“You always have a choice.”

 Prior’s Field School Sports Scholar Bronze Presentation Programme with Lizzie Simmonds OLY supported by Limitless Kit.

We were delighted to be back with the Prior’s Field School sports scholars for another inspirational morning with one of our amazing Ambassadors, Lizzie Simmonds OLY. Thanks to the support from Limitless Kit, we were able to visit the sports scholars once again for a very special morning. Lizzie competed in swimming at the London 2012 Olympic Games and has numerous titles to her name on the international stage. Lizzie spent her whole life in the pool, and now as a retired athlete, she spends her time developing and supporting the sport and the values of the BOA as part of her role as chair of the Athletes’ Commission.

Lizzie spent the morning inspiring the students at Prior’s Field School as part of an amazing bronze programme designed to support them all on the road to success, wherever it may lead them.

During our morning, Lizzie was able to share some valuable insights with the sports scholars about how they can manage their training schedules, their actions and reactions and the give them some key advice about how to take control of their performance in their chosen sports. Lizzie also highlighted to the scholars why it is important to stand out and own your differences, as ultimately they are what can lead to success in the long term.

“When I went through my journey, I realised I didn’t want to be like anyone else…If you want to do something extraordinary, then standing out is a great thing!”

As young people who are already competing in their sports at a high level, the sports scholars learnt a lot from Lizzie about failure and the importance of choosing to fail and showing up even when times are tough, as this is what makes a professional athlete successful.

“We expect to go into situations and succeed straight away, but that isn’t reality…Failure is part of success.”

Here are some of the questions that the students asked during the morning that helped them gain a deeper understanding of what it is like to perform at the elite level.

What was your main strength?

Did you ever go through times when it was difficult and you wanted to give up?

Did you end up marrying Michael Phelps?

Is there anything that your friends, coaches or teachers said to you that kept you going?

Do you have any regrets?

Why is it important to take ownership and show up to training and competitions?

It was a wonderful morning for Team Mintridge, Lizzie and the staff and students at Prior’s Field School. The sports scholars from Prior’s Field took a lot from their time with Lizzie and really enjoyed meeting her during the presentation.

This Bronze programme concluded our series with the Prior’s Field Sports Scholars. Throughout the year have heard from Heather Fell OLY, Eboni Usoro-Brown and Lizzie Simmonds OLY. For the sports scholars, it was incredibly important to hear the messages from these athletes, as they plan ahead to hopefully a successful pathway in sport but also planning for life outside of performing, especially if they become injured or are not selected during their careers.

As part of this day, Prior’s Field School chose to support their local primary school, Queen Eleanor’s C of E Junior School, by enabling them to also meet Lizzie who joined them for the second part of our morning. This was incredibly well received by the school and the perfect opportunity for Lizzie to inspire more young minds to get involved in swimming and sport and take on challenges that they face along the way.

Thank you again to our partners, Limitless Kit, for supporting this programme and inspiring more young people by choosing to donate to these programmes. we are extremely grateful.

We look forward to being back with the sports scholars at Prior’s Field School very soon for more inspirational programmes with our Mintridge Ambassadors.

To see any of the photos from our morning, please contact the staff at Prior’s Field School.

#TeamMintridge

If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with Lizzie Simmonds OLY, Heather Fell OLY or Eboni Usoro-Brown 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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