“Be a sponge and never plateau!” Shona McCallin MBE shares her journey to the top of the Olympic Podium with Limitless Ambassadors

Wednesday 23rd June brought beautiful sunshine yet again across the United Kingdom but that didn’t stop the Limitless Kit Ambassadors tuning in from across the country to enjoy an early evening presentation and Q&A with GB Hockey’s Shona McCallin MBE.

Limitless and the Mintridge Foundation share so many strong values around participation, wellbeing and above all else, fun in the sport and physical activity that they do and that is why the partnership is such a positive one allowing for opportunities like this where Shona was able to demonstrate real life examples of this.

Shona demonstrated throughout her presentation the key attributes that it takes to reach the top of your sport, but above all remember, why you are doing it.

“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her.”

— Mia Hamm

A willingness to learn, a good support system and knowing your self is key and just some of the focussed areas that the Mintridge Ambassador and Olympic Gold Medallist shared. This was brilliant for the Ambassadors from a multitude of different sports to hear which gave way to an array of questions:

When asked what inspires you, Shona demonstrated exactly what sport can achieve, and that is to unite a nation when it is needed the most and that is her inspiration as she moves into the final few weeks of preparation before boarding that plane to Tokyo!

Shona also shared how she handles the pressure of social media, how she balanced her sport and school life as well as some hints and tips for the pitch for the hockey players in the group. Everyone was buzzing by the end of the session as they can take some key takeaways into their own sporting journeys.

Thank you very much to Shona for your valuable insight and thank you to Limitless for your ongoing support, we love working with you and we are excited to follow the progress of your Ambassadors.

If your school or club would like a programme either in person or virtually with an Olympian, Paralympian or another professional sports star, please contact Katie Smith.

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.

The Mintridge Foundation

Unit 4, Shieling Court

Northfolds Road

Corby

Northants

NN18 9QD

Tel: +44 (0) 1536 447106

info@mintridge.org.uk

www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk