Jordan Jarrett-Bryan and Laura Sugar MBE spend the day inspiring the students at Quilters Junior School during their Paralympic week
“Work hard, never give up and work together to achieve your dreams and goals.”
Team Mintridge were delighted to be invited back to Quilters Junior School again this year for their annual Paralympic week, with not one but two of our inspirational Ambassadors!
The amazing Jordan Jarrett-Bryan was back at Quilters for a second time to show the staff and students a few more wheelchair basketball skills alongside our paracanoe Paralympic champion, Laura Sugar MBE who also joined us for the day. This dream team were the perfect pair to talk to the students at Quilters Junior School about the Paralympics and what it takes to perform at your best. Having both been at Tokyo 2020, Jordan working with the media and Laura doing her thing in the water, they both had some brilliant words of advice for the students.
Quilters Junior School always celebrate how special each person is and that everyone has their own strengths and abilities. As part of their week, Power2Inspire deliver a wide range of Paralympic sports for the students to try, so they too can understand what it takes to be a Paralympian. We brought along Make Change who supported our programme with their sports wheelchairs and Jay their wheelchair basketball coach.
With a depth of experience on the basketball court, out on the water and behind the scenes at the Paralympic Games, Jordan and Laura both shared the highs and lows of Paralympic sport with the students during our day and gave them an insight into what it is like to take part in sport with a disability. With a chair by his side and with a paddle in her hand, Jordan and Laura both show their best selves when they are put to the test and through their journeys reinforce the messages and attitudes to learning and wellbeing that the headteacher, Mr Wade, shares with the students on a daily basis, which are;
Giving to others
Connecting with others
Taking notice of the world around you
Wanting to learn and improve
Being active
Team Mintridge spends the day with the students at Quilters each year to encourage them to challenge themselves, try something new and have fun learning from our inspirational role models.
During our day, we were joined by Jay from Make Change who supported Jordan during the coaching sessions and as a team, they showed the students how to control the chairs on the basketball court and also when dribbling a ball too. Meanwhile, Laura spent her coaching sessions outside teaching the students her paracanoe specific warm-up and fitness sessions she does on land and what it takes to train like a paracanoe Paralympic champion!
Laura spent some time visiting the classrooms to show the students her Paralympic and world championship medals and answered any questions they had for her. Both Jordan and Laura also gave the students signed autograph cards to take home with them and handed out some special awards for those who showed great perseverance during their sessions.
Some of the best questions for our Mintridge Ambassadors throughout the day and during our assembly were:
Laura and Jordan
How did you start getting into sports?
What is your disability?
How does it feel to be at the Paralympics?
How old were you when you started liking sport?
Who inspired you?
Laura
What is your medal made of?
What is your favourite medal?
Do you ever fall in the lake?
How did it feel when you won your gold medal?
Jordan
Do you play any other sports?
What are the differences between sports wheelchairs and regular wheelchairs?
Have you interviewed any other famous athletes?
Do you wear your prosthetic leg when you play wheelchair basketball?
What was your favourite thing about competing in wheelchair basketball?
To round off a brilliant day, the students heard from both Laura and Jordan in their joint assembly, where they shared more about what it takes to be a Paralympian and the road to success.
We are so grateful to Quilters Junior School for inviting Team Mintridge to be a part of your special Paralympic sports week and we hope the students gained a lot from their day with Jordan, Laura and Jay from Make Change.
If you would like to see the photos and video from our day, please contact the staff at Quilters Junior School.
We can’t wait to see you all again soon!
Thanks
Team Mintridge
If you are interested in a Programme with Jordan Jarrett-Bryan and Laura Sugar MBE or any of our other Mintridge Ambassadors, or you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with one of our team of inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website or with Katie.
If you would like to understand more about our mentoring programmes with our Mintridge Ambassadors and how they can support the young people at your school or club, please contact Katie Smith.
The Mintridge Foundation is dedicated to helping young people find their mental fitness superpowers. Following research conducted by Loughborough University, Mintridge successfully replaces any negative notion of pressure around physical activity with fun, breaking down barriers and levelling the playing field. That is exactly what Jade Windley did during her visit on Tuesday 13th September 2022.
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.
The Mintridge Foundation
Unit 4, Shieling Court
Northfolds Road
Corby
Northants
NN18 9QD
Tel: +44 (0) 1536 447106
www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk
