Level 2 Sports students took part in a Sky Sports Living for Sports event last week in West London alongside employees from Sky Sports, Team GB athletes and 200 primary school pupils. CWC’s students led several activity sessions including dancing and Tae Kwando and helped to encourage young children to participate in a variety of different sports throughout the day. Olympic athletes also attended the event hosted in association with the Youth Sport Trust at the Westway Sports Centre which was aimed at encouraging young people to learn new skills.
Olympic Rower Cath Bishop who acts as a mentor through Sky Sports and Youth Sport Trust’s mentorship programme said, “Events like this are so important because it excites people, gives them an energy and helps us to get the message across that sports can teach you all sorts of things. It’s not just about if you’re going to be a top footballer or a top sportsman, it’s about whether you can work with other people, developing leadership skills, dealing with difficult situations and reacting quickly. The mentorship programme is really important as it’s good to have people come in who have been through it on their own journey and have managed to be successful. All of us have had highs and lows and it’s about explaining that there are always low points on the way to success. We’re not teachers, we’re there to share our experiences and really try and be completely honest about the down times as much as the high points.”
“It’s important for our students to get involved in events like this because it’s all focused around their employability,” said Andrew Rogers a Leisure, Health and Public Services lecturer. “If they want to get in to coaching in the future and have a career in that field then they need to have experience coaching all kinds of people in different situations. They’re working with staff from Sky Sports, Olympic athletes and primary school children to get some experience under their belt for when they’re looking for jobs. They’ve done very well to get this opportunity and they’ve all been extremely enthusiastic, even with the bus strike going on, they got up earlier to make sure they were all here on time as they’re all keen to make this event successful.”