Zara Nicholas ('14)

Congratulations to ex-student Zara Nicholas ('14) whose team won gold in the Federation of International Touch World Cup, held in July in Nottingham, England. Zara was the Vice Captain of the Open Mixed team that defeated New Zealand in a close match (8 tries to 7) to secure a Gold Medal win.

Zara’s career as a touch football star began when she was 12 years old, when she went to tryouts at the local park. She honed her skills at Loreto Kirribilli. “I have clear memories of the mighty Loreto Year 7 Touch Football 1sts, led by Mr Fryar, which is where I met and made lifelong friends who are still some of my best friends to this day.”

For the last ten years, Zara has represented Australia in Touch Football, including at two World Cups. This year was her 39th cap for Australia at an Opens level!

When Zara is not playing footy, she is a Senior Speech Pathologist working in critical care, respiratory and ICU wards in southwest Sydney.

How does she balance her sport with working full-time? “Playing at an elite level of Touch Football, whilst coming through university and then into full-time work, I have learned many transferrable skills. If I could give one helpful hint about playing high-level sport, it is learning the importance of and mastering time management. To balance it all is sometimes the hardest challenge!”