Rio 2016 Olympics

Posted: 15/08/2016

Two former Bromsgrove School coaches are flying high with their respective National sides at the Rio 2016 Olympics this summer.

Craig Parnham (Head Coach for USA Women’s hockey) was Bromsgrove’s 1st team girls’ coach in the 1990s and later Director of Hockey until 2004. During that time, he led Great Britain to two Olympic Games with the Men’s hockey team and still found time to coach numerous pupils to the indoor and outdoor National Championships five years in a row. Such School teams included future England and Olympic hopefuls Jennie Bimson, Lucilla Wright and Sally Walton. Craig himself represented England and Great Britain 115 times. Moreover, the 1996 School magazine describes Craig as “an inspiration with original tactics”, marking out Bromsgrove as one of the best indoor hockey sides in the country.

Jimi Lewis, current Goalkeeper Coach for the German National side, was also active in making Hockey at Bromsgrove what it is today. Jimi coached pupils at Bromsgrove along with fellow Cannock HC player, Chris Mayer.

Paul Mullan, Deputy Head (Co-Curricular) says, “During his time at Bromsgrove, Craig Parnham was instrumental in producing the finest of hockey sides in the School’s history. He was an outstanding coach and player who managed to combine his School duties with that of leading his country to the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. Jimi Lewis had bags of enthusiasm and threw everything into his coaching, helping many young players achieve notable success, something which you can now see in the German side. Everyone at Bromsgrove School wishes them well at the Rio Olympics this August.”