"The body achieves what the mind believes" .... These words have stuck with Scone schoolboy Lachlan Hails since he saw them scribbled on a whiteboard at a cafe.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For the 15-year-old Scone Grammar student, the well being of his body goes hand in hand with the well being of his mind. He has a respect for both that is beyond his years.
"If you can get out for a walk or run, it definitely does help clear your head. You can just stop thinking for a minute and just go for stroll, go for a run, put some music in, clear your head space, reset and come back.
"It's something I use a lot through my studying at school. I tend to go 30 minutes of studying and then do some exercise to reset. Then come back to it."
Being something of a sports all-rounder, the quote carries meaning for Hails. Taking a good attitude into a game is a big part of what makes a good sportsman - something Hails was recognised for when he received a Young Achiever Award at the 2023 Upper Hunter Shire Council Australia Day Awards last month.
At just 15 he's got an impressive resume of sporting achievements to date.
His most recent was signing with the Newcastle Knights juniors for the 2023 Under 17s Harold Matthews Cup competition, which kicked off on February 4. Round 3 of the comp will see the Knights take on the Bulldogs at Newcastle this Saturday, February 18.
To be teamed up with other fierce young ruby league players takes focus, commitment and dedication and it was a privilege Hails said he was grateful to be apart of.
"It's amazing how you can pull kids from all areas, like I'm from Scone and there's some boys from Port Macquarie and Newcastle, and we all just link together. It's definitely a great experience," Hails said.
"The morale is very good [on the team]," Hails said. "We have the common interest in football, we are all there and want to train hard and enjoy the game we play."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Hails was 12-years-old when he captained his first representative league team. In the three years since, he has been busy playing, coaching and refereeing across all kinds of sports, at school and in his community.
"I love being active. I'm not the type of person that could sit at home and read a book to be brutally honest," Hails said.
"I prefer to have a ball in my hand than a book, it's something that brings me enjoyment, clears my head space, makes me feel good, and I probably prefer team sports because I'm a bit of a social bug and like to interact with others. It's a great way to get out."
Last year was a big year of sport for Hails and a big part of why he was recognised with a Young Achiever Award on Australia Day.
"I didn't know I was being nominated until I got the invitation in the mailbox," Hails said.
He later found out his school, Scone Grammar, had nominated him, which he said was "very kind of them".
"As you try and stay humble you don't really like to be called out in front of everyone, but it's good to see that people recognise what you're doing in the community, it's something you're very honoured to accept," Hails said.
"You don't do it for the awards, it's just purely out of love for the game."
In addition to representing Scone Grammar School for soccer, basketball, cricket, netball, touch football, rugby league, rugby union, swimming and cross country, Hails was also his age-group champion in the Hunter Region Independent Schools athletics.
He was vice captain for the Combined Independent Schools Rugby League and Touch Football teams where he lead his league team to victory winning the national championships in Queensland in July 2022.
This was the first time in history a Combined Independent School team had won "The Australian Schoolboys" title.
It was one of the biggest highlights for Hails to date.
"We were definitely underdogs coming from a very weak pool I would say, and had to play a top Queensland side, the Queensland firsts, who we beat in extra time, and then to beat NSW Combined High School, who's always the side to beat, on the bell ... it was a crazy feeling." Hails said.
"Working your butt off for 60 minutes to score a try in the last minute" and take the win, was a moment in Hails' young sporting career that still brings a smile to his face as he recounts the game in Redcliffe, QLD, last year.
Hails also plays rugby league locally for Scone Thoroughbreds and was selected in the Group 21 representative team.
He coaches junior cricket and junior touch football. He referees touch and league and gives back to the community by speaking about Youth Leadership for Where There's a Will, a program addressing the needs of young people.
But the teen also knows the importance of finding time for his school work and plans to go to university to study exercise physiology and nutrition with hopes of pursuing a career as a dietitian or something in the bio-mechanics space.
