National School Sports Week 2020
National School Sports Week 2020
It is safe to say that school sport in 2020 has looked a little different to that of any other before, but we here at Mintridge have been determined that everyone being at home won’t stop us harnessing the power of sporting role models to promote physical and mental wellbeing in young people.
The Youth Sport Trust and Sky Sports team have united the country through sport with National School Sport Week at Home between 20th and 26th June and together with Squadkit, we have joined the nation!
This started on Monday 22nd June with Lichfield Cathedral School with Double Olympian and Mintridge Ambassador, Lizzie Simmonds. Lizzie’s energy came to the fore within minutes as she launched her virtual presentation which focussed on five key areas before opening the “virtual” floor for some brilliant questions:
· COMMUNICATION
· TIME MANAGEMENT - “I’m training for 4 years for a 2-minute race!”
· ACCEPTANCE - “No one has changed the world being like anyone else!”
· THE OLYMPIC GAMES - “I felt like a Rockstar in goggles!”
· FAILURE – “Get good at failing!”
It is worth noting at this point, that, as well as some brilliant questions, the Lichfield students gave Lizzie the best round of applause that we have heard since the start of lockdown, thank you everyone! Keep up the incredible work and we hope to be able to see you in person soon.
As part of our work with Squadkit, we are determined to make sport and physical activity accessible for all and that is why are huge fans of the Squadkit Challenge. To celebrate National School Sports Week, Lizzie has also created one herself. Why don’t you have a go yourself by clicking just here? Alphabet Exercise is the way forward.
The Wednesday of National School Sports Week at home soon came around and we, alongside Squadkit were very excited to be joined by Shona McCallin MBE as we virtually made our way to Milton Abbey School for their weekly assembly. Shona was flattered by the fact that the lettering of the presentations were turned to gold in her honour as she later went onto share that incredible road to Rio that took the GB women to that historic hockey gold. We never need an excuse to watch that final, here it is again for anyone wanting some inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qThnZM8SsdM.
Shona’s honesty of the highs and lows of elite sport were apparent throughout her presentation as she spoke about:
· Planning ahead & managing stress.
· “Finding your why” where Shona shared one of our favourite quotes from Mia Hamm:
“Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her.”
· The importance of the team behind the team.
· Keeping your mind in the present, here Shona delved a little more into her love for Headspace as she has learnt to train her mind just as she trains her physical hockey skills.
· Controlling the controllables
· The postponement of the Olympics and how she is using it as another year to improve and using her time in lockdown to explore a variety of training methods to try and reach the optimum conditions that she has become accustomed to.
As Lizzie experienced, Shona also enjoyed some brilliant questions which ended with; “How did you motivate yourself after Rio 2016?”. This was a fantastic example of refocussing your goals and to how to continue when you have reached your own Mount Everest.
Shona headed across to the Squadkit social channels soon after for a Q&A to help inspire and motivate as many young people as she could throughout the week, we hope that everyone enjoyed it.
Thank you very much to Squadkit for your ongoing support of our important work, something that is more important than ever through this global pandemic. We simply couldn’t reach the level of young people that we want to without your support, thank you. We are excited for tomorrow’s live Q&A with the one and only Marilyn Okoro. Head over to Squadkit’s Instagram from 3pm – see you there.