Many of our sport scholars headed to The Abbey School  last week to listen to various sporting superstars and experts on how to manage your time/body during very busy terms.  There were various sporting carousels each pupil could choose, here is an extract from a few of our pupils: 

'I absolutely loved the sports scholar's day at The Abbey school, the hockey session was really helpful, and it was amazing to have it led by a GB hockey player. Furthermore, the gymnastics talk with Kelly Simm was so interesting and her talking about all her setbacks and how she acted in the face of adversity was so inspirational. All in all, I absolutely loved the day and had so much fun!'

'The Girls Go Gold sports scholars’ trip was a great opportunity for all of us to learn a lot about our sports and health. I was lucky enough to have training session with an excellent GB hockey player, who taught me a lot not just about playing the game but also my mental approach to it. I had three lectures that followed, one being on my nutrition, teaching me what I must eat to fuel myself before and after fitness is very important. And that it can impact our performance. I had a talk from a para-weight lifter who shared her journey on rehabilitation; this showed me that even if you get injured that there are ways of building yourself back up. And lastly a talk from a British gymnast, although I am not a gymnast, I found it interesting to hear her story and how she was nervous just like everybody else taking her first steps onto the Olympic mat.'

'For my review about the Girls Go Gold conference, I think it was a really engaging, well thought out experience, in which I thoroughly enjoyed. The talks from the Olympic champions and the range of athletes and people in charge of the media or advertisements, really created a wide perspective of how the sporting career works, and what they look at in the athlete. It really motivated and inspired me to pursue my dreams and go for it as a tennis player, and the balance of talks and practical activities made it a more thought provoking and gave an opportunity for me to understand the number of hours and work it takes to become a high-level athlete. It is about the ups and downs, and you should push through no matter what.

I would definitely experience another day like this and would recommend it to the other scholars who weren't able to make it.'

'I think the conference was an extremely engaging, valuable experience as I learned so much from such a wide variety of Olympians who covered so many different areas of sport. The talks were so interactive, and I really felt like a part of the experience as it led me to be able to implement all the information given to me into my daily life and into a future sporting career. This talk really motivated me to become even more keen about becoming a sportswoman as I grow older, reaching my goal of becoming a professional tennis player, making it feel a lot closer to achieving. I would really love it if we were able to attend a similar style conference like this in the future.'