Crieff’s Commonwealth Games hockey star Katie Robertson is a former equestrian champion who quit riding after a fall from a horse when she was 13.
And the 25-year-old will be supported by her good friend, Olympic champion curler Eve Muirhead, when Scotland play their first hockey match at the Games on Friday.
Katie’s proud mother Lynne, who is also travelling down to Birmingham to watch her daughter in action, explains how the painful horse accident changed her life and why there is such a close connection with Muirhead.
‘It was not nice to watch that’
Katie Robertson grew up on Lathrisk Farm, two miles north-west of the Fife village of Freuchie.
Her parents James and Lynne, who still farm the land, were former showjumpers and both Katie and brother James, now 26, followed in their footsteps.
In 2010 they both achieved international success – Katie was part of the winning Great Britain ‘children on horses’ team at the European Championships in Paris and James was selected as part of the Great Britain pony squad.
But later that year Katie’s riding career ended abruptly after she fell from a horse during a competition in Wales.
She was knocked unconscious and hospitalised for two days with a broken shoulder and collarbone.
“I was there and it was not good,” Lynne recalled. “It was not nice to watch that. There was no operation but there was a lot of bruising and her shoulder and collarbone were broken.”
‘She has always been very competitive’
Katie had already been introduced to hockey at Kilgraston School, Bridge of Earn, by its director of sport Pauline Stott, a double Olympian who captained Great Britain’s hockey squad at the Sydney 2000 Games.
“She took Katie under her wings at Kilgraston,” recalled Lynne of Pauline, who now teaches at Perth’s Craigclowan School.
“She was a great help and a bit of an inspiration.”
That inspiration helped persuade Katie to turn her focus to hockey. At 13, it was a relatively late decision.
Lynne said: “A lot of the top players start earlier but she has always been very competitive. Her brother is as well. They get it from my husband.”
Katie played for Grove Menzieshill in Dundee and then moved to Edinburgh University, which is where she plays at the moment.
She studied sports psychology at Abertay University and currently works as a teacher at Dollar Academy.
The midfielder has more than 50 Scotland and Great Britain caps to her name and will be the hockey team’s vice-captain in Birmingham.
‘Katie has always been really supportive’
Katie lives in Crieff with Glen Muirhead, her boyfriend of three years.
Glen’s sister is Perth curler Eve Muirhead, who famously captained Team GB to Winter Olympic gold in February this year.
The link has propelled them to become best friends.
In her Courier column in May, Muirhead wrote: “Katie has always been really supportive of my career and hopefully I’ll get the chance to see her play in Birmingham later this summer.
“Scotland are a hockey team on the up with big goals and having Katie as a leader in the group will certainly help their chances of fulfilling them.”
‘She wants to give something back’
Lynne and her husband James will meet up with Eve in Birmingham on Thursday, the day before Scotland begin their hockey campaign against South Africa.
Eve will also compete in the Sport Relief All Star Games while she is in Birmingham.
Lynne said: “Eve is coming down to watch Katie and we are meeting her before the game on Thursday morning.
“Katie has been a great help to her through difficult times so she wants to give something back to Katie and support her.”
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