Sticking together

Grace Balsdon and Lucy Hyams

Tell us about yourselves

My name is Lucy Hyams, I'm 14 and live in Tankerton with my mum, dad and sisters. I go to Kent College, Canterbury with my sisters, Hannah and Sarah, where I started in Year 7.

I'm Grace Balsdon and live in Chilham with mum, dad and brother Jack. All the children in our two families are sports scholars at Kent College. I am in the year above Lucy, as I am already 16. I started in the reception class and the school has always supported my hockey career.

What are you both doing now?

We are both studying for nine GCSE's and both intend to study A-levels and go on to university. I want to study sports science and become a sports teacher and Lucy is thinking about pursuing a career in physiotherapy.

What are your ambitions?

We are hoping to move on up through the England set up and to represent our country in the 2012 London Olympics - it would be fantastic to be able to be part of such an exciting event. We have both just received notification of our selection for the next England training camp, from which we will hopefully be selected to travel to Ireland with the team.

What's the best thing about Kent?

The standard of hockey locally is excellent, with Canterbury Ladies playing in the Premier division and also being a hockey academy means that we have access to high-level sport both through school and our club. Although Kent is very rural in places, it still has some excellent shopping centres. Living where we do, we're near both beach and countryside.

What are your hobbies?

Sport, sport and more sport! I (Lucy) came to hockey from football and Grace plays netball too. We both enjoy what every teenager does and we manage to find time to spend with our friends and go to the cinema and into Canterbury.

What was the last book you read?

We have similar taste in books too and we both enjoy the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I (Grace) also see similarities between myself and Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice.