"It’s not always a smooth journey, but it’s worth it when you reach that end goal!”- Paralympic champion, Laura Sugar, inspires the students at New College Leicester
Silver Mentoring Programme with Paralympic Champion, Laura Sugar, at New College Leicester – November 2021
“As long as you stay on that rollercoaster journey, you will get there in the end. It’s not always a smooth journey, but it’s worth it when you reach that end goal!”
Laura Sugar, our fantastic Ambassador and Paralympic Gold Medallist in para-canoe at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, motivated pupils at New College Leicester as part of a fantastic Silver Mentoring Programme, which was supported by the National Lottery Community Fund. Laura’s day with New College Leicester, included inspirational presentations, canoe specific fitness sessions and a reintroduction to her two mentees!
Laura began each of her sessions throughout the day with an insightful presentation, covering her sporting career across athletics, hockey, and para-canoeing, including how her late entry to the sport at 27 years old did not stop her from earning a gold medal at Tokyo! Laura also encouraged students to always keep an open mind towards new opportunities, especially if that opportunity scares them or pushes them outside of their comfort zone.
A key takeaway for the students at New College Leicester was the inspiring attitude and positive mentality that Laura has shown when faced with new challenges along her journey and how they too can utilise negative situations to make a positive outcome.
The students then got the opportunity to participate in fun fitness sessions delivered by Laura and take on some challenging exercises that demonstrated some of the exercises athletes and canoeists undertake to build their strength. Laura put herself up against some of the students and applauded the efforts of the students throughout the sessions.
During our day, students could ask Laura questions about her career, some of the best ones were:
How fast can you go in a canoe?
How fast can you run 100m?
How many different countries have you visited when competing?
If someone asked you to do Paralympic rugby would you do it?
Who inspired you?
How many records have you broken?
Do you ever think, what if I said no to canoeing?
What sports don’t you enjoy?
How many medals have you won altogether?
The students were incredibly receptive to Laura’s advice and approach to goal setting and how the students could start their own journeys to success now and work towards those big goals, if they really set their mind to it.
Laura got the students thinking, “What does success look like for you?”, and we hope that to see some future stars from New College Leicester, after their day being inspired by Laura.
Every student walked away from our day with a signed autograph card and in each session, one student who particularly stood out for their participation and effort received a medal, certificate, and a goodie bag.
It was incredible for the students to be able to see and feel Laura’s gold medal that she won in the most recent Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which made her a Paralympic champion. Two lucky mentees will also get to call once a fortnight with our Paralympic champion, as part of this amazing Silver mentoring programme, and we were delighted that we got to meet these two students again in person during our visit.
Laura and Team Mintridge had an amazing day with staff and students at New College Leicester, and we can’t wait to hear all of the great success stories that come out of this school, along with the impact Laura will have on her two mentees during this programme.
If you would like to see the photos or video from our day at New College Leicester, please contact the staff at the school. Thank you again to the National Lottery Community Fund for supporting this programme.
If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with Laura Sugar or any of our other inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk.
Team Mintridge
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.