Lower 2, Upper 2 and Lower 3 were pleased to welcome Sophie Montagne to our live online assembly this morning to talk about her experiences taking part in the Ice Maiden Expedition across Antarctica.
Sophie was one of a six woman Army team to cross Antarctica on foot, pulling their sledges behind them. To give us an idea of the distance Sophie said it would be like the girls walking from school to Rome, pulling sledges. She explained how she had trained for the trip by pulling a Land Rover tyre behind her for weeks before she went. This even included dragging it through the streets of London to and from her day job. The girls heard about the difficulties they encountered, the food they ate and the fact that they couldn’t wash for nearly 80 days! Sophie showed us the clothes she had to wear and how to cover every part of the face so we don’t get frostbite. She even taught us a new word – ‘snotcicles’ which is what you get over time when the moisture in your breath freezes.
The all women team broke several world records by completing their trip and they certainly learnt a lot about themselves as people. Sophie spoke of the team spirit that developed between the women, even though they didn’t know each other before the expedition. She described how the harsh conditions could wear down even the most positive person and explained how they relied on each other to keep themselves motivated and working together, especially when one of the group came down with flu.
However it was the messages about confidence, resilience and opportunity that left a lasting impression on the girls today. Before Sophie had put herself forward for the expedition she had felt a bit of a failure in life. She didn’t feel she had managed to achieve any of her life and career goals but getting through the rigorous selection process gave her strength and she said the trip had made a huge impact on her. By pushing herself out of her comfort zone to do the trip she had shown herself that she had the resilience and confidence to tackle anything and this has affected every part of her life since.
The girls were enthralled by her story and asked some fantastic questions. There will definitely be a few budding polar explorers among the group now!