OH4612/13 COPYRIGHT: State Library of Western Australia / Centre for Stories

STATE LIBRARY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Transcript of an interview with

Rachael Lynch

STATE LIBRARY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA - ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION DATE OF INTERVIEW: 11th July 2020 INTERVIEWER: Kristen Marano TRANSCRIBER: DURATION: 49 min., 45 sec. REFERENCE NUMBER: OH4612/13 COPYRIGHT: State Library of Western Australia / Centre for Stories

NOTE TO READER

Readers of this oral history memoir should bear in mind that it is a verbatim transcript of the spoken word and reflects the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The State Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, or for the views expressed therein.

Disclaimer - E&OE (Errors and Omissions Excepted) in the transcribing.

Bold type face indicates a difference between transcript and audio, as a result of corrections made to the transcript only, usually at the request of the person interviewed.

FULL CAPITALS in the text indicate a word or words emphasised by the person interviewed.

Kristen Marano There was going to be some big achievements. Your 200th game. You'd also been named international goalkeeper of the year. So, some really big achievements in your 14-15 year career. And then that was right about the time that COVID had broke out here. It was breaking out around the world. So, can you tell me a bit about if you go back in that time, what that was like for you? Because those are two very different realities.

Racheal Lynch Yeah. I mean, I've reflected on a lot because this, this whole period, so I guess being altered a little bit for me, because I'm now thinking forward a little bit and what the future is gonna hold for me. And, um, when I look back on the last couple of games that I played, we played here in Perth actually. And firstly, I shared the game. So, as a goalie, um, you know, obviously you want to be the dead leg one on the pitch. I got to the point this year where I won the award international goalie for a year. Um, and then I'll still sharing game time. So that was pretty frustrating, I think, you know, 14 years. And I've worked pretty hard to, I guess, secure my spot and help the team have success. And to then, um, you know, be leading into an Olympics, individual titles are pretty rare in our sport, but I guess being recognized as the best in the world at something, um, you know, is reasonably significant.

I was still struggling to get a full game for Australia. So, going through some emotions there, I had, um, uh, knowing that the games were in Perth and they were the last ones we were going to have here for a little while. I decided to fly my mum and my Nana over to watch, um, my Nan she's, well they are both big supporters of mine. They live over in Melbourne and, um, yeah, my Nan's finding it harder and harder to travel. She's got emphysema, so can't really be on planes too much. So that was, that was pretty special to get them over here. They stayed with me and I got to watch the games and absolutely loved it. Um, and yeah, so that was really cool. And I also had a coach that's coached me for many years. She's, you know, the reason I'm here, she was a goalie coach.

She came to watch she'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer. So, we went on a bit of a, um, a travel spray, I suppose. She got told she had three months to live and has managed to last over a year and has since passed away, but catching up with her over here, knowing that she got to watch me play, you know, she watched my 200th game. She was part of, um, the presentation when I got my award. So that was all very special to share that. And um, yeah, and I guess leading into the Olympics who was feeling pretty anxious around a few different things to do with that, but that's sort of natural for an Olympic year, I think. And then, you know, in COVID popped up, it was sort of like, well, as a nurse I've I felt pretty obligated to do the right thing and also help out. So that's why I was pretty keen to get into the hospital, but it felt pretty conflicted because we were continuing to train when I felt like we shouldn't have been and eventually the Olympics got postponed.

Kristen Marano Sounds like a big roller coaster of emotions. How did you navigate that time if you're willing to share with us?

Rachael Lynch Looking back now, it was, there's definitely lots going on. It was funny there. So when I got this award and it was announced at training and then we had the games in Perth and there was lots of family here and, uh, lot of Australian people were here. My parents, my mum and my Nan and my best friend actually organized a birthday drinks. So it was on the Sunday afternoon after our games. And I was just pretty, I think over everything frustrated about only playing the half game we lost as well. The last game we played against Argentina, the pro league was supposed to go to Europe that got cancelled that weekend. So, lots of things were happening and I had my friend's drinks and um, that day I had a nap cause I was just super grumpy. Mum and dad were at my house and um, I woke up and got ready and I have this sort of ongoing battle with my mum about wearing my hair out or down. You know, I’m sporty so I just wear it up.

Anyway, so I woke up and it was actually my Nan, who was like, 'Oh, I wish you'd wear your hair out for this dress,' because they were coming too, they were invited. I was like, 'You're making me not want to go, don't do this.' And I was just in this worst mood. Right? Finally vibrating, my friend offered to pick us up and I was like, no, it's fine. Like I'll drive and nothing to drink all of this and just was filthy mood. Anyway, she ended up picking us up. We got down there and turns out it wasn't for drinks. It was a huge surprise party for my award. I walked in and my whole team's there, all of the staff, like family, because they'd been over for the game. So they all stayed on, you know, some of my friends parents, obviously, um, mum and Nan were with me and I walk in and it's not so, and I'll just like 10 minutes ago, I was so angry.

Like I didn't even want to come. And I said to my friend, I'm like, you're lucky. You're a good friend because you're the only reason I'm here. Had it been anyone else's drinks, I wouldn't have gone. Um, but it was just this, this weekend of, you know, so many emotions that I think it was obviously the start of COVID, but not to the extent of what we're going through now, you know, no one was sort of feeling that back then because it wasn't real, um, but I think the pressure of everything happening with hockey and, um, that was, that had built up so much that part of the COVID stuff coming in was almost like a relief for me. And it did stop. It was like, I felt like I could breathe again because all this pressure and everything that was happening, you know, I was nervous about my position in the team because I got this award, but we still couldn't get around, and all of this was happening. So it was like when, yeah, when we got totally in the mix was being postponed and I was just like, almost felt like, yeah, relieved. That was sort of the main emotion. I can remember

You know, like physically I can do all of this and it's fine. It was just sort of like, yeah, I dunno. It's just finally in my head, like I could just stop thinking about all that stuff cause I'm a bit of an over thinker anyway. And um, yeah, no, it was just a sort of a weird thing that all of a sudden that yeah. Relief is the only way I can describe it.

Kristen Marano Well I think what you're describing reminds me of sort of the power of helping other people. Sometimes in these moments where all the focus is on us and there's a lot of internal reflection, when we're able to step out and do important work, like being a nurse on the front lines and a pandemic. Just stepping into a volunteer role, whatever it might be. I think that, yeah, that helps us get out of our heads.

Rachael Lynch Well it's perspective, I think. And that's always been really, really important to me. That's why I've worked my whole career because I know that I need that. And I think as a nurse, you just, it's incredible perspective. Cause its real life, it tells you that what you're doing is actually not really that big, it's bigger things happening. And maybe I'd lost sight of that a little bit, getting too focused on the Olympics and our preparation, which I never want to do. I've done that two years prior, two Olympic years. And both times I missed out because I just, all I thought about was hockey. We weren't allowed to work and I hated it. And so that's why I plan to work this year, but I think I've gotten a bit caught up in it all. And um, yeah. So, to be able to switch back into that sort of health mode and how can we look out for people and, um, step in and do something good. That's sort of where I'm where I needed to.

Kristen Marano Can you take us to what those first few weeks were like at Fiona Stanley?

Rachael Lynch Yeah, it was, I think initially the only real changes for my ward specifically, or my part of the hospital worked in rehab. So, we certainly didn't have COVID patients coming through. Um, so the flow on was the hospital had a few wards closed. Our ICU is obviously getting prepped, bit like every ICU around Australia, um, they closed to the wards to make space in case they needed to, you know, utilize that. For us it was mostly the visitors. So, rehab they're with us for months, sometimes up to a year. So, having to navigate, um, I think at the time it was, you could only have two visitors and really strict hours. It was like two, one hour blocks across the day. And that was really hard. Like we had a couple of times where we had to call security in because people wouldn't leave.

And again, I think it's been a theme across, um, COVID is that sometimes we can be a little bit selfish and people just do what they think is most important for them rather than what's important for others. So, they were saying, ‘Well, I've travelled. I need to see my family and spend time with them or whatever.’ And it's like, well, you coming in here's putting them at risk. It's putting us at risk. It's putting all the other patients at risk, but we're just so narrow-minded in. Well, no, I deserve to spend time with my family. Um, so going through that was, was a bit of a challenge, but I think when we went into full lockdown, chatting with friends and, you know, I had a ball on online on the video sort of chats and House Party and all of that with some of the girls, absolutely loved it, but a lot of them were really struggling.

And I think for me having that outlet of I'm still around other people, cause I was going to work. Um, I implemented, I started riding to work, so that was how I could squeeze my exercising. So, whenever I had a shift, I'd ride there ride back. So, I was training on the same day, which I really enjoyed. The weather was good. It was loving it actually being in the hospital, you know, there's lots of media around it too. Like everyone jumped on board. Um, not just me, there's plenty of others, but the fact that I was an athlete training for the Olympics to the front line, and um, this perception that, you know, everyone works in emergency or works in ICU and from online to you're fighting COVID I wasn't obviously, but, um, I was more than happy to jump in and help. I applied for both COVID clinics, one at my hospital, one around the corner from here. And funnily enough, though, we were all sorted, it was everyone just jumped in and wanted to help him, basically all the nurses around WA would just try and step up and do their bit. So, I think initially it was, everyone just felt like they're in, um, preparation mode. Like how can we prepare WA for what's about to happen.

Kristen Marano Can you take me back to some of those conversations you had to have with visitors saying family of a patient? You said they were feeling like, ‘I really want to see my loved one.’ That would be very difficult if you couldn't see a loved one that reminds me a lot of, sort of the mental health work and the advocating that you do. So what were those conversations like?

Rachael Lynch Yeah, I think initially the hard bit was we were preparing for something that hadn't really happened. Like, it hadn’t hit us yet and people like to have evidence. They like to see proof of why things are happening, why they're changing. And at the time we didn't really have any, it was just more, this is what we need to do. So I think a lot of it was conversations with more around education. It was talking to the family about why we're doing this, like what the potential risks are, um, you know, and you need to make it relatable. So, if I say to a family member you're putting me at risk or that might not connect with them, but if you say to them, you're putting your loved one at risk because you've probably stopped at the cafe on the way here. Potentially been to the supermarket.

We provide an environment for them that is, you know, essentially a bit of a bubble we are all healthcare workers and we all lived our lives, but at least we know how to practice hand hygiene and um, you know, kind of, it's no different to any other disease like just because COVID's here, like, we still do the same things, whether they've someone has COVID or they've got HIV or they've got tuberculosis, it doesn't matter. We would treat it as if everyone has something. So I think, yeah, more about education, but also reassurance because people in the medical settings, especially the family that they're stressed, like they're worried about their loved one. And um, so I think it's more just explaining to them why it's, why it matters, but also reassuring them that, um, it's not that we don't want them here or that we, you know, we're trying to stop them from seeing their loved one.

They just need to do it in a way that's a bit more, um, controlled. Um, and to be honest, most of the challenges were people that have travelled. So, if you live around the corner, it's not a big deal to come in every day. But you know, we had some Indigenous patients who the whole families moved down here from somewhere up in the Pilbara and they get an hour day with their family. Like that's really hard. So, we often had patients instead of meeting their family in the room, if they are independent enough in a wheelchair, they'd leave the ward and go meet them in the car park to get around our rules. And like you get it, you feel sort of that level of empathy for them, but you're still breaking the rules and you're putting everyone at risk. So yeah, I think I'm more than willing to spend time and have those conversations, but at the end, often, as I said, we will call it security because if people won't leave, we have to do something about that. And it ended up being escalated a few times.

Kristen Marano Can you talk a little bit about what we call ‘breaking the rules’ in sport or even what it's been like within hockey? Cause we've talked a little bit about everyone needing to be together now, but some people are stuck in Melbourne. How do you reckon with what is the morally right thing to do and trying to get the teams back to a normal routine?

Rachael Lynch Yeah, it's frustrating because, I suppose my medical background, I know how easily things can get out of control. Um, certainly something like this and we've all seen it now, but it's, it's probably been, um, more of a frustration that there's not that sort of perspective of why we're, same as the hospital, why we're doing this. Like, why are we making these changes? It's to protect everyone, protect us and then protect the people that were around. You know, we kept trying to use examples. Like one of the girls here, who lives with her parents her dad is 70. So, we were saying, well if she comes to training, and someone here has it, she gets it, she takes it home. The dad gets it, who does potentially going to die. Like we treated really blasé, but at the end of the day, someone could lose a parent or a grandparent because of what we're doing.

I suppose in the hockey world, I'm seen as a goalkeeper and an expert in that field, you know, they know that I'm a nurse, but that's not my role in the team. So, I have to be careful that even I have that knowledge and want to share it, that's sort of not my role. So, I guess that was a challenge initially. And then now it's a little bit assignments, uh, and to be honest, I've stepped back from it a little bit because it ends up being more damaging for me pushing those things and getting the, um, you know, the, I guess the, um, the negativity back about it. My intention is only ever to do the right thing for our group, but, um, yeah, sort of step back on it a little bit, but yeah, now it's, it's really challenging because again, the focus is the Olympics.

We want to be training. We want to be fulfilling the requirements to prepare as best we can for, you know, most important event going on, but I'm still torn. And I think everyone is that I want to make sure they're safe. And now trying to get everyone back to Perth. My two good mates from Victoria, they're trying to get out of here and the hockey competition just got cancelled over there. So they know that it's really hard to train and realistically it's

5 probably better to be over here for training, but the government have said you are not to come in. They don't get exemptions to come in because you know hockey is not more important than what the government is saying. So I certainly battled with that, but again, it's, I've had to learn, you know, and my whole career, I've had to do it like to choose your battles a little bit. And at the moment I'm just trying to do what I can do to help the community still do my training. Like I want to sort of satisfy that area as well. You know, I still want to improve in all of that, but I, I'm not confident that the Olympics will go ahead. So I'm also not willing to drop everything else in my life to prepare for something that potentially is not.

Kristen Marano I’ve been talking to other athletes and coaches about this postponement of the Olympics. There's this big lead up and in a very quick pace, in terms of training and pushing your body and mind. You know exactly what you're training for, but now that's all stopped. And then it's sort of this question of, ‘Okay, well, why am I even waking up every morning and training anymore?’ Like, ‘How do I reset goals to stay focused because the Olympics might happen and it might not happen’ and how do we mentally switch on to that? Can you talk a little bit about that reflection?

Rachael Lynch I think I've sort of learned over this time across our group—so there's 27 girls—It's really interesting to see everyone's different take on it because everyone's in a different situation. The ones that have been working great straight into work, they've picked up extra shifts. You know, they've had their sort of, um, I guess their own level of satisfaction doing that, keep doing the training that provides some challenges still. Um, there's others, you know, with uni picked up opportunities. And then there's the ones that don't have a lot going on outside of hockey who have definitely struggled. Um, they're being the ones that have been itching to get back on the pitch because they've got nothing else to do with their day. And I think that's, it's, uh, it's rare in our sport. We're pretty good at it actually I think, ensuring people have other things, but, um, you know, same for me.

I started working full time, so I wasn't in any rush to start back the hockey because I'd taken on a contract for three months and knew that I would be able to fully commit to that. And the reintroduction of hockey, it was going to provide challenges for me. Whereas the girls had all day freak. Yeah. They're more than happy to be out there at 10 o'clock in the morning or one o'clock in the afternoon doing any sessions. Cause they've been missing that. Whereas the ones that are working are in a different boat. I think, and then of course the stage in your career. So, for me and a lot of the older girls it's okay, well this is a bit of a trial run for what retirement will be like.

So, we've all gone through that phase of, what else can I do? What other skills do I have? What work opportunities and what will it be like not having a training schedule dictated to you. We all went through that, you know, you train when you want to train. Um, initially that's why I'm riding to work. Then when I started working full time, it was really hard. Like then all of a sudden, you're having to get up a couple of hours earlier to squeeze your session in before work, coming home exhausted and having to find the motivation to do

6 the session. Then when you're a full-time athlete, you don't even have to worry about that. You feel good most of the time that you go to training when you told him to go. And then the girls that are maybe in the middle, yeah. Tokyo is a big deal and I want to go to the Olympics, but if it's not, this one will probably be the next one.

Same for the younger girls in their thinking Commonwealth Games. I need a couple more Olympics. Um, whereas anyone older like myself, you know, um, this new, this will be my last Olympics. Um, one of the other girls who's been in the team for a long time. She said preseason for her this year, the only way she got it was she knew it was their last one. So, she absolutely positive in getting through the set. She's fit as. But she worked her bum off knowing that she wouldn't have to do it again. And now here we are doing it again, you know, she went through all of that over Christmas and New Year. I've had some conversations with her and now she's like, well, it's really odd to think I'm going to have to do all of that again. So, we're doing it now a little bit.

She's going to have to do it all again over Christmas. So, it's really challenging for you motivation and your drive. I've struggled with that a lot, but I also have felt like I can do both. I’m doing probably less training than I was before, but I'm also satisfying another area of my life knowing that I'm 34, probably towards the end of my career. If Tokyo is cancelled, who knows. I'm not willing to make too many changes in that space. Cause I feel like currently the Olympics, I can definitely, you know, make those adjustments and focus more on the hockey, but I know my body and my mind well enough, and this was an opportunity for me to focus on something else for what really heavily focused on something.

Kristen Marano It’s a nice situation to be in, because you're not feeling like hockey is your only thing.

Rachael Lynch It certainly doesn't define me, but I felt already, now that a lot of athletes share is that, you know, in a full time job and they knew a little bit about my hockey when I applied and my boss is very aware of it, but most of the people in the office don't know. So, they know of me as the nurse or the new employee that started, and some do know. But I went out with three of the girls last night and had these conversations and it was like, firstly, it's really nice to be known as that. I find the same to the hospital, same thing. Like some of my patients eventually will find out, but most don't know, they just know of me as their nurse and hopefully a really good nurse. I'm just Rachel, the girl that's looking after the COVID testing.

And it's not that I don't want to share that other part, but it's also just, I guess, knowing that that's not the only side of me, but then on the flip side, during this time, I've sort of realized that, you know, I've achieved a lot of things in my career and over 14 years, you know, gold medals, Commonwealth Games, Olympics, and all of that. In the real world, actually, people don't really care. So I've now had that realization as well that, you know, if you, if that comes up in conversation, people like, 'Oh wow, that's pretty cool'. And they're impressed, but it's like, it's not how I got my job. Or it's not why people connect

7 with me in the workplace or why they want to be friends or why they think I'm doing a good job. It's none of that. It's all the other things that sort of help to create you into the person that's doing a good job at, at the workplace or whatever.

So, it's a bit of a sad realisation that even though it's huge when you're in it and you feel like it's everything, when you finish, you're just another normal person. I'm not trying to take away from my own achievements, but anyone's achievements and what they do in sport, but doesn't necessarily help, you know, it's, it's the skills that help you. The different things you've picked up along the way, dealing with people and pressure and time management and all those skills that are gonna help you after it's not the medals or the achievements.

Kristen Marano think we need to be very careful about attaching our identity to our work. With what you're saying, true success in life is your character. It’s who you are as a person.

Rachael Lynch I think I knew that as well. Like, we've had plenty of really, really successful. I'm not just talking about these athletes that finish their career and, and struggled with, with various things; getting a job, mental health, all of those things. And it's it's yeah. It's because you're just so used to being that athlete on the hockey player or whatever. And then all of a sudden you wake up in the morning and you're not that person anymore. So I think like exactly, as you said, it's the character and it's, it's your, um, your morals and, and the things that you want to achieve your life rather than what you have achieved or who you ask specifically around your job or your sport.

Kristen Marano So if the Olympics don't go ahead, I think it maybe means that we need to change the system and how we're doing things. Because like you were saying earlier, you have all these international competitions and games to prepare you for something like the Olympics. And if we're no longer able to do that for a while, due to logistics, and just the practicality around things, then I would think athletes need to be doing other things in their life, which could seem like a positive change actually.

Rachael Lynch Yeah. And we've been leaning that way for ages. I think it's purely just the mental health side. You see the struggles people have when they finish their sport. Um, it doesn't matter how much you weigh in and that doesn't, um, I guess ignore that fact, like our football is almost worse because they earn so much money. They're obviously not smart about it. And then when they finish, they have lost their identity and they don't, well, some don't have any money left from, from their career. So I feel like we're already going that way, this big change women's sport, uh, despite the fact that we're trying to get more money, I think the money then needs to coincide with education. And, you know, I've wanted, in hockey, like a KPI to be like a certain number of people have to be working either part time casual or doing uni.

Like you shouldn't be in our program unless you're doing one of those or even a volunteer job, something, otherwise you're not allowed to come to training. Like that sort of stuff should be implemented in sport. I fully get the more you do outside, the harder it is with the sport, with, from a time of commitment and also fatigue and all of that, but plenty of people do it. So I hope that we'll go that way. But, um, I also worry that money is such a driver in sport. Again, the football has been the perfect example of that. It's like, we must start this again so we can get money so that we can pay out players and keep the sport alive. And it's just like, well, if he didn't pay him so much, then that pressure wouldn't be there. And maybe then we can be doing it for the right reasons rather than purely just from a financial reason.

Kristen Marano I do think it's important to be paid well and fairly. I do think it's also important, like you said, to always come back to the question of, ‘Why am I doing this?’ and letting that guide you.

Rachael Lynch It'll be a balance because we have jobs and careers, outside of hockey, because we're paid poorly, you don't have a choice. So if the money was a bit higher then you also take away the choice by the organization, implementing certain things to say that we want you to be doing this, or you must complete some sort of course degree, whatever. Um, and I can't see that, I think they are trying to change it in the NFL world, but, um, Cricket's probably going to be a good example. See how that plays out now with the girls getting paid so well, or how many of them are going to have jobs and careers. Cause it's the ultimate stitch up really. Like if you finished your career with an empty resume, it doesn't matter what you achieved, unless you're going to go into broadcasting or commentating, you're going to struggle I think.

Kristen Marano I want to talk about the mental health work you're doing at a grassroots level. Can you tell me about the ambassador work that you're doing?

Rachael Lynch I’ve been doing R U OKAY? for seven years and lots of different aspects to that, different events and trying to implement it in all areas of my life and the sport. I now do a lot of corporate speaking as well at schools and things, but they've just introduced a new campaign called Hey Sport, R U OK? So they did another one recently around emergency services. Same thing, was awesome, just to really focus on I think it was called R U 000K? Or something like that. Like how can we look out for our firies, our police officers, our healthcare workers. And so, the sport one again is making it more specific to sport. They're actually targeting coaches. And as you said around the grassroots level. Sport is such a huge thing in Australian society around, the community.

You know, it just seems like the standard thing to do for a family. You go down to sport on the weekend, the kids are playing in their games, you know, maybe they're helping out mum and dads in the canteen mum or dads coaching, you know, someone's working in

9 the uniform shop. It just, that's just sort of what we do. Um, and, uh, it's, it's, there's so many benefits are certainly think team sport for me as a young female, um, taught me a lot of skills around, you know, I guess being in a team, communicating, um, working with people, but then also even just being around boys all through my younger years and teenage years, I was always playing sport with boys. And, um, I think that's builds quite healthy relationships as well. Um, and then yeah, from a mental health, obviously the physical aspect of it, but from a mental health, it steers you away from other things like if you're busy with sport or weekend, you're not going to be experimenting, doing stupid things, you know, finding stuff to do with your mates because you're just so busy and if you're not busy, you're so tired.

I think, specifically, mentally, they're talking from a campaigns perspective, is coaches are often put in a role. And when we say coaches, it could be like adults, or it might be the 17-18 year old kid that's coaching the under tents, they're put in a role where they become a mentor and certainly a very influential person in these kids' lives. So how can you firstly, help them, um, navigate the various challenges that kids navigate, but also how can you be a, um, I suppose, a mental health advocate in a sense, and be looking out for different things that are going to pop up for these kids and, um, the tools around the campaigner, you know, what to look out for, what questions to ask, like how to, how to, um, to really listen. And, um, they're all still the same messages that R U OKAY? generic campaign share, but it's yeah, it's really targeting community level and grass level, grassroots level sport.

Kristen Marano What would be an example of a situation a coach might be in where they would need to ask?

Rachael Lynch I think it's more specifically around having the skills to notice if someone's got something going on. Um, you know, at a I suppose, a higher level, maybe there's something happening at home. And, um, the kids coming in, you're going to notice some changes in the way that they present or their mood or things like that. But, um, at a real surface level, it's like, well, everyone goes through stuff throughout the day, whether you're a kid and adult doesn't matter, you can have stuff going on. So it's having that understanding of your, 15 year old girl turns up and she appears a little bit distant or something in training. And maybe you'd put that down to girls and moods and all of that. Well, no, we want you to have the skills to pull that girl aside and be like, well, you know, um, maybe she's training in fine and all of that. Okay. But you just pull them aside and say, Hey, just wanted to check in, you know, you all good? Did something happen at school? Or is everything going okay at home and being brave enough to have that conversation rather than going well, I'm just their coach I'll look after them for this hour. And then I'll ship them off.

Kristen Marano Or maybe dismissing that girl and saying, ‘Oh, she's just being moody’ and sort of labelling how she's feeling.

Rachael Lynch I think we're pretty good that way you sort of just go, ‘Well, it's this or it's that?’ Or, you know, also it's not my problem, but you can play a really big role. And I think I look back on the coaches that I've had that have been really, um, influential and then not the ones that have the best tactical or technical knowledge. Like I don't remember that part of them. So once it really connected with me, you know, saw me as a person rather than just an athlete.

Kristen Marano Does their tool kit also look at coaches, speaking to parents or speaking to other people involved in the game.

Rachael Lynch It's across the board and it's not just coaches, it's administrators, it's everyone that's involved. Um, it probably doesn't go in depth as much as I would, like I can sort of see where you're headed with it, but, that's not a really key aspect. The coaches play a really key role in educating parents. I don't even know if it is education, but, um, probably providing boundaries, more say. I think I was fortunate. I grew up with parents who knew nothing about hockey and it's still done so that was my parents at the end of the guy, and they gave me a hug and I've even gone to that level with my mum. Now she knows not to talk about the game afterwards and she's just there to support me. And I love that. I'm not saying there's any issues with parents that want to coach and get in there and help, but it's definitely, it puts a lot of pressure on kids, I think. And you know, at a really, really broad level, I would say your job is to be their parent, not to be their coach. And even when you are their coach, be their coach for that hour, but not for outside of that because they just want someone to make them feel good and to give him a hug and, um, no, not to be critical of them. Cause you've already got enough people in your life that are going to be critical of you as an athlete. So, you don't need to hear from your parents. It's like, how do you separate yourself too? Because that's the same guy that's going to drive you home and then you're going to have dinner with him at night and like where's the barrier then I think that's where it gets a little bit hard, even the most supportive and amazing parent coaches or whatever used to be kind of get away from it because it like she can get away from me coach when you, when you leave.

Kristen Marano You had said in our conversation that even though a psychologist is there to help that that's not enough as well. Why is that?

Rachael Lynch I think team psychologists, that's a real grey area. Having a team psych is great, but if they're a team psych, it means they've got a direct link to the coaches and staff and therefore the confidentiality, um, is it, is a little bit blurred. So I've, um, I think they have a place, but then you also need to have, uh, an either an external person or someone that is a clinical psych who has no connection to the coach because otherwise she can't utilize the service in the way that it should be utilized. Um, and trust is so important in sport and it's so easily broken. Um, you know there's obviously different reasons that people have

to report certain things and, um, tell the coach and all of that. But I can tell from experience that as soon as the coach hears something that you've told someone else in confidence, um, it's, you're done.

Like you want to tell them again, whether it's your physio, your doctor, your nutritionist, your assistant coach, if it gets back to the head coach and you find out that you won't tell that person again. So especially with the psych, and as I said, there's times where it has to be reported that you can do that professionally and inside of that person. I need to report this, or, you know, I'm concerned for your safety, so, you know, blah, blah, blah. Um, but yeah, the AIS introduced a new mental health program where any, um, I'm not sure the categories, but basically any sort of, I guess, recognized athlete can go through their mental health network and see a psych externally, which is a service that I think, you know, it should have been happening a long time ago, but it's fantastic that it's happening now. And I use it regularly and I would recommend any of my teammates to use it.

I wouldn't flinch in suggesting that over the smallest things, you know, they've literally just had a bad day. I would suggest that they ring it and utilize the support network because as I said, everyone goes through stuff in life, you know, it's not just athletes. I think everyone should have a psych someone to talk to. And, um, the dynamic of that, you know, you're able to sit and talk completely openly to someone who can provide you with professional advice, not you might to give you biased advice or you know, that you, you're never going to get that same advice from, from your average person. So I think all athletes should have access to that and it needs to be really well controlled and monitored to prevent the confidentiality issues.

Kristen Marano What does the word resilience mean to you now that we're kind of out of that first stage of care?

Rachael Lynch Um, yeah, I mean, that's a word that's thrown around a lot in the sporting space. Yeah. Being able to adapt, I think is really key. Um, it's having skills, uh, to still push on and carry on with things even when it feels really, really uncomfortable. Uh, certainly in sport where we're quite good at that. I think you're forced to do that from a physical perspective regularly, but mentally not so often. Um, I guess reflecting on a couple of close friends of mine who are in Melbourne, uh, who have kids went through the first part of covert did the homeschooling. You know, we were in touch every week on a Friday, we'd have drinks together and just video chat each other. And it was like this really great part of our week. And then to say them now go back to normal. And then all of a sudden, bam, they're going to have to homeschool their kids again.

And you just really feel the pressure and the stress that that's causing people. But then, you know, these girls are also ex athletes and you can just say that they're, they have their little vents, they have a bit of a cry and whatever, then they just get on with it. Um, and to me, that's resilience. I think it's, um, it's putting things in place. So instead of just falling into a heap and not being able to cope, it's like, well, okay, how can I utilize the

people around me? How can I bring my friends together on a regular basis to make sure I have that, that outlet, um, you know, implementing different things in your wake? Um, it looks different for everyone, but, uh, I guess, yeah. Um, and then for me more specifically, I think resilience is yeah, probably just, um, putting your head down and still doing everything. Like we know that it's gonna be really uncomfortable for everyone on this next phase and whatever it looks like, we'll soon see, but, um, yeah, I think it's just getting on with it.

No one sort of wakes in the morning and goes off I need to check on this person, this person and, like, that's probably just not a natural thing, but can you create routine or habit, um, where you were like, every time I get in the car, I usually ring someone or ring my mum every day. So it's often her. Um, we do a Friday night drinks with my close girlfriends in Melbourne ones. I was just talking about, and we've got it booked in on the calendar appointment and a Zoom link. And that's just what we do every Friday. So you don't really have to think about it. I think as with everything you have the decision making fatigue and, um, having to plan things and organize. So if you actually put them in place, then that fatigue isn't there.

You don't have to actually think about it. Um, yeah. You know, we created a family group during COVID, which is all the extended family in order to look after my Nan. It was obviously to check in on each other, but it was just a platform that we set up to create a, um, um, diary or schedule of who's going to check in on Nan on what day and you formalize it, but it's just to make sure it happens because you can't expect everyone to remember to do those things. So I think, yeah, just creating habits and routines, it's not to force it. It's just to make sure that it does happen. Yeah.

Kristen Marano I know we've talked about the Olympics and we don't know if it’s going ahead. You have said, though, that you want to go for gold. Is that still the goal?

Rachael Lynch A hundred percent. I think winning a gold medal would be pretty amazing, but I've also reflected on this time that if the Olympics is cancelled, what will that goal do for me knowing that I potentially can't then achieve that, um, knowing that I wouldn't stay for another Olympics. So, it's always reassessing, but I'd love to win a gold medal at the Olympics. As I've said the whole time, that's really not the focus at the moment. And if it happens and we get the opportunity to go and try and do that and then happy days, but if not, I'm not sort of going to live the rest of my life wondering ‘What if?’

END OF INTERVIEW.