Meet the WA Interschool Captain

Competing at this year’s Marcus Oldham Australian Interschool Championships involves a journey of more than 4,000km for the West Australian team.

The tyranny of distance means the state will field a smaller team than usual this year. They have carefully planned and fundraised for what they hope will be a successful mission.

WA Captain Taylah Welsh is looking forward to leading her peers and hopes it’s another step towards realising her own dream of competing at the World Equestrian Games in Dressage.

How exciting is it to be named as a team captain?

It was very exciting! I’ve always wanted to be a good role model for younger and older kids and the opportunity to be team captain was something I looked forward to. Being a team captain has always been a goal of mine, especially for the state team!

Have you ever captained a national Interschools team before and what is your past competition experience and success with the Australian Interschool Championships?

No, I haven’t captained a team before but have always been assisting with the past ones. Over the past few years of competing at Interschools I’ve had some of the best experiences and I’ve had so many amazing opportunities! Over my interschool experience, I’ve gained many lifelong friends and I have met some incredible people. I have also gotten the opportunity to ride some amazing horses and this was really beneficial for my riding career.

Tell us about your team and its members and some of their strengths.

WA’s team that is heading to QLD this year isn’t as big as our previous teams due to it being a long way to travel but we have some extremely talented riders with us! We have had a few team building opportunities where we could meet each other and build friendships. We worked on our team chants and I can tell you our team spirit is very strong!

Explain a bit about the preparation for this event.

Our team has had a team building camp to discuss all our plans, chants etc. This has prepared us as a team. We have got to know each other that little bit more. We have also attended a couple of fundraisers as a team.

Interschools has become a huge event now, hasn’t it?

Interschool’s has really grown as an event! It has created a pathway for us, as athletes, to follow but it still remains a fun and friendly atmosphere for the younger riders! I think Interschools has made it easier for us as riders to continue on that pathway from giving us the opportunity to compete for our state to eventually, competing for our country!

What does it mean to be involved?

To be involved in Interschools is quite special. You get to compete against people your own age, and you also get the chance to compete for your state. For me, competing in Interschools has always been an exciting time of year and it is something I always look forward to.