Middlesex Cricketing Star, Olivia Rae Supports Thrapston Cricket Club Throughout Lockdown
Middlesex Cricketing Star, Olivia Rae Supports Thrapston Cricket Club Throughout Lockdown
How long ago does 23rd March feel to everyone?
How much has changed during that time?
Well, what Team Mintridge can say with great pride is that one thing has been consistent throughout that time and that is Middlesex Cricket’s Olivia Rae remote mentoring programme with her Thrapston Cricket Club mentees. The Mintridge Foundation has been overwhelmed with the kindness shown by so many supporters throughout the difficult time of the Coronavirus pandemic. One such example of that is through the donor of this programme. Appreciating the impact that lockdown would have on young people’s mental and physical health in particular, our anonymous donor wanted to ensure that as many young people as possible were able to benefit from the positive impact that sporting role models have.
The support started with a Children’s Masterclass with Paralympian, Laura Sugar, which was a video made accessible to all via the Mintridge Foundation YouTube channel. The idea was simple; to give families plenty of physical ideas for the home and garden throughout lockdown through the empowering voice of World Medallist, Para Canoe Athlete, Laura Sugar.
Recent research conducted by the Youth Sports Trust showed that parents are valuing the time they are spending on activity with their children, believing that sports and fitness are bringing families together. 53% of parents were doing more physical activity with their children than they did prior to lockdown and 61% felt that playing sport and keeping fit was helping maintain their family’s physical and mental well-being. Hopefully, this enthusiasm may convert into increasing importance being placed on exercise within the family as restrictions ease and some of the ideas that Laura Sugar has given will help with this. If you are yet to watch it, put an hour aside and enjoy via the link above!
The next part of this kind donation was given for Olivia Rae to deliver a remote programme with two aspiring cricketers at Thrapston Cricket Club. The Mintridge Foundation aims to reduce the gap between elite sport and young people and if ever there was a time that everyone was in the same level playing field, it has been 2020. No matter who you are, what you have accomplished, we have all been in the same position and facing similar challenges – we are all human. With this in mind, Olivia has led her remote mentoring fantastically helping her two mentees establish a routine, find “at home” cricketing activities and above all, maintain a positive mental health during this time. Furthermore, with the arrival of a Crazy Catch as well as part of the programme, here was an added activity idea for the Thrapston players.
“By being honest and open (throughout the programme), I could provide individual and meaningful mentorship,” said Olivia who has shared the negative impact that Covid 19 has had on her mental health which has helped normalise the topic hugely. Mentoring is reciprocal and Olivia has gained so much from this experience too.
The programme has been delivered in a one on one remote safeguarded environment delivered via Playwaze and Skype on a fortnightly basis. This approach has helped to build a lasting legacy for our mentees. The first sessions were designed for everyone to get to know each other before moving into more specific sessions. As a team sport, cricketers had to adapt to reconnect with their team mates and friends in very different ways, Olivia and her mentees explored ways of recreating the team spirit that was so badly missed with no group training or matches. Getting to know yourself is so important in whatever you do and this took a great priority throughout the sessions; controlling the controllables in 2020 has been a tough thing to do but by mentoring, this has been given more attention to ease the situation (sport and more specifically, cricket might where the discussions centre, but this transcends into life skills as well).
As lockdown eased and our mentees were able to return to the nets (with great excitement, we might add), video analysis over Playwaze became a great way for everyone to benefit from Olivia’s fantastic coaching expertise (without being able to be there in person) which will aid our players as they return to matches.
We can’t wait to follow our Thrapston mentees’ progress and having this programme has been a great outlet during this bizarre year. One mentee’s statement of “You’ve changed the way I think” is a true testament to the positive impact that Olivia has had and we are delighted to make a small impact during this difficult time.
Again, from the Youth Sport Trust’s recent study of the Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions on Children and Young People, girls have identified positive factors from Covid – 19 and that has included having more time for hobbies (50%) and being more connected through video calls (22%) both of which have been enhanced through this programme. Thank you to everyone involved for enabling this to happen.
We are really excited to follow the progress of our mentees into the future and we hope that Olivia will be able to visit the club for a live session soon. Bring it on!
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If you would like a remote mentoring programme for your school or sports club during this time, please contact Katie Smith.
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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 Skype 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.
