Mintridge Bronze Gymnastics Programme with Grace Harrison at Hazel Leys Academy
“If you don’t experience the ups, you won’t appreciate the downs!”
Team Mintridge were delighted to be back delivering an in person programme this week as we visited Hazel Leys Academy, joined by Commonwealth finalist Grace Harrison.
According to the Youth Sports Trust, almost three quarters of teachers are reporting that children are returning with low levels of physical fitness and almost half have noticed mental wellbeing issues. Post-Covid19 challenges like these is why the work of our wonderful Ambassadors is paramount to inspire the younger generations and to increase activity levels again.
Grace started of this Bronze programme by talking about her inspiring gymnastics success story, to the students at Hazel Leys Academy, during their whole school assembly. During this presentation, Grace spoke about the highs and lows of her career as well as how important it is to respect and appreciate your support network around you. Grace also inspired the students by talking about times she has been resilient in her career and has bounced back from setbacks, such as injuries, showing the students that you must never give up and keep working hard for what you want to achieve. After this, Grace then highlighted the importance of experiencing these setbacks because then when something amazing happens, you appreciate it more as you know you have worked extremely hard for it.
After this inspiring assembly, the students had a fun packed day of twists, jumps and balances. Grace demonstrated handstands, cartwheels and forward rolls and the students were extremely impressed with her elite ability. The students then warmed up and showcased their excellent skills to Grace who walked around and coached them, giving them her top tips on how to improve! The students also worked on their teamwork and supported each other to ensure that their balancing was stronger and more stable.
Some of the students at Hazel Leys are a similar age to Grace when she started gymnastics so throughout the day they were inspired to continue at their chosen sport or hobby as they looked up to Grace as a role model. Throughout her elite career, Grace has always been told to…
“Take small steps and giant strides!”
This has encouraged her to always try her best, whether that is during a competition or in training and that the journey to elite success isn’t straightforward.
As the day continued, Grace taught the students an important message to always enjoy what you do and to always be happy. When Grace was competing at the Commonwealth games her support network around her told her to…
“Take in the moment that you have worked hard for and enjoy it.”
This is such an important life lesson to teach the young students at Hazel Leys as you must always enjoy doing what you do, say yes to positive experiences, and always be resilient when faced with a challenge, whether this is related to sport or upcoming exams.
At the end of each session, the students in each group wanted to learn more about Grace so they asked some great questions. Below are the best ones;
Who inspired you?
Is it scary when you are about to compete?
Did you have any competitors who you really wanted to beat?
What is the toughest competition that you have ever been at?
If you fall, do you just keep practising?
What is your most challenging move?
Have you ever made a mistake during a performance?
Have you ever got nervous before and what did you do to overcome those nerves?
How many medals have you won?
We were so excited to be back delivering our programme at Hazel Leys Academy with the incredible Grace Harrison. Thank you again to the staff at Hazel Leys for helping to organise this amazing programme and allowing us to physically visit you. We can’t wait for our next visit in a couple of weeks time!
At The Mintridge Foundation, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to hear the stories and experience the power of our exceptional Mintridge role models have on the young people we work with. We know that having a role model who can support you, influence you and offer you advice that can help you on your own journey and pathway, can be extremely beneficial.
If you are interested in a Programme with Grace Harrison 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 at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk.
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.
