Whether on the tennis court, the hockey field or in the pool, gifted athlete 16-year-old Bless Daly enjoys extraordinary sporting success, incredibly gifted at more than one sport.
Bless has represented Queensland in hockey and softball and has twice donned the green and gold to represent Australia in water polo, firstly in 2023, as part of the U16 Australian Women’s Waterpolo team European tour, and again in 2024 at the World Aquatics Women’s U18 Water Polo Championships in China, where the team secured Australia a top five ranking.
The Year 11 student at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School has played tennis, netball, basketball, AFL, rowing and athletics and last year was named Intermediate Tennis Champion and received the school’s prestigious Sporting Excellence Award.
Now, the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) supported athlete has her sights set on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
“To make it to the Aussie Stingers team and the 2028 Olympics is one of my big goals,” Bless said.
However, it’s not just sheer talent that is helping her to strive towards her dream. It’s a combination of hard work, determination, grit, resilience and a network of support.
Preparing for world class success requires a high-performance training schedule. Bless is currently playing in the Queensland Thunder team, competing in the National Water Polo League and is also a member of the U20s Australian squad.
“It’s very chaotic right now because we are in water polo season. I wake up at 4:30am then I swim from 5:15am to 7am and then I do gym from 7:15am for however long my program takes. Then I go to school. In the afternoons, water polo training starts at about 6pm and I don’t finish until 8:30pm.”
Bless credits St Margaret’s Flyers Program for outstanding athletes with assisting her to balance training with her studies through personalised learning.
“When people ask me how do you keep up with your schoolwork, I always mention my spare periods. It helped me so much in Years 7 to 10, and now I’m in my senior years, I have timetabled independent learning periods.
“My teachers are really understanding of my training and competition commitments, and my Head of Year has played a really big role in helping me balance school and training since I was in Year 7.
“The school’s Academic Advising program has also been a great support. My advisor is the Director of Sport who has helped me set academic goals and plan out what I’ve got to do – it’s the only way I can stay on top of things and get things done,” Bless said.
Through the school’s careers program, Bless is also being guided to pursue a US college pathway, a trajectory many St Margaret’s students and successful water polo players have pursued.
“I think for me, America has always been a big thing. Many St Margaret’s rowers have gone over and I’d love to go play college water polo. I am exploring that avenue at the moment,” she said.