Bronze Modern Pentathlon Programme with Jo Muir OLY at Bromsgrove Pre Preparatory School – April 2022

“Being an elite athlete is like making a cake… it takes a lot of different ingredients; a lot of time and patience and you have to keep working at it to make the perfect outcome!”

What a special day at Bromsgrove Pre Preparatory with the amazing Jo Muir OLY!

The parents and friends of Bromsgrove Pre–Prep school invited, Jo Muir OLY, current GB Modern Pentathlon athlete and Tokyo 2020 Olympian, to inspire the Pre–Prep students, as part of this fabulous Bronze Modern Pentathlon Programme.

This was an exciting way to introduce Modern Pentathlon to the students ahead of their very own school Modern Pentathlon day next week.

Throughout our day at Bromsgrove, the pupils gained some valuable insight during Jo’s presentations and coaching sessions, about the life of an Olympian and what it’s like to compete at the top of your game in five different disciplines.   

Jo inspired the students to work hard to try and achieve big things and encouraged them throughout the day to take part in all sports, as sport can provide so many opportunities for you to meet new people, take on new challenges and gain valuable opportunities that you may never have had the chance to do. This was especially relevant when listening to Jo talk about the countries she has been able to visit and what her daily life is like when preparing to compete at an Olympic Games.  

During their time with Jo, the students practised their best fencing footwork and fencing techniques in their coaching sessions and got to see, feel and try on some of Jo’s kit from the Olympic Games as well as see her shiny medals from previous competitions. The students were especially lucky during their day to see Jo in action, as she showed them her laser pistol and how difficult it is to shoot at the small electronic target that she brought in to show the students.  Jo shared some very poignant messages with the students during her time with them and wanted them to think about how they can persevere and stay resilient in their lives, especially when things get tough for them.

As part of our day, the students relished the opportunity to ask Jo any questions they had and to learn all about her career. Some of the best questions from our day were:

 Do you ever get home late from a competition?

Will you ever stop competing?

Have you been on the news?

How deep is the water that you swim in and the horses jump into?

Which are your two favourite medals?

How old were you when you went to the Olympics?

When did you start competing in Modern Pentathlon?

How many countries have you visited?

Which country has been your favourite to visit?

The students were incredibly enthusiastic throughout their sessions with Jo and each of them walked away with a signed autograph card from Jo to remember their time with her.

 We were amazed to hear that the students were especially excited about trying new sports in their spare time and loved the fencing sessions so much that they wanted to do more of it outside of school…with some of the teachers feeling the same way too! One student asked Jo when she would be visiting again and if she could come back tomorrow for more fencing fun! We look forward to hopefully seeing lots of future stars from Bromsgrove Pre – Preparatory School joining Team GB in the future! 

Jo had a fantastic day with the students at Bromsgrove Pre – Preparatory School and we are delighted that they got to hear Jo’s story but also have some fun learning some new skills with her too. We look forward to hopefully visiting them all again soon with more of our inspirational Ambassadors!

If you would like to see the photos and videos from our time at Bromsgrove Pre- Prep School, please contact the staff from the school. 

If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with our Modern Pentathlon Ambassador, Heather Fell OLY or any of our other inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website or with Katie.

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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