The GDST Sports Scholars’ Day is an annual event designed to support, educate and help to develop the budding Sports Scholars within the Girls’ Day School Trust.

STRONG BODY, STRONG MIND, STRONG FOCUS!

On the back of two very successful Sports Scholars’ Days, the GDST and The Mintridge Foundation came together again on Friday 9th February 2024 for their third annual Sports Scholars Day. Our day was designed with the growth of the GDST Sports Scholars in mind, and The Mintridge Foundation created and delivered inspirational workshops and presentations to support the sporting and academic growth of this year’s GDST Sports Scholars. As young athletes all working towards their own goals and ambitions on and off their respective fields, they had some brilliant opportunities during our day to learn from the best of the best and our Ambassadors who have already experienced some of the highs and lows they may come across on during their own journeys too.

This year we were delighted to bring together 18 schools from the GDST from across the country and over 300 students to spend their day with our team of medal-winning Olympians, Paralympians, award-winning founders and highly acclaimed individuals from the world of sport.

With the want and desire to inspire and support the next generation of young people, our Mintridge Foundation Ambassadors and deliverers led 11 different workshops during our day that we intentionally designed to create those magical lightbulb moments that can’t be found in a textbook or webpage.

The accumulative years of experience and breadth of expertise in the room during our day allowed the students to learn new skills and grow their minds and bodies. The opportunity to work with a team of ambassadors who have ‘been there and done it’ on the journey that so many of them are also striving towards was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for these scholars.

As a Foundation, we know that young people need inspirational role models to guide them on their journeys and people who can ‘be on their team’ when faced with a setback, bump in the road or a challenging time inside and outside the world of sport. The power of sporting role models is evident on a day like this, as we bring together the best in their fields and create a fantastic opportunity for the students to seek advice from a relatable role model and someone who can inform them on the path they choose.

Keep scrolling to find out more about the workshops we delivered and who joined us on the day.

Our Inspirational Workshops

“Pressure creates Diamonds, so don’t be afraid to take on that pressure as you will always grow and learn something from it.”

Pamela Cookey

Netball Coaching Session with Former England Netball Captain and Sky Sports Presenter, Pamela Cookey.

Pamela delivered netball masterclasses during our day and encouraged the GDST netball players to challenge themselves and each other on court. The students loved being in the presence of our netball legend and hearing the top tips Pamela shared to support them with their lives on and off the court. Pamela also shared her valuable insights during our live discussion sessions with Stella Mills and shared some golden snippets from her double life during the Panel at the end of the day.

“Do the basics right and celebrate the little wins!”

Shona McCallin MBE

**Hockey Coaching Session with GB Hockey Player -** **Shona McCallin MBE**

Shona was joined by our local Sutton Hockey club volunteer, Caroline, for her Hockey Masterclasses this year. During the day, the students taking part in the Hockey workshops were put to the test by Shona and learnt how to train like a GB Hockey Player. Shona shared the importance of doing the basics right, as they are the most important skills in a high pressure scenario when you are also struggling for energy.

“Don’t be afraid of change, sometimes the best things in life come from change!”

Anne Meiwald

Football Coaching Session with Professional Footballer for Watford and England Beach Soccer - Anne Meiwald

The students at the GDST had their first football workshop this year as part of our GDST Day and they LOVED meeting and learning from current professional footballer for Watford and England Beach Soccer Player . The Scholars were all put to the test in Anne’s sessions and were supported by our Sutton Football Club volunteer, Keira, during our day too.

“We are all capable of amazing things, but it is important to know what your body needs and take a break. Rest and recovery can make us perform better, so remember this when you are trying to compete at the top of your game.”

Grace Harvey PLY

Life as an Elite Athlete and Paralympian with Paralympic Silver Medallist Swimmer -Grace Harvey PLY.

What an incredible opportunity it was for the GDST students to meet and learn from an inspirational Paralympian who will also hopefully be competing in the Paralympic Games in the summer. Grace shared her sporting journey and the changing demands of performing at the highest level in your sport and breaking down barriers along the way.

“Break before you are broken!”

Nekoda Davis OLY

Judo Coaching Session and Live Discussion with Nekoda Davis OLY

How did you deal with the overwhelming juggle between your sport and academic studies?
Nekoda shared her top tips and thoughts with the GDST Scholars during her live discussion to support them on their own journeys to success. One of those top tips was to also challenge yourself outside of your comfort zone, which Nekoda got the Scholars to do during her epic Judo coaching sessions. Nekoda helped the students during our day feel inspired and empowered them to be strong and take on new challenges during their lives.

“Sometimes you need to rely on your team and support network more than you would like to but it is ok to lean on their support…Everything happens for a reason, so trust the process.”

Hannah Diamond

Being an elite athlete and physiotherapist (prehab and rehab) with Hannah Diamond - Great Britain Sail GP Professional Sailor

With over 300 Sports Scholar’s attending our day, Hannah was perfectly placed to get the young minds in the room thinking about their bodies, how to prevent injuries and also enlighten them on what its like to spend most of your competitions at sea!
Hannah shared more about her sporting journey, how to work successfully as a team and how to overcome the toughest challenges during her presentation with the Sports Scholars. Hannah also shared some valuable insights into how the Scholars can be successful in their sports during our panel too.

“Your period is your superpower! You have to take notice of what your body is telling you as this is what will help you be the best version of you and your best performance.”

Cerian Harries

Looking After Your Female Body and Female Athlete Health - with Welsh Swimmer and National Champion - Cerian Harries

Cerian delivered a thought provoking and informative session with the Sports Scholars, about how they can lead a more sustainable sporting lifestyle through understanding their female body. Cerian shared some of her own experiences to support them with their planning and choices when competing and training. This really important topic helped the Sports Scholars understand more about themselves and others on their journeys.

“Life is all about taking chances and new opportunities. You won’t know what you could be capable of if you don’t take that chance or push yourself outside of your comfort zone!”

Stella Mills

Live Discussions and Panel Interviews with Broadcaster Stella Mills

The GDST welcomed Sports Broadcaster Stella Mills to join them as part of their big day. Stella opened the day with a huge welcome and introduction to our #TeamMintridge Ambassadors who would all be working with the GDST Sports Scholars during our special day. Stella then also led our live discussions with Nekoda Davis OLY, Grace Harvey
PLY and Pamela Cookey. We rounded off our day with a brilliant Panel with the #TeamMintridge Ambassadors and Stella shared more of her insights and knowledge during this panel too.

“It can be hard to balance all of the demands of sport and academics, but it is possible. It is important to communicate with your support network, family, coaches and teachers and ensure you find a way to do everything you want to do, so you never have to give something up that you love.”

Georgia Lees

Netball Coaching Sessions with Saracens Mavericks Vice - Captain Georgia Lees

The GDST Sports Scholars were joined by not one but two inspirational netball Ambassadors during our brilliant GDST Day.
Georgia delivered a challenging attacking masterclass for the Scholars during the day and tested their skills on the court. It was amazing for the students taking part in these sessions to learn more from the Saracens Mavericks Vice-Captain and how she balances a medical career and playing at the highest level in the Netball Super League.

Strength and Conditioning for Female Athletes

S&C is a familiar part of the Sports Scholars’ experiences at school and in their respective clubs. During our day, the students worked with Harry from Advance Performance who delivered a great strength and conditioning session with the Scholars to support them with their own performances and help them to prevent injury in the future.
We are so grateful that Absolute Performance, a supplier of gym equipment to schools and clubs also supported this session with their S&C kit bags. Thank you Absolute Performance.

Thank you Absolute Performance for supporting the GDST Sports Scholars on the day.

PeBe - with Lucy Horsell
Sports Bras and Breast Health. Why Sports Bras are critical, their impact on performance, finding your fit and myth busting.

We were delighted to invite Pebe to showcase the importance of having the right equipment to support our Scholars with their sporting performances. The Scholars had the opportunity to learn more about the power of sports bras and how they can support their own female bodies.

We were delighted to welcome our partners Limitless Kit to our Sports Scholars’ Day along with PeBe who are both working really closely together to support young people. We are so pleased that the GDST can meet and benefit from the amazing work that PeBe and Limitless are doing to support young people on their sporting journeys.

Thank you Limitless Kit for supporting the GDST schools with their Sports Kits and joining us on the day.

To bring the day to a close, the GDST Sports Scholars gathered together in the main hall to listen to and take part in the live panel and Q&A with our selected Ambassadors.

This was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to hear their opinions on what they do and have done in the past to help manage stress and pressure.

The Ambassadors also shared more about how they have made it to the top of their game, even when faced with a challenge.

MEET OUR NEW MINTRIDGE MENTEE!

During our day, the Ambassadors and deliverers were on the lookout for Sports Scholars who really stood out during their sessions and showed the characteristics of a promising young athlete. As part of our day, two lucky mentees were pulled out of the hat at the end of the day and awarded a six month mentoring programme with the amazing Georgia Lees!
Our two new mentees will speak with Georgia once a month so she can help support them on their sporting journeys.
We LOVE our Mintridge mentoring programmes.
Well done to Wimbledon High School and Oxford High School who have two mentees joining the Mintridge family this year.

During our day, the #TeamMintridge Ambassdors spent some time creating magical memories for the Sports Scholars and it was amazing to see the Scholars relishing their chance to meet their idols and snap selfies with them during the day too.

We loved being able to create these moments for the Sports Scholars and see them collecting their autograph cards, selfies and lifetime moments during this day.

Thank you to all of the staff and students who joined us for the GDST Sports Scholars’ Day for 2024. We are so pleased that during this day, we were able to inspire over 300 pupils and guide them on their path to sporting success or otherwise.

A special thanks to the staff at Sutton High School, who helped the GDST and Mintridge Foundation bring this day together and help support the workshops throughout the day with their PE staff.

We are very grateful to Miss Hannah Morrell and the whole GDST for supporting this GDST Sports Scholars’ Day and working with The Mintridge Foundation to bring it all together for a very inspirational event.

We look forward to hopefully welcoming all of the students back next year for another great event, and we wish all of the Sports Scholars the best of luck for the rest of their academic and sporting journeys.

Click here to leave your feedback and access our photos from the day

If you are interested in a virtual or physical mentoring Programme with any of the Mintridge Foundation Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website or with Katie. To access the photos from the event, please contact a member of the Mintridge team or complete your feedback form below.

click here to book your own Mintridge Programme

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 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.

If you would like to understand more about our mentoring programmes with sporting role models and how they can support the young people at your school or club, please contact Katie Smith.