Schonell No.505 Has the Scent of Success . . .and True Grit

Courtney Schonell was a three-day old baby when she attended her first Olympic hockey match, but the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete almost didn’t get past the turnstiles when a vigilant security guard mistook the future Hockeyroo for . . . a bottle of alcohol!

Schonell’s mother, Kelly – who obtained her tickets through the Sydney Olympic ballot – tucked baby Courtney under her top as she followed the crowd of people into the hockey stadium. However, when the security guard noticed a suspicious bundle beneath Kelly’s jumper, she was horrified to be accused of attempting to smuggle grog into the venue.

“My mum didn’t really know too much about hockey, she just went along for the Sydney Olympic experience,” said 22-year-old Schonell from her base in Perth, where she trains with the Hockeyroos. “But when the security guard said they thought Mum was trying to smuggle alcohol into the match she said: ‘I’ve just had a baby!’ and had to show me to them before they let us in.”

Despite that day’s drama, the talented striker – who hammered home her first two international goals against New Zealand in Australia’s 2-1 victory in Christchurch last week – must have enjoyed her first taste of hockey. After all, when Schonell – Hockeyroo No.505 – was 18 months old her parents bought their second oldest child a hockey stick and the choice to either keep her dummy or the strangely curved club.

“For whatever reason, the dummy went into the bin that day,” said Schonell of her first baby step towards becoming a Hockeyroo. “Mum had a dummy in one hand, a hockey stick in the other and, apparently, I chose the hockey stick to pacify me. I used to run around with it. I loved it so much I even slept with it!”

Not surprisingly, Schonell’s class was obvious when she started playing in south-west Sydney’s Macarthur region as a four-year-old. As she grew older her impressive list included:

• Captaining the MacArthur under 13s to a triumphant state championship
• Becoming a mainstay in both the NSW state and NSW Combined Catholic College outdoor and indoor teams from age 10 until her final HSC exam
• Being named – at just 12 – Camden Council’s 2013 Australia Day Young Sportsperson of the Year
• Coaching a local under 13 side as a 15 year old because she wanted to ‘give back’ to her sport
• Representing the 2016 All Schools Australian Team on its tour of South Africa at 15
• Besides scoring the most goals on that tour, she was named Player of the Tournament and voted Best and Fairest by her teammates
• Receiving her NSWIS scholarship in 2016
• Captaining the Australian Schools team in 2017
• Receiving the 2017 Combined Catholic Colleges Blue Award for the highest-achieving girl in hockey and being presented with the NSWCCC Vince Villa award for the most outstanding female across all sports
• Skippering the Aussie team at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Representing Australia’s under 21s in 2019.

Some interviews Schonell did with her district’s local media as a 12-year-old suggest her ascent was the result of a young girl’s insatiable hunger and fierce determination to make it. She was so intent on fulfilling her destiny Schonell boldly told journalists of her plan was to become a Hockeyroo and Olympian.

Though, she worked hard for her success – which includes being selected alongside fellow NSWIS athletes Jocelyn Bartram, Grace Stewart and Mariah Williams to represent the Hockeyroos in the FIH Pro League matches against the Netherlands and Belgium in Europe next month.

While her friends were hanging out together doing teenage stuff, Schonell sometimes trained seven days a week, with the bare minimum being five grueling sessions. Indeed, a profile on her compiled by ‘Good Morning Macarthur’ in 2018 included an interview with her then personal trainer, Jill Hay, who observed the talented teen was on a mission.

“She’s been driven, focused,” said Hay. “She’s got exactly what she wanted. Her goal hasn’t changed since we started working together, and I think that’s testimony to what she’s achieved . . . she’s just stayed the path.”

However, as much as Schonell is devoted to hockey, she was also blessed with outstanding cricket skills, gaining a place in the NSW Breakers Academy squad, and she’s watched on as squad mates graduated to represent Australia, the state, or star in the adrenaline-charged Big Bash League.

“Cricket,” she says with a grin. “That’s the only time I swapped the hockey stick for something else. It was similar, but different. I was a member of the Academy and named in a few teams. And while I enjoyed it, what I liked about hockey was I had the two options – playing indoor and outdoor.

“Sometimes, though, when I’m at a cricket ground I do ask myself what might have been? Especially when you think about the Big Bash. Though, in saying that, I have no regrets. I love hockey; love what I’m doing.”

Among those who rated Schonell’s cricketing skills highly is the Sydney Thunder’s wicketkeeper, Tahlia Wilson, who, besides being self-described ‘hockey mad’, will soon tour England with the Aussie A team.

 “I played some games against Courtney, and we trained together at a couple of the Cricket NSW academies,” said Wilson, [photographed with Schonell at a Hockeyroos training session]. “She was a bit of an allrounder . . .very handy with the ball . . . any game Courtney played in she’d take one or two wickets. You can also see it in her hockey swing that she was handy with the bat. She was the all-round package, and that transfers to her hockey game.

“Courtney is a fantastic hockey player; she’s done lots of hard work over the years. I played against her in the NSW state championships, so to see how far she has progressed from then to now, and to see her score her first two goals for the Hockeyroos is pretty cool – and I loved that one of them was from a tomahawk! When that happened, I thought ‘there’s a reverse sweep from cricket.’ I’m telling you; I don’t think she’d have that much power if she didn’t play cricket!”

Shonell has represented the Hockeyroos in 14 matches since making her debut against the Kiwis in 2021, and had it not been for the COVID pandemic, followed by a cruel injury last year, that figure may not only have been higher, but her trophy cabinet could also have included a silver Commonwealth Games medal and World Cup bronze.

“It’s been a long journey, a lot of highs and lows . . .  and last year had a few lows,” she said. “What I’ve learnt through even the biggest frustration is to stick to the process, and to enjoy the ‘now’. Enjoy the little rewards – like scoring a goal.

“Last year I tore my meniscus before the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games,” she said. “It was a blow. It was a setback and very disappointing. But I just stuck with what I knew to do: I supported the girls . . .  did what I could to get back . . . stuck with the processes. But it was tough.

“As disappointing as it was, I realised it’d be a mistake to try to push my way back into the team by returning too quickly. Some people said it was probably the best thing that happened to me – and while I beg to differ – I understand what they mean because, ultimately, I think it helped to improve me as a player.

“It added to my mental and physical capacity. It helped me in the sense that I feel as though I have a lot more resilience. You have setbacks regardless of whether it is in sport or life in general. What you find you need is an ongoing willingness to never give up.”

Her grit was rewarded in the final game of Australia’s recent miniseries against New Zealand and Great Britain when Schonell scored her first . . . and then a rapid fire second . . . international goal(s). With them, she’s felt an unwelcome weight leave her shoulders.

“It was great to finally get the ball into the back of the net [after 14 games],” she said. “Scoring those goals relieves some pressure because as a striker you want to score goals; it’s always on your mind when you haven’t – you think, ‘I still haven’t scored a goal’.

“Funnily enough, after I scored the first one, one of the girls said: ‘the flood gates are open’ and a few minutes later I scored my second!”

Now she has fulfilled her dream to represent the Hockeyroos, Schonell’s long-term goal is to become an Olympian and to play in a World Cup. While already super fit, she also plans to attain ultimate fitness, continue to focus on her high performance mindfulness; stick to the processes, and continue to ‘do right’ by her teammates.

Schonell has the chance to take a huge step towards earning the ancient title ‘Olympian’ this August when the Hockeyroos play in the Oceania Cup in New Zealand. The tournament’s winner qualifies for next year’s Paris Games.

“There’s a lot of pressure,” said Schonell. “[Qualifying for Paris] comes down to three games. While it is all high stakes, high reward, the simple fact is if we don’t perform, we won’t be an Olympian, this time.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS