The Glasgow Academy I look back on with such happy and fond memories. From the fantastic friends I made, the teachers and just the all-round opportunities which we were so exposed to.
The biggest thing I miss is the Saturday morning hockey games against our competing schools – especially High School (laughs). I used to love the challenge of playing all of the different schools across Scotland and having that sheer determination to win and be the best. We had a fantastic group of players in my year and I felt we really helped put The Academy on the map when it came to hockey.
When you first started playing at school, did you ever imagine that you would one day play in the Olympics?
No, I never imagined that I would play in the Olympics. My school hockey life really gave me the drive and determination to succeed and achieve more, but the most important thing was enjoyment. I loved playing and always wanted to be on the field.
Through the school I was put forward for district tournaments, followed by the Scotland junior teams, GB youth teams and then the Scotland senior and GB senior teams. It was a very natural progression through the various stages and as I got exposure to more of the senior levels it made me ever more determined to succeed and compete at the highest level.
Beijing 2008 was your first Olympics, what did you take away from that tournament?
For Beijing I was selected as a travelling reserve, but initially it was quite bittersweet. Travelling reserve meant we travelled to Beijing, but would only get play if someone pulled out of the tournament through injury. Three games in this is exactly what happened. I was excited to play of course, but was sorry to see one of my teammates injured. I played the remaining games of those Olympics and I was extremely proud to be able to call myself an Olympian at just 19 years-old.
Being in the Olympic village was completely surreal and an experience I’ll never forget. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Mo Farah, Usain Bolt, these were just some of the names I would see every day in the lunch hall or relaxing in the breakout areas. It was amazing to be in a village with so many phenomenal athletes from around the world, all sharing that common goal of winning an Olympic medal.
What does a day in the life look like for an Olympic hockey player during the actual tournament?
During the tournament we had a game every other day. So on the days we did not have a game we would train on the pitch for a few hours. Generally low intensity but with plenty of set piece practise. I would sometimes book in for a sports massage as well for that extra preparedness. We would also do a lot of video work where we would analyse previous games and look back at what we did well and what we could improve upon. We would also analyse the team we were playing the next day and do a full team analysis, as well as our own individual analysis on specific players we would be going up against. There’s also plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy some downtime. It was great just to walk around the Olympic village, meeting other athletes and enjoying the amazing food of course!
This year is the tenth anniversary of your Olympic medal in London. Does it feel like a decade ago?
No, I can’t quite believe it’s been 10 years since I won my medal in London. It really does feel like yesterday. The team are currently planning a reunion for the summer so it will be great to get everyone together again.
How did London compare to Beijing? What made the difference this time around?
So Beijing and London were very different. Beijing was an amazing experience being my first Olympics, the excitement of the opening ceremony, the Olympic village, the scale of the tournament and the ‘celebrity’ athletes mentioned before that you would see on a daily basis. I had also never been to China, so it was fantastic to experience a new country too. I was very young in Beijing and the experience was very daunting and overwhelming at times.
London on the other hand was a completely different experience. I was an established player in the team by this point and I had a little bit of insight into what to expect. The biggest thing I can take away from London was the crowds. Every single game was played to a sold-out crowd, I had never experienced such an incredible atmosphere. The crowd was so loud I remember not being able to hear myself think at times. Having that support for the team though was really incredible and really drove us forward and made us even more determined to succeed.
We had high expectations in London and we really were going all out to win that gold medal, however tournament hockey is so unpredictable and not every game will go as expected. We had to really pick ourselves up for the bronze medal game after a semi-final defeat to Argentina. We had a day to re-group and realise how far we’d come and we put all that grit and determination into finishing the job and winning the bronze medal.
Was there any one moment that you’ll never forget from that tournament?
I scored a goal against Belgium in our group stages and that’s definitely something I will never forget. I had plenty of assists but I didn’t score goals very often (laughs) so this is definitely a fond memory. Having my whole family witness that moment was also incredibly special.
How did it feel to finally get your hands on that Olympic medal?
It was a very emotional experience. It made it feel like all the hard work and dedication which I had given to the sport was totally worthwhile and I felt a real sense of contentment with that. I had achieved a dream of mine which I never thought was possible. We overcame so many hurdles at that tournament, there were so many things that could have derailed us but we stuck together and didn’t let it happen.
I remember feeling shocked at how heavy the medal was when it was put around my neck. The evening of the medal ceremony I remember sleeping with it under my pillow. I didn’t want to let it out of my sight.
Was it a difficult decision to retire from the sport? How did you know it was the right time? Was there any temptation to keep going?
After London I knew that I wanted to take some time away from the sport and experience normal working life. I had set up an internship at Henderson Global Investors for a year. The plan was then to go back into the squad and start training for the Rio olympics.
I really enjoyed the internship at Henderson and was found myself placed within their HR function. I loved the challenges that came with the role. During that year, I did weigh things up a lot. I felt like I had achieved so much in hockey; Europeans, World Cup qualifiers, Junior Olympics, Beijing and London. My head was ready for new experiences and ultimately a new challenge. Being a full-time athlete comes with a lot of sacrifices and I decided it was the right time to walk away.
At 24 years old I knew it was a very young age to retire and I could’ve played on for at least two more Olympics, but my mind was made up and I was excited for the challenges of corporate life.
Do you miss hockey?
I get asked this question a lot and people are always surprised by my answer. I don’t miss it. But don’t get me wrong, I look back with such fond memories and I loved the experience of being a full-time athlete. I was the sort of player who put a lot of pressure on myself to always perform at the top of my game, I over-evaluated everything and that pressure at times was a lot to take. Those pressures in particular, I don’t miss.
How has life changed since hockey retirement?
My life has changed dramatically, my husband and I welcomed our daughter in January 2020. She certainly keeps us busy and provides a lot of joy in our lives. I now work full-time as the Head of HR in a Fintech firm. I love the challenge of balancing motherhood and a career and just generally feeling busy.
Do you still keep in touch with your former teammates?
I keep in touch with some of them, in particular my roommate and best friend Sarah Thomas, she took me under her wing in the Beijing cycle and we have been the best of friends ever since. I have so many fond memories of us travelling the world together for tournaments and laughing our way through the days. She’s also welcomed a child of her own recently. So yeah, we’re very close and love reminiscing about our Olympic days together.
Are you proud of your achievements in the game?
I’m extremely proud of what I achieved. But I couldn’t have done it without the support of the people around me. My parents who were always so supportive, from taking me to various clubs, all of the drop-offs and pick-ups and following me around the world to different tournaments. Miss Bannerman and Mrs Crawford who always pushed me to be the best that I could be, and of course all of the various Scotland and GB coaches. Without all of them I could never achieved the success that I did.
Final Question… hockey is of course still a focal point at The Academy, what advice would you give to the school’s current players?
Believe in your ability, enjoy playing with your teammates and really build a bond with them. Have a winning mentality when going into games and most importantly, enjoy it! If you enjoy what you do, the rest will come naturally.