Flipping Into National School Sports Week 2022 with Grace Harrison at Warboys Primary Academy, June 2022
Flipping Into National School Sports Week 2022 with Grace Harrison at Warboys Primary Academy, June 2022
According to recent research from the Youth Sports Trust, there’s still some way to go to build understanding of the importance of physical literacy and in ensuring children are sufficiently active throughout their day but as ever, the Mintridge Foundation is determined to change this narrative and one way of achieving this is through using moving with sporting superstars to help young people develop their mental fitness superpowers!
One such sporting superstar is Commonwealth Games Finalist from the Isle of Man and Mintridge Ambassador, Grace Harrison who made her way to Warboys Primary Academy to kickstart the Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sports Week with a morning of gymnastics. The theme for this year’s #NSSW2022 is belonging and as Mrs Ford stressed in her introduction to Grace in the school assembly, there is a place in sport for every child. This was emphasised when Mrs Ford brought out fellow Team Mintridge Ambassador, Danielle Brown MBE’s book, “Run Like A Girl” which highlights that no one story is the same as we move through life.
“Who would have thought that a girl from the Isle of Man could have gone onto the Commonwealth Games and made the final?”
With such excitement building and less than 50 days to go until the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, it felt very apt for Grace to share her journey to the pinnacle of her career at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games with the Warboys community; the ups, the downs and everything in between from the age of 3 through to today.
“I’ve spent most of my life upside down.”
It was very special for us all to witness the hands shoot up at the end of Grace’s empowering presentation as the KS2 children asked a number of questions that linked to her story.
“We felt so privileged to host Grace Harrison’s visit to kick off National School Sports Week. The children in KS2 were captivated.”
“Sport is something you do, it doesn’t define you. ”
“Floor was my favourite in gymnastics because I could show off my personality and I love to TUMBLE! ”
We couldn’t bring Grace all the way to Cambridgeshire and not get the gymnastics mats out now, could we? We therefore split the Year 3’s into two (very enthusiastic, we might add) groups to enjoy a gymnastics session with such a role model, so off we went…
Grace led two fantastic sessions centred around a number of gymnastics skills. Balance, flexibility and jumps were a core focus but a key message from Grace was to encourage everyone to keep pushing themselves to get small improvements. After all, her favourite quote is: “Big changes come from hundreds of tiny steps and they all matter”. Well done to the award winners in each session for your hard work and we can’t wait to hear how you progress in your own journeys.
“When I was injured, it gave me time to turn my weaknesses into strengths. ”
“I don’t remember all of the scores from my career, but I remember the experiences and the processes. ”
Between sessions, it was very special to be able to catch up with fellow Team Mintridge Ambassador, Justine Lucas’s mentees, Darcie & Alex. They have recently finished a six month mentoring programme which even included a trip to the TikTok Women’s Six Nations as mascots! Grace loved hearing the positive impact that the mentoring had on both of them and has lots to report back to Justine with.
Thank you very much to Mrs Ford and the Warboys Primary Academy staff for welcoming the Mintridge Foundation back and we can’t wait to continue our work next year. In the meantime, we really hope that you all enjoy the rest of the school year and…Keeeeeep Movin’…
“If I could change anything about my career, it would be to make sure that I soak up the experiences and enjoy it more in the moment. ”
If you would like to understand more about our mentoring programmes with elite athletes and how they can support the young people at your school or club, please contact Katie Smith.
If you are considering supporting the Mintridge Foundation as a business, organisation or as an individual, head to our SUPPORT US page below.
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
