The sixth-former was one of the youngest participants at the tournament as she joined up with the adult mixed team for the prestigous event at Kelowna in British Columbia.
England finished the round-robin stage with a 3-5 record, defeating Italy and Kazakhstan and pulling off an impressive 4-3 victory over one of the tournament favourites, Germany.
“The World Mixed Championships was an amazing opportunity to play against many highly competitive curling teams from around the world,” said Sydney.
“The atmosphere at the competition was more than welcoming and all the athletes including myself felt extremely comfortable.
“It was an experience I will never forget. I learnt a lot from the competition and the other athletes there and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity.”
Sydney’s curling career began at the Crowborough school’s thriving Beacon Curling Club, which was founded in 2013 by Humanities teacher and England curling coach Owen Rees.
ICE WORK: (L-R) Team England’s Sydney Boyd, Jonathan Braden, Lorna Rettig and Greg Dunn
Sydney said: “I started curling in Year 8 after Mr Rees gave an assembly. I saw curling in the Winter Olympics and I wanted to give it a try.
“It’s a team sport, and so it’s fun to play with lots of other people. The curling community are really nice, everyone is really friendly.”
Mr Rees described Sydney’s elevation as the highlight of his curling career. He said: “I’m immensely proud of Sydney; there is no greater stage to play on other than the Olympics. She is competing with the best players in the world.”
Sydney will now turn her attention to the World Junior Championships in Finland in January, when she will skip an England women’s team which includes fellow Beacon students Anna Howey and Annabelle Martin.
Three former Beacon pupils will also represent the England junior men, Joe Sugden, Felix Price and Archer Woods.
The school has become renowned for its Curling Club and dominates the national schools competitions.
Taking advantage of its close proximity to England’s only curling rink at Fenton’s, team members practice weekly and enjoy strong links with the England Curling Association (ECA).
The Winter Olympic sport is highly inclusive, promoting teamwork and allowing people of all ages and abilities to participate and excel.
