‘We all know that when you work hard at something, you get better and better!”

Team Mintridge were delighted to visit Hazel Leys Academy with our Athletics and Steeplechase Commonwealth Games competitor, Iona Lake, for a brilliant Bronze Programme. Iona started off our first of three visits to Hazel Leys Academy this summer with an inspiring day of fun and activity for the students who joined us on the day.

 Iona opened our day with an inspirational presentation about her sporting journey so far and what it takes to compete at the top of your game in Iona’s sport, which is Steeplechase. Iona spoke to the students about the power of sport and why they should all get involved in a sport if they can but also highlighted the importance of teamwork, self-belief and perseverance, which the young people can utilise and use in their future lives on and off the track.

During her presentation, Iona spoke about how she started running, what motivated her to continue and the life lessons she has learnt along the way. Iona highlighted how important it is to never give up, even when times get tough and to always find that extra push in you to keep moving forward.

Iona left the students with a few inspiring words of advice and told them to make sure they try their best in anything they do, which the students then went on to show Iona during their running challenges later on in the day.

This fantastic fun-filled day at Hazel Leys Academy enabled every student to be actively engaged in some wonderful athletics-based drills, focusing on the importance of a warm-up, followed by activation drills, which Iona does herself in training. The students were extremely enthusiastic and ready to learn from the very best but also to improve their own individual running techniques, showing Iona how fast they were!

Throughout our day, the students competed against each other and ran a full lap around the athletics track, jumping over multiple hurdles which were spread out along the way. After lots of persuasion from some of the students, Iona was challenged to a race, which she accepted, and the students cheered as they ran around the track.

The students had the chance to ask Iona lots of questions throughout the day and some of the best ones can be seen below.

Why do you love running?

What is the longest run you have ever done?

How many medals have you won?

What other sports do you play?

How do you feel when you are out of breath?

What has been your worst injury?

How many countries have you visited?

What was the hardest race of your career?

We want to say a big thank you to the staff and students at Hazel Leys Academy for inviting us to spend the day with them, for this wonderful Bronze Athletics programme and especially the staff for supporting us to organise this day. We look forward to visiting you again very soon with Khadijah Safari and Zoe Harrison!

If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with Iona Lake or any of our other inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk.

The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.

Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.

The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.

To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.

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