Old Burfordian and World Record Holder Purusha Gordon Inspires Students

28 years after taking her A Level exams Purusha returned to Burford School as our guest speaker for Lower School Prize Giving. In the summer of 1996 Purusha sat in Burford Sports Hall staring blankly at the exam papers in front of her, she shared how now being able to stand in front of the students, sharing her story, was due to her learning to be brave, say yes even when she felt fear and to find courage, to move past failure and keep the determination.

An ambassador for adventure, in 2021, with no prior rowing experience, she started Ocean Sheroes rowing team. She says “We battled seasickness, extreme weather, 30 ft waves, fatigue and exhaustion. We rowed in shifts of two hours on, two hours off 24/7, only ever resting or sleeping for 90 minutes at a time. We did this day in day out. We were wet, cold and exhausted. We were detached from reality, living on a tiny boat, 8.5m long by 1.5m wide. But by the time we had reached half way, we knew we were in with a chance of beating the world record, not just the women’s but also the men's.

We had spent a lot of time before the race, working on our values. In those tough moments, what was it that would hold us together? The record or friendship? We knew we had to get to the other side as a full team and that meant following every procedure to make sure we were always safe at sea. What would be the point in the crossing if we reached the finish, got the record but we didn’t like who we were stood next to. We realised if we only focused on being the best, the first or the fastest, we would miss the journey.

We beat the previous record by 2 weeks which I believe was because we focused on what we could do to support and help each other every day. We developed a culture of kindness and our energies went in to making the boat go faster. After 35 days, 14 hours and 32 minutes, we stood on the finish line in Hawaii, celebrating how far we had come and reflecting on what we had accomplished. We could never have done any of this alone. “

To this day, the team maintain it was Purusha’s guidance, strong values, positive mindset and culture of kindness that got them through it all, even managing to shave 15 days off the previous record.

Purusha closed her speech with some words of wisdom for the students: “as I stand here today, speaking to you, 28 years ago, leaving Burford School, I never in a million years believed I would ever have had a story worth sharing with the world. I have learnt to move past imposter syndrome, lack of self confidence and self doubt. I have struggled with my mental health, stress and overwhelm. At times nothing felt straight forward and there were many difficult and impossible days, months and even years. But I have learnt, these are the times which shape us in life.

Choosing challenge is what has equipped me to be able to face the tricky things in life. I’m not for one moment suggesting you go and row an ocean, but perhaps instead every now and then doing something difficult that requires you to step outside of your comfort zone, challenges you and pushes you past what you think you are capable of. It’s in these moments of adversity where you will find growth, where you will build inner strength, grow in confidence, resilience and when later in life tricky things come along, you will be able to face them knowing that it can’t possibly ever be as hard as for me, rowing an ocean and for you, whatever you choose.”

Thank you Purusha for sharing your incredible journey from missing out on your university place to becoming a World Record Holder, it was inspirational and aspirational.

To gain a greater understanding of her impressive achievement, please take a look at the video!