South African water polo star Hannah Calvert concluded her glittering student-career in perfect fashion, helping her side to gold in her final university tournament as she begins a new and exciting chapter as one of the country’s stand-out sportswomen.
Recruited into her school’s water polo team at age nine following a ballet lesson, she was immediately hooked. “The coach recruited many ballet dancers to water polo because he said they had strong legs and core,” Calvert said, her natural talent shining through as she progressed through the ranks. She began attending one of South Africa’s top water polo schools before receiving a sports scholarship to Stellenbosch University, where she worked towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities.
Having balanced her academic and sporting commitments successfully throughout her career, Calvert says getting into a routine helped her cope with all the demands brought about in her student-athlete career.
“I have been balancing sport, training, matches and studies all the way through school, so university was not very difficult for me,” she tells FISU.net. “The water polo training schedule at Stellenbosch University was planned around the students, so we did early morning swimming before lectures, gym conditioning at lunchtime and then technical training in the evenings. Matches were played on a Saturday and tournaments were over the weekend. Luckily, I managed to fit in all my lectures, studying and essay writing in between all of those.”
The standout star at Stellenbosch was named team captain in 2019, as well as Chairperson of the Maties Water Polo club, helping her side to University Sport South Africa (USSA) Water Polo Championship success in 2018 and 2019. She also received a well-deserved call-up to the South African senior national team for this past summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, fulfilling a childhood dream.
“When I was still at school, my dream was to attend the Olympic Games, but South Africa’s water polo team was not allowed to attend because the country’s Olympic committee did not want to send teams that would not win medals,” she explains. “When I found out that they would be sending a women’s team to the Olympic Games for the first time ever, I wanted to be part of that history. Dealing with COVID in 2020 was extremely tough because South Africa went into a total lockdown for five weeks and we did not have a pool at home, so I lost all my fitness. After lockdown I had to start all over again, but I worked hard and by the time the selection camp happened, I had managed to get all my fitness back.”
The months leading up to the Games in Japan were not easy for the talented athlete who nonetheless remain focused on achieving her Olympic dream.
“COVID had a huge impact on my preparations for the Olympic Games,” she starts. “In the lead up to the Olympic Games, from January until we left, I did not go out and stayed away from groups of people. I lived in a student house where I did online lectures and then just went to training and gym, then home. It was a very tough six months as I missed out on a social life, but in the end, it was worth it because I was fit and healthy before Team SA left for the Games.”
Despite South Africa’s failure to win a match in Japan, just being part of the Olympics was an unforgettable experience for the 24-year-old.
“Being in the presence of the best teams in the world was absolutely incredible and just being in the same pool as them was a dream come true,” she says. “The impact of seeing our men and women at the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony has inspired many players to keep playing after school. My biggest takeaway is that, even though we may be one of the weakest teams in international water polo, we are passionate about the sport, and it is a growing sport in South Africa.”
Upon her return from the Olympic Games, Calvert continued her final half-year of studies before her last hoorah in the pool for Stellenbosch University in
December’s USSA Water Polo Championships, where, in true fairytale fashion, she captained her team to victory in her last tournament as a student.
“The team had been preparing for USSA for about 4 months – we started during winter and we played in the Cape Town League as preparation. Winning the tournament was amazing, and, I must admit, it was a wonderful way to end my university career!”
Looking back on her life as a student, Calvert has several take-outs, as well as noteworthy advice for those looking to follow in her successful footsteps.
“Being a sportswoman and a student teaches you discipline,” she notes. “I had to plan my days carefully to make sure I could fit in academics and training. The discipline I have learned will help me when I start working and running a business. The best advice I can give anyone is to always keep your goal in mind when you get distracted. The biggest distraction for students is parties and socialising, so you will often have to walk away from those. In the end, the sacrifice is worth it.”
Calvert is now about to embark on a new adventure following the conclusion of her student career, looking to continue causing a splash in the pool while whetting her appetite in activities out of the water as well.
“In the short-term, my focus in on water polo,” she begins. “I would like to try and make the teams for the FINA Intercontinental World Cup in March and then World Champs in May. In terms of my career, I will be helping young entrepreneurs in local townships develop resilience and learn to overcome obstacles and disappointments, then I am going to work in a Summer Camp in the USA, travel around Europe and then work in a ski resort in Aspen, USA. Once I get back from my travels, I would like to continue working with entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds and use my experience from sport to advise and help them.”
