Sydney Satchell—A Paralympic Gold Medalist Visits The Farm
Avon Old Farms School has seen more than its fair share of elite athletes visit campus throughout the years. On Wednesday, September 18, the school had the pleasure of welcoming another in Sydney Satchell—less than two weeks after she and her sitting volleyball team won gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Interestingly, this wasn’t Sydney’s first visit to campus. The Windsor, Conn., native attended The Ethel Walker School and vividly remembers coming to Avon as a student. “I’ve been to a dance here. The lights were low, the music was bumping. I also came to some hockey games, obviously. My friends wanted to come to see the boys, but I was actually more interested in watching the game.”
As a student at Ethel Walker, Sydney considered herself an athlete. She was captain of the soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams. At her graduation, she won the Meritorious Effort Award, given to a senior who has “worked conscientiously towards improving her skills in athletics and has outstanding spirit, enthusiasm and determination.” She was the only member of her graduating class to earn membership to the “Varsity Club” for earning 12 varsity letters during her high school career. She also served as the student body president.
One of her science teachers at the time was Jill Harrington, who now serves as the registrar and an Academic Dean at Avon. Jill took notice of Sydney’s combination of strong character and athletic abilities early in her high school career. “As the volleyball coach, I would watch the fall teams and try to talk good athletes into playing volleyball in the winter. I tried to convince Sydney to switch from basketball or soccer in order to play volleyball for me. But she loved those sports too much and turned me down,” Jill shares. “As the student body president, she led with heart and passion and we knew that she cared deeply about the school and about each of us.”
Sydney stayed in touch with Jill as she went on to play Division 1 lacrosse at Howard University. Less a year after graduating from Howard, Sydney was involved in a life-altering car accident that resulted in the partial amputation of her left leg. “That was probably the most difficult decision I ever had to make,” she says.
For someone who spent her whole life identifying as an athlete, not being able to play soccer, basketball, or lacrosse again was devastating. It forced her to reevaluate who she was. It turns out, however, that athletics would still be in her future. While getting fitted for her first prosthetic, she was asked if she knew anything about volleyball. She said she didn’t, but that she did know a volleyball coach. That’s when Sydney called Jill.
“I taught her a little volleyball and she has never looked back,” Jill explained to the entire school community gathered in the Brown Auditorium on Wednesday. “Her commitment to athletics and determination through her recovery led Howard University’s Athletic Department to name an award after her, the Sydney Satchell Award for Perseverance. She has experienced unforeseen turns along her journey but her positive approach in the face of adversity has yielded a renewed spirit. Known as an optimist and the ultimate encourager, Sydney has shared her moving message with audiences throughout the United States. She is one of the strongest people I know and I am proud to be part of her story and to introduce her to the Avon Old Farms community today.”
Sydney then began her address by gifting Jill a Team USA coaching medallion and thanked her. She then took out her gold medal, which elicited a collective “ooooooh” from the audience. Her message over the next 25 minutes explained that while the gold medal is certainly amazing to have, it’s not what makes someone a champion. “The champion mindset doesn’t start when you’re on the gold medal podium. It starts on the practice fields or the classrooms in places like Avon.”
She also emphasized that you shouldn’t wait until you’re holding a gold medal to enjoy the pursuit of it. “What I realized is; you can still prioritize winning, but don’t wait until the end to enjoy the journey.” Her journey featured several setbacks even after losing part of her leg. She was left off the team heading to the Tokyo 2020 games, and wasn’t guaranteed a spot for Paris either. She reiterated that the hard work, aspiration, and perseveration is what made her a champion long before she ever won a gold medal. In the end, Sydney did make the team, and became a world champion after defeating China in the gold medal match.
Sydney concluded her speech by leading the entire audience in a chant. “I’m strong. I’m courageous. And I won’t give up on me.”
Following the speech, Sydney sat in on various classes, ate lunch and dinner with students and staff, and met with student leaders during community time in the evening.
To learn more about Sydney, click here.
To view photos from her visit, click here.