What happens when you take six Mintridge Ambassadors to Studfall Junior Academy for a summer of sport?

Well, we are about to tell you right here!

Day One

Jordan Jarrett-Bryan and Fil Kamps Bronze Wheelchair Basketball and Deaf Football Programme

Team Mintridge were delighted to be invited back to Studfall Junior Academy this year during their School Sports Week, with six of our inspirational Ambassadors! During a fun filled three days, Team Mintridge delivered six different presentations and physical coaching sessions to inspire the young people at Studfall to try a new sport, learn from the Ambassadors and have a lot of fun during their week of sport.

This inspirational week, started with Jordan Jarrett-Bryan and Fil Kamps who spoke to the students at Studfall during the whole school assembly about their elite sporting careers, the amazing people they have met and the challenges they have both faced along the way. As a disabled athlete and Channel 4 News journalist, Jordan had lots of great messages to share with the students that were echoed by Fil, who spoke and signed to the students about his incredible experiences competing in deaf football. Jordan and Fil both wanted the students always to dream big, work hard and always try their best, in whatever they do.

After this initial assembly, Jordan led some wonderful Wheelchair Basketball sessions with the students, with a little help from The Wheelchair Basketball Experience and they were all incredibly excited to try it, showing off their turns and twists in the chairs. Throughout these sessions, the students were very supportive of each other and had lots of fun cheering on their teammates during the fun relay races.

Meanwhile outside, Fil was also leading some incredible deaf football sessions with the students, which gave them a whole new perspective on what it is like to compete with a hearing impairment and the challenges he faces in his daily life. The students loved learning how to communicate without their voices playing football and adapt their body language to help support their peers in the sessions.

Fil was very impressed with how well the students all worked together and how everyone got stuck into the football skills and drills!

At the end of these incredibly active and fun sessions, the students at Studfall asked Jordan and Fil some great questions about their sporting journeys and the best ones were;

When you started playing wheelchair basketball, did you like it and did they say no to you?

What position did you both play in wheelchair basketball and deaf football?

Jordan, what was the first club you joined?

Fil, where has been your favourite place to play football?

Who was your favourite person to interview Jordan?

Who inspired you both?

Day Two

Jade Windley and Khadijah Safari Bronze Tennis and Kickboxing Programme

On day two of this amazing week, we visited Studfall again but this time with former Wimbledon competitor Jade Windley and Kickboxing black belt Khadijah Safari.

Jade and Khadijah introduced both of their sporting stories with an inspirational message for the students to live by…

“Sport is fun and is for everyone!”

Jade and Khadijah have both performed at their very best and overcome a lot of challenges on their journeys to success.

Jade delivered some fun and challenging tennis skill sessions with the students to get them working hard individually but also as a group. It was great for them to be able to learn from Jade and see some of her tennis tricks and tips. The students loved ending their sessions with a fun group challenge and seeing who could be the king or queen of the court.

At the same time, Khadijah was showing the students her ‘cross jab’ and ‘high kick’ which they loved trying out for themselves and hitting the mitts being held up by their teachers and students.

Throughout these sessions, both Jade and Khadijah challenged the students to be the best versions of themselves and it was great to see the students having so much fun with the two Ambassadors.

Khadijah definitely encouraged the students to be as loud as possible too, so there were a few hoarse voices at the end of the day!

The students again had lots of questions to ask our Ambassadors during the day, some of the best ones were:

Have you ever hurt anyone when fighting?

How did you feel when you first started kickboxing?

When did kickboxing begin?

How long have you been playing tennis for Jade and who are you sponsored by?

Is it scary trying to compete at a high level?

Who inspired you to start tennis and kickboxing?

Jade, how did you know tennis was the right sport for you?

What has been your best experience to date?

Day Three

Marko Backovic and Jack Fleckney Bronze Basketball and Orienteering Programme

Finally, on day three of this incredible Sports Week at Studfall Junior School, Team Mintridge returned with the amazing Marko Backovic and Jack Fleckney for a fun-filled day of basketball and orienteering.

Our Ambassadors started off this fantastic day, with a joint whole school Assembly. Marko introduced his life in basketball and shared some of his experiences with the students, including what it was like for him to compete with the Sheffield Sharks at the top of his game and with England too. The students at Studfall are keen basketball players and enjoyed learning some new tips and tricks from Marko during these sessions.

Jack followed Marko’s presentation with an exciting insight into his life as a royal Marine, explorer and entrepreneur and some gripping videos of his time climbing some of the world’s highest mountains and toughest terrains. The students loved hearing all about Jack’s adventures and learning a lot more from him during their orienteering sessions.  The Ambassadors talked to the students at Studfall about what sport has given them, the importance of setting goals and what lessons they have learnt on their journeys to success.

At the very end of this Programme and the Programmes this week, each of the Ambassadors awarded the students who had worked hard during their sessions a medal and certificate to celebrate their hard work and gave each of the children they worked with a signed autograph card to take away with them.

To round off a great day, the students also asked Marko and Jack some questions about their lives, including:

What was it like seeing a hippo in the wild Jack?

Marko, who inspired you to play basketball and what is your favourite thing about being part of a team?

Jack, what has been your hardest challenge so far?

What has been your favourite moment in basketball Marko?

Team Mintridge always encourage young people and students to join local sports clubs around them and during our day we encouraged the students to try and get involved in sport outside of school and ask their teachers where their local club is. 

We loved hand delivering our copy of Foundations to Studfall Junior Academy. It has all of the stories from our amazing Ambassadors in it and we hope the students love learning more about #TeamMintridge.

We had such an inspiring and amazing active week at Studfall Junior Academy, as part of their sports week and we are so grateful that they invited us to be part of this week again this year. Thank you to the staff at Studfall for helping to organise this triple programme and to the students for putting in so much effort and enthusiasm. We can’t wait to be back next year to visit the students again for some more inspirational Mintridge programmes.
If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with 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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