Articles Archive - Page 26 of 27 - Athlete Media Group

“These girls are like medicine, they’re addictive” | Storm Trentham, Head coach of Kenya Lacrosse

28 June 2019 by

At the closing ceremony for the 2015 Word Championships, as Head Coach of the Welsh national side, Storm Trentham was ready to walk away from lacrosse.

Since 2009, Storm had helped introduce lacrosse to Kenya, working with Sporting Change International and her own company, DBA Sports. But it was in 2015 she decided to take on the Kenyan national team.

“Initially I just wanted to give the girls an opportunity at school, something to occupy themselves with, give them a focus and have fun. Not just watch the boys play football on the side-line.

“I had no intention whatsoever to start a national team, in fact I’d been asked that many times and I laughed it off. Working in sport in the western world is hard enough.” Storm Trentham explains.

“But it’s not every day you can be part of an international set-up and I saw a unique opportunity to see a totally different form of an international scene in a unique environment.”

Whilst it is not easy to raise sponsorship funds for any governing body, Storm admits the challenges that met her in Africa were unlike any she could have predicted.

“Some of our kids are from such disadvantaged backgrounds we have to provide toothbrushes, sports bras, socks. Everything you see in the photos we’ve given them. Some of our players even started playing lacrosse simply because they knew we fed them at training and that might be one of the few meals they eat in a normal weekend. Luckily some of these athletes are now in our National team”

On top of the costs incurred by providing the girls everything they need for training in the build-up, the sum needed to get to the World Championships is £148,000 for the 21 days the girls will be competing. But securing the funds to get to the Championships is just a minor issue that Kenya Lacrosse are faced with, and ‘unsurprisingly, most of the main issues revolve around money.’

We must find every penny of funding for all
these girls; their transport, food, accommodation
for training as well as the likes of their trainers.”

In February Storm was contacted by the Ministry of Education informing her that an official had to be present at training at their 5-day World Championship selection camp.

“I received a budget that was highly inflated, so I questioned it and asked for official documents stating they must be present as well as their daily allowances as these officials as they’d never been over the past 2-3 years.

Due to all their money coming from charitable donations, Storm was not willing to hand out money without the documents to prove it was needed.

“When they refused to do that, they stated I was ‘refusing to facilitate their entitled costs’, so they banned the sport. Just like that.’

With coaches having flown over from the UK USA, and many people ‘who had never met the girls’ providing financial donations, Storm described it as ‘soul destroying.’

“It’s just really heart-breaking thinking that all these road blocks are coming into place when all I want to do is help these girls, and more, in Kenya.”

“I’m not willing to give any donated money to anything other than our girls and their needs. Never will I apologies for fighting for these girls and refusing to pay out money to any official or other that shouldn’t be present in our program.”

“It’s just really heart-breaking thinking
that all these road blocks are coming into place
when all I want to do is help these girls, and more, in Kenya.”

“If I pay, it takes out of our pot of money and then they request the dame, if not more the next time. If I don’t, then the players suffer. I was in a lose, lose situation.

The same situation will arise when the team go to Canada for the World Championships, with it a requirement that a government official attends at a rate of $462 a day. An amount that would pay for 4 girls to go to school for a term, every day they are in Canada.

With so much money already needed to get the team out there in the first place, the additional cost of an attending official is something Kenya Lacrosse could do without.

Having spent so many years in international lacrosse and working with sporting governing bodies, Storm explains that ‘no one gets paid in lacrosse, a minor sport. It’s an honour to be part of the international setup, one doesn’t do it for financial gain.’

Even at the elite level, the best many coaches can hope for is to have expenses covered, with most athletes being self-funded.

But, even throughout all these challenges, Storm admits the girls make it all worth it. Whilst lacrosse is the focus, the motivation is to make a sustained change and help the girls secure a better future. All 18 girls are in or have finished education and they all now own a passport, this I no mean feat.

“I’m just so proud of how far they’ve come,
who they are off the pitch and how they’re
performing on it, but the spirit of the Kenya
girls is probably what I’m most proud of.”

With the spotlight a World Championships would shine on the team, Storm admits the exposure could be huge for the girls. Having spent so long in elite lacrosse, she sees the qualities in the girls that is required to play for college and university teams in the US and UK and she’s been contacted by schools in the. UK requesting for any of her athletes who may be interested in working within schools as sports assistants.

“These girls have an opportunity to be the leaders, potentially go to university and make sure they are not to governed by people they’ve come across with no integrity. The corruption in that country is unfathomable.”

“They’re just some of the most inspiring people I’ve had the good fortune to meet and who will be in my life forever. It’s taught me many things but mainly that anyone of any age can inspire you. Some of these girls are 15 years old and they inspire me daily for so many reasons that you’d not understand until you met them. It’s too hard to put into words.

“Some of these girls come from really disadvantaged backgrounds, not all of them but many, and that’s the exact reason why I can’t give up on them. Some can’t even bring 2 pairs of socks to camp.

One had to go back to her village to find their father’ death certificate to apply for the National ID. Another parent used the £45 for their passport on food as she has no option.

“This is what we are dealing with and you’d
not ever leave a friend or family member
high and dry, so I can’t leave these girls.”

“Four this month alone have been in hospital with Malaria but luckily or unluckily these were admitted to hospital during our camp, so we were able to cover their hospital fees, otherwise who knows if they’d ever have received treatment.

“This is what we are dealing with and you’d not ever leave a friend or family member high and dry, so I can’t leave these girls.

“I’m just so proud of how far they’ve come, who they are off the pitch and how they’re performing on it, but the spirit of the Kenya girls is probably what I’m most proud of.”

It is the girls’ stories, and genuine determination and refusal to be stopped, that has got people all over the world following their journey. Over 140 individuals, clubs and schools recently donated £100 after a social media post to help sponsor, they’re on and off field kit.

“They’re focused, and they know that this could be the only opportunity out.”

If you want to help Kenya Lacrosse get to the World Championships, sponsor a player or simply follow their incredible journey, visit www.kenyalacrosse.org

“I want to show that helping Africa is not just a drop in the ocean’ | Crista Cullen MBE

18 June 2019 by

Crista Cullen MBE is different. She describes herself as a ‘non-conformist’, and throughout her life has ‘done things differently.’

Growing up in Kenya, Crista had a very active lifestyle. Having spent most of her time outdoors exploring the Galana Wildlife Conservancy, a 65,000-acre area of land which provides a safe haven for some of the world’s biggest tuskers (elephant with over 100 pounds worth of ivory), her family have been present in this area for 3 generations, she loves anything that involves being outdoors, including sport.

So, when Crista started at Oakham School, a boarding school in the Midlands, she found sport to be a stabilising factor in an otherwise disruptive world.

“I arrived as a really different kid culturally and mentally. My outlook was different, but the great thing is sport gives you this perfect equilibrium. Everyone is suddenly on a level playing field.”

With a natural sporting talent, it wasn’t long before Crista had to choose which sport to pursue as both her England hockey trials and athletics trials were on the same day. She chose hockey, with the pulling power of experiencing things with teammates’ the difference.

But whilst Crista went on to win Bronze and Gold Olympic medals in the sport, it wasn’t a straight forward journey. At 15, she was told by a coach that she would never make it to senior international hockey.

“I had to work really hard to become technically
competent to compete at the top-level.”

But rather than take the coach’s opinion as fact, Crista worked even harder to prove him wrong. At 17, whilst she was still at school, she got the call up to the senior England squad.

She admits luck played a factor, as she was called up to cover an injury, but Crista made sure she took her chance. After all, life is about opportunities and Crista is exactly that an opportunist.

“The head coach of the time felt that I warranted an opportunity because I was very physically capable, just technically I wasn’t too gifted.”

Crista believes this is where you can see the difference between elite athletes and those who don’t quite make it; the ability to roll up your sleeves and ‘do the numbers.’

“You have to do 20,000 repetitions for a skill to become innate. There is no glamour about it, it’s just a bit of gritty resilience. I had to work really hard to become technically competent to compete at the top-level.”

After breaking into the England team, Crista tasted disappointment very early in her career, with the England women’s team failing to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

To ensure that she was supported financially, and to make sure there were no glaring gaps in her CV, Crista worked full-time, as well as completing a degree in Business Management.

With the award of the 2012 Olympics to London, that changed the GB Hockey structure, as the athletes received more funding, they progressed to full-time at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, Crista continued to work full time (where time allowed).

“It made me a better-rounded athlete as I was
both mentally challenged as well as physically challenged.

For her, it enabled her to continue working on her post-sporting career ambitions and develop further away from sport.

Crista Cullen, Team GB, London 2012, Olympics, Olympic Gold, Kenya, Conservation, Toufati, Thinking Differently, GB Hockey, Hockey, Poaching, Africa, Environment — LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 31: Crista Cullen of Great Britain clears the ball during the Women’s Hockey Match between Great Britain and Korea on day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Riverbank Arena on July 31, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

“It made me a better-rounded athlete as I was both mentally challenged as well as physically challenged. It also furthered my career prospects, gave me a few more guarantees and just made me feel a bit more settled.”

However, London 2012 proved to be a turning point for Crista.

“We were on the prowl basically for a medal and then had 15000 people shouting for it every time we stepped out.

“I thought well this is the best I was ever going to be a part of, a double Olympian and I got a bronze medal. I miss home so much; I’m going to retire and move back to Kenya.”

At 27, Crista retired from international hockey, moving back to Kenya after 15 years of living in the UK. Yet she admits that, in hindsight, the transition away from sport was very difficult.

“I arrived in Kenya thinking I’ve got it
made now but it was that loss
of identity, it’s just a struggle.”

Whilst she didn’t struggle for work, becoming a pilot, working in wildlife conservation and as a general manager for a security company in Nairobi, she found the lack of purpose a massive challenge.

“I arrived in Kenya thinking I’ve got it made now but it was that loss of identity, it’s just a struggle. I thought I was really organised, I had a career, I had loads of potential options, I had so many things happening and I still wobbled.”

However, after 3 years back in Kenya, Crista was asked to re-join the GB squad, after a phone call from the Great Britain Head Coach extending an invitation. After deliberating, she joined back up with the team for the 2016 Rio Games, 10 months prior to getting on the plane…. Or not!?

Crista admits she had no guarantees and didn’t walk back into the team full of confidence. There was self-doubt, worry and the potential of upsetting a successful squad.

It was worth it, and Crista was part of the team that won Gold at Rio 2016. Now, for the second time, Crista was faced with deciding what to do next.

Crista wanted to do something different. Having spent so much time working on wildlife conservation, she decided to set up her own charity; Tofauti, meaning ‘different’ in her native tongue of Swahili.

“I feel so privileged to be in a position to
be in front of audiences and bring
them on the journey with me. ”

Tofauti aims to help solve a wide range of conservation issues through educating local communities and tackling the problem at the root.

As well as making positive change, Tofauti provided Crista an element of purpose and identity.

“I wanted to show that helping Africa is not just a drop in the ocean, there is a way we can make a sustained change, it just needs to have an element of education with it and a willingness to put in the time and effort.

“I feel so privileged to be in a position to be in front of audiences and bring them on the journey with me.

“It is about solving problems at the root and
educating communities, so they feel
empowered, that’s so important.”

“It’s not a short term vision, this is how you bring sustained changed to small rural communities that can really be impactful, whether that’s building a dam to hold water because livestock, human and wildlife need to cohabitate in the area together, or building fences to stop deforestation.

“There’s so many problems that are so heavily linked to community and wildlife. It’s about finding those small pockets and trying to help fix the problems that are there.”

“I’m very keen for Tofauti to work with very rural communities and in somewhat isolated locations, we need to look at the problem holistically, it is not necessarily one size fits all.”

“It is about solving problems at the root and educating communities, so they feel empowered, that’s so important.”

Last year, Crista self-funded the Conservation Ball, an evening in London with 350 guests to try and raise funds for conservation projects in Africa. She succeeded, raising over £100,000.

With this as the start of what will be a long-term journey, Crista is organising the second ball this year, she is hoping to eclipse last years’ event. With Clare Balding OBE hosting, as well as an abundance of food, drink, dancing and celebrating ‘all things African’, Crista is hoping that this year can help push Tofauti on even further…. Together.

“It’s about having a new approach to getting an element of sustained change, but taking people with us and emotionally intergrating them in what we are trying to do.”

If you’re interested in attending the Conservation Ball, or finding out more about Tofauti, head to: https://www.conservationball.com/

“I went through all stages of grief, I lost my identity” | Danielle Brown MBE

18 June 2019 by

Danielle Brown MBE spent the whole of her career as world number one. After winning Paralympic Gold in Beijing, she went on to win gold again at the London 2012 Games and competed in the able-bodied Commonwealth Games of 2010, taking gold in that as well.

Whilst podium placements and peak performance were constant in her glittering career, Danielle has overcome numerous barriers in her pursuit of sporting supremacy.

Having come from a very sporty background, at age 11, Danielle was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in both of her feet. The condition always causes chronic pain. Running became ‘impossible’ and walking was ‘extremely painful.’

“I figured I was down to do either archery or swimming,” Danielle explains. “Playing with bows and arrows seemed a lot more exciting than bobbing up and down in the pool.”

“It was sort of my motivation to get through
the day and that was the way I dealt with
my disability with my pain.”

“I didn’t realise that archery even existed outside fairy stories and medieval history!”

Many athletes are described as being ‘a natural’ at a sport when they are younger. Danielle admits that when she first started, she was not.

“I couldn’t even hit the target, but I loved it. I was back outside and back doing sport.”

Aside from allowing Danielle access to sport again, it provided a way of dealing with the pain of her condition.”

“I was practicing a lot and if I could get through school with the pain I was well enough to go to archery.

“It was sort of my motivation to get through the day and that was the way I dealt with my disability with my pain.”

3 years after starting Archery, Danielle was in the GB Squad. But rather than place all her hopes in professional sport she chose to study Law at Leicester University alongside competing internationally.

Whilst it was a challenge, it was one worth taking as Danielle thought law was where her career would be.

Fortunately, she was ‘passionate about the sport and passionate about the degree’ and whilst it was hard, Danielle made sure she was committed to both.

Sport is very unpredictable, can be lonely
and it can be quite cruel as well. But it was
the one the I was the most passionate about”

Not many students can say they deferred a year of the education to compete at a Olympic or Paralympic Games, but that is exactly what Danielle did, bringing back the gold medal from Beijing 2008.

In 2010, Danielle received first class honours in her Law degree and she was faced with a choice.

“There was a crossroads. Do I choose that stable career in law or do I choose sport? Sport is very unpredictable, can be lonely and it can be quite cruel as well. But it was the one the I was the most passionate about, the one that brought me the most happiness.”

Not only did Danielle get Gold in Beijing, but in 2010 she made the monumental step of competing with able-bodied athletes at the Commonwealth Games.

“It was something that a lot of people told me I couldn’t do you know because of my disability but it was one of the things that I thought if I could shoot one arrow in the middle of the target why can’t I get them all?”

Danielle and her team won gold, and in the same week found out she had received first class honours in her Law degree. Danielle chose sport and admits the allure of a home games in London was an opportunity she could not miss.

At London 2012, Danielle’s archery was exactly the same.

“I didn’t do anything different you know. I got a chance of winning one medal in both [Olympics] and I did.”

However, the media circus surrounding the Games was completely new.

“I had two full days of media interviews. It was amazing. Such a good job was done in the run up to the games to try and promote para-sport, explain what it was and get it on the radar and then did a brilliant job of covering it throughout.”

After all of her medal success, as well as sacrificing a career in law, Danielle’s disability classification was cut from funding without warning.

“I went through all stages of grief but I also
[thought] I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“Being told that my disability didn’t affect my ability enough not only changed my identity from an athlete’s point of view but how I physically perceived myself as a person with a disability.

“I went through all stages of grief but I also [thought] I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“What do I do now? You know this is my life. It’s not just a career. Every decision you make is around winning that gold medal.”

Transition into a post-sport career is a notoriously difficult period in an athlete’s career. Danielle got ‘no support’ with her National Governing Body telling her ‘With the CV like yours you won’t find it difficult to get a job.’

Now, Danielle has set up her own motivational training and coaching business that inspires others to overcome the hurdles they face.

“Hearing that women have a more difficult path
to career progression … was never strong enough
to put me off, but it was strong enough to sow seeds of doubt”

“I do a lot around the performance side but diversity and inclusion is something I was really passionate about.

“When I was at school hearing that women have a more difficult path to career progression, pay rises and promotions, for me, it was never strong enough to put me off, but it was strong enough to sow seeds of doubt.”

Disability added another challenge, but sport gave Danielle added self–confidence and self–esteem.

“I managed to change those perceptions about myself and so I do a lot in terms of diversity and inclusion around identity and authenticity.”

As well as working in businesses, Danielle focuses on inspiring the next generation.

“I’m very passionate about the education sector. Inspiring and empowering the younger generation to unlock their potential overcome barriers and achieve more.”

Everything Danielle has turned her hand to has been a success. She is living proof that no matter your situation, you can still triumph in the face of adversity.

Now, rather than winning gold medals, Danielle hopes to inspire a generation to be the best version of themselves.

It hasn’t been plain sailing, but silver sparks start of senior success | Saskia Sills

15 June 2019 by

For Saskia Sills, GB Sailing windsurfer, there are two main passions in her life. Windsurfing and sustainability.

After watching her brother windsurf, Saskia wanted to give it a go. Quickly she fell in love with the sport and, growing up 20 minutes away from their local lake, Saskia’s parents would take her and her brother regularly.

“I remember going into school and we had a mufti day. We had to go in as what we wanted to be when we grew up. All the other little girls went as ballerinas or actresses. I went in a wetsuit and I wanted to be a windsurfer. I still never live that down.

“But sometimes I still have to pinch myself that I’m doing what a young Saskia wanted to do.”

It is no easy route onto GB Sailing’s roster. You cannot apply, you do not put yourself forward, you are invited.

“You have to go to every single competition, and there used to be one every weekend from April to October. Then, over the summer, you would be abroad.

“At that age, a lot of credit goes to our parents. It’s a huge sacrifice. They supported us endlessly but never ever pushed us. Our mum was always saying, ‘Are you not done with this yet?’ Wondering if we wanted to stop to pursue a more traditional lifestyle.

When all my friends would be at the cinema
or having sleepovers, I would be wanting to go
to the lake and train. It does take a different type of person.”

“It’s not a very traditional lifestyle. When all my friends would be at the cinema or having sleepovers, I would be wanting to go to the lake and train. It does take a different type of person.”

As Saskia gained more experience and skills, and reached the age needed to compete, she took part in the World Sailing Youth World Championships. They’re dubbed a ‘mini-Olympics.’

“It’s the pinnacle of your youth career. You have to qualify out of all these teams and only one boy and one girl get to go every year. Once you get selected to that, it helps with your pathway to Olympic Sailing.

“I won that World Championship the first time.”

Whilst Saskia clearly had the talent, she admits that it was just a foot in the door to GB sailing, with the selection process far from over.

Saskia Sills, World Sailing, Athlete Media Group, Silver Medal, GB Sailing, GB Windsurfing, Windsurfing, Marseille, Up And Coming, Olympics, Tokyo 2020 — Photo credit: Sailing Energy

“You have to stay in the team, show you are in line with the team values and that you are a fit and robust sailor. You have to tick all the boxes.”

Even once you are selected, there is no guarantee you stay on the team. Every year, there is a qualification event, in which you must re-qualify for your place on the team.

Whilst many athletes focus purely on their sporting career, with little thought for what they can do to better enhance their move away from sport, Saskia chose to pursue higher education.

But it was due to an illness, Coeliac disease, the pushed Saskia into the conclusion that obtaining a degree would be a good idea.

“I realised how quickly professional sport
can be taken away from you, and through
no fault of your own. That struck me hard.”

“I was studying my A levels and got ill with Coeliac disease. I had to take a year off windsurfing and all my life to that point was windsurfing and being a professional windsurfer.

“I was just doing A-Levels because I had to. I realised how quickly professional sport can be taken away from you, and through no fault of your own. That struck me hard.”

Saskia ‘frantically’ looked for universities all along the South Coast, eventually settling for Bournemouth and studying Geography.

For Saskia, juggling studies alongside competition was ‘awful’, ‘you don’t please anyone, you annoy your lecturers, coaches, family and friends’, she admits that graduating was one of the proudest moments of her life.

But, as well as placing her future in better standing, Saskia also found another passion: Sustainability.

“When I was at secondary school, I remember the first lesson I had on sustainability and I was captured. That’s why I wanted to study Geography.”

Saskia wrote her dissertation on sustainability in elite sport and believes that not only do athletes have a platform to make a change, but for sailors, they are the ones being affected by ocean plastics and pollution.

“We, as sailors, are the ones that are exposed
to ocean plastic, we’re in the ocean every day.”

“In my last year I studied a sustainability module and thought ‘I know a lot about sailing, I know quite a lot about sustainability. How can I get the two together?’

“I knew World Sailing released a sustainability agenda on how the sport can become more sustainable by 2030. Also, the IOC were looking at sports can be more sustainable and how to stay in the Olympics, sports needed to be sustainable.”

“We, as sailors, are the ones that are exposed to ocean plastic, we’re in the ocean every day.”

Saskia admits she is seeing more plastic in the ocean, even in venues where she previously didn’t see it as an issue and, as with sailing there is a lot of travelling, visiting locations all over the globe has only made her more passionate about it.

For athletes, it is about changing the throw away culture and using their platform to influence greater social change.

“For sailors, the largest single-use plastic usage is plastic bottles. Quite often we are travelling to countries abroad where there is no safe drinking water other than bottled water.

“So, if water isn’t clean to drink, we have to buy plastic bottles. I’m living with a girl who has her own water filtering system on the tap, so we’re filtering our own water.

“That’s amazing for athletes and could shift their perspective without using six bottles of water every day.”

“We have the opportunity as athletes to influence social
change in society. It’s really important to spread that message.”

It is very easy when abroad to live a throwaway, consumer lifestyle. But, when abroad, Saskia continues to recycle and live as sustainably as possible.

“As a sport, sailing could influence social change a lot. We have the opportunity as athletes to influence social change in society. It’s really important to spread that message.”

Having just won Silver at the World Cup Series Final in Marseille, as Saskia’s success continues, her platform to make positive change grows with it.

4,000 miles solo to get more women adventuring | Fiona Quinn

7 March 2019 by

Fiona Quinn is the first to admit that, as a child, she was neither sporty nor outdoorsy. But when she stumbled upon the idea of adventure and took up cycling at the age of 28, everything changed.

Fiona Quinn, Cycling, Paddle Boarding, SUP, Land's End, John O'Groats, LEJOG, JOGLE, Great British Triathlon, World Record Holder, Mediterranean, caytoo

“I heard Alastair Humphries, a professional adventurer, talk about micro-adventures 5 years ago – grabbing small opportunities to spend time outside during our day-to-day lives.

“Even though I’d shied away from sport when I was younger, the idea of wild camping oddly appealed and after one night’s sleep in a field in Kent I was hooked.”

All it took was this one simple idea from Alastair to get Fiona exploring the outdoors. She realised she loved spending time outside and challenging herself in new ways. After that night under the stars she then got herself a bicycle, which provided the perfect gateway into adventure.

“Jumping on my bike opened up my world and
enabled me to go to places I never thought I could”

“Jumping on my bike opened up my world and enabled me to go to places I never thought I could. It gave me the freedom to explore on my own, initially staying close to home, then gradually going on longer rides as my confidence grew.

It ignited a spark in Fiona to see just how far she could go, and the first major challenge she took on was cycling the classic British route of Lands End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) in 2016.

It was the first time she’d ever navigated a multi day adventure on her own completely self-supported, and even though she didn’t quite make it the whole way, she was far from put off.

“I got over 80% of the way before being caught out by a storm and having to call it quits. But failing didn’t bother me. I’d just cycled 800 miles when before all I’d done was 80.

“Cycling had enabled me to see new places, get to know the country we call home and meet some wonderful people along the way. I couldn’t have been more excited to get back out there and take on my next challenge.”

“I nearly drowned as a child, so there was no way I
was going to swim it. When I looked and saw no one had
ever paddle boarded it before that seemed more appealing”

The following year Fiona went back to walk LEJOG, before also cycling it again, successfully this time. She then decide to do ‘what any normal person would do’ and turn the whole thing into a triathlon!

Just one problem stood in her way.

“I’m scared of the sea. I nearly drowned as a child, so there was no way I was going to swim it. When I looked and saw no one had ever paddle boarded it before that seemed more appealing.”

Despite having only paddle boarded on the sea 3 times before she left, so as to not scare herself out of going, Fiona set three world records in the process. She became the first women to do a length of Britain triathlon, the first person to paddle board the length of Britain on an inflatable board and the first woman to paddle board across the Irish Sea.

Whilst they’re a ‘nice bonus’, Fiona was not driven by the records. Instead she simply aims to push herself out of her comfort zone each time, meeting incredible people along the way and becoming part of a wider adventurous community.

“Adventure is the one thing that gives me the self belief to go after new goals, and all of this grew from simply starting to cycle again as an adult. The confidence I gained through cycling enabled me to paddle board the length of Britain and challenge my fears. It’s amazing the impact it’s had.”

Now preparing to take on her next challenge, Fiona is getting back on her bike to cycle over 4,000 miles following the coast of the Mediterranean, from Gibraltar to Athens.

Eating her way through 9 countries, she’ll tackle the ridiculously hilly route and cover some 170,000 ft of elevation. As well as discovering the people and food that make this region one of the most popular in the world, Fiona also hopes to inspire more women and girls to take on their own adventures by bicycle.

“I’m hoping that women and girls will see this approach
as really accessible and an incredibly fun way of cycling,
without the need to compete against anyone other than yourself”

“My approach is very much one of ‘have a go’ – I’m not an athlete. Adventure is about pushing myself to go further and quicker than I’ve been before, all the while exploring and eating my way through new regions. I’m hoping that women and girls will see this approach as really accessible and an incredibly fun way of cycling, without the need to compete against anyone other than yourself.”

As well as engaging with her following through social media, a live tracker and weekly video updates, Fiona is also inspiring girls through talks at schools. Pupils will have the chance to get hands on with her kit and find out how they too could take on a cycling adventure of their own.

Expected to take 2 months in all, Fiona will be setting off on 10th April, carrying all her kit on her bike. She is still bringing on board schools and businesses that want to support the expedition, so do get in touch with her to get involved.

Aside from her adventures, Fiona has set up Adventure Book Club to inspire others to take up their own challenges, and the Action Collective, a group coaching programme for business owners.

“I’ve found reading about other people’s adventures a massive inspiration. When I was walking LEJOG, reading about Jamie MacDonald running across Canada through waist deep snow with his trainers falling apart, it put my own struggles into perspective and motivated me to keep going. Adventure Book Club was born out of a desire to both read more often myself and to share this love of powerful stories with others.”

Enabling members to vote on each month’s book, the subscription service brings together like-minded people from all over the world via their online community, offering the chance to meet in person once a quarter with their Club Weekends Away.

Fiona’s Action Collective coaches a group of six business owners over a 3 month period, helping them to ‘refocus and change their perspective in order to move forward.’ She pulls in the power of adventure to shift their thinking too, including time spent outside as a group.

Having previously set up and run multiple businesses, as well as completing numerous adventures, Fiona found the two compliment each other perfectly.

“I’ve found that every adventure I’ve been on has directly impacted my business. They’ve helped grow my confidence, which has enabled me to push my business to the next level, and adventure also fills me with ideas, leading to some incredible opportunities.”

“As difficult as it might get, it will never be as hard as losing”

17 January 2019 by

Stacey Copeland has picked up the Commonwealth title, a European Championship silver medal and the ABA National Championship belt. Yet her passion and overarching target is to inspire more young girls and women to get involved in sport. Here, she shares her top tips, words of wisdom and expert insight to help you hit your 2019 targets.

caytoo: Why do you think setting goals is important?

Stacey Copeland: It gives me loads of motivation, I need a reason and a purpose for things. When you talk about elite level sport, to put in all the time and energy that you need to compete at the top level, you have to have that motivation and know why you’re doing it. You can endure almost any ‘how’ if you know the ‘why.’

caytoo: How do you go about deciding your goals?

Stacey: You have to be realistic in order to believe in it. Part of it is what you believe you’re capable of achieving. Also, it can be people who inspire you and you see what they’ve achieved. It could be when your nine years old watching the television, see someone win an Olympic gold, world title or play in the World Cup and it just sparks something in you where you think ‘I want to do that.’

Sometimes opportunities come and you might not have planned for it, but you just take it and you go for it. Sometimes things choose you as much as you choose them.

“It’s too easy to say, ‘Well I didn’t think I could do it anyway.’
You’ve got a ready made set of excuses.”

caytoo: What’s the most important factor to consider when you’re setting yourself a new goal?

Stacey: There are two considerations. Firstly, why are you doing it? If it’s not embedded in you and doesn’t become your ‘why’, then you’re limited on how far you can go. That has to be there, that motivation, that reason.

The second thing is believing you can achieve your goal, because if you don’t, when those tough days come, it’s too easy to say, ‘Well I didn’t think I could do it anyway.’ You’ve got a ready made set of excuses. If you know why you’re doing it, believe in yourself and believe it’s an achievable goal, there’s a reason to push through the tough days and barriers.

caytoo: How do you maintain that resilience and mindset of overcoming negativity?

Stacey: I really like to have quotes so, if its getting a bit tough and difficult, I can refer to it when I need to. For example, at the European Championships, my first major tournament, I’d only had 17 fights going into it. It was mega daunting. All the boxers that I looked up to were at there and it was the first time representing my country in boxing. I was equally excited as I was scared.

The quote from Mohammed Ali, ‘If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough’ really settled me. It gave me permission to be really scared because it reminded me this is exactly how I’m supposed to feel when I’ve got a goal that’s really big.

“It’s essential for big goals to break it down. It makes
them more manageable and increases your motivation.”

Also, breaking them down is essential. Coming back from injury, I had surgery on my leg and they caused a horrendous burn. I was 20 kilos overweight, couldn’t walk properly, couldn’t do a single squat and going from that to professional boxing can’t happen. I was unmotivated all the time and eventually I said to myself, ‘you have to break this down.’ It’s essential for big goals to break it down. It makes them more manageable and increases your motivation as you feel you’ve got control.

caytoo: What’s the most important factor in achieving your goal?

Stacey: Part of it can be down to external factors that are out of our control. Achieving your goal isn’t always down to you. That’s the risk with quotes like, ‘If you want it enough you’ll get it.’ Sometimes you do deserve it, you have wanted it more than anybody else, then something happens and there’s nothing that you can do.

“I desperately, desperately want to win. I absolutely detest losing.
So as difficult it might get, it will never be as hard as losing. “

In terms of controllable factors, preparation can be massively important. Some athletes just fall apart when it comes to the big moments so, as much as you can, work on mentally prepared, then you’ve more chance of achieving your goal.

caytoo: So prepare yourself and give everything you’ve got, that’s all you can ask of yourself?

Stacey: Definitely. One of the big lessons that sport teaches you is how to deal with those setbacks. It is so applicable to the rest of life. Sometimes, when it’s the first time it’s happened to you, you can’t understand why you haven’t achieved but you have to regroup, find meaning in failure and, somehow, go forward.

“No matter how much training hurts, how tired I am,
how bad anything feels, it will never compare to a big loss, ever.”

caytoo: How do you overcome those obstacles and keep moving towards your goal?

Stacey: Because I want to win. I desperately, desperately want to win. I absolutely detest losing. So as difficult as it might get, it will never be as hard as losing. No matter how much training hurts, how tired I am, how bad anything feels, it will never compare to a big loss, ever. Or getting an injury at a critical time and not even being able to have the chance to win.

The other one is to pave the way and inspire others. That really really pushes me on because if I do it, other people may think that they can do it. I want to leave my sport better than I found it for the girls and women coming through. I’m deeply passionate about that.

“I ask myself every day, are those choices taking
me towards my goal or away from it?”

caytoo: If you could offer one piece of advice to people who have set themselves goals for the New Year, what what would it be?

Stacey: Keep a training diary. That could relate to work by writing down what you’ve done that day to push you towards your goal. I ask myself every day, are those choices taking me towards my goal or away from it? If the honest answer is away, then it depends how much you want to reach your goal. There’s a real worth in writing it down because you can see the build up of progress, that gives you extra motivation.

Also, some people do vision boards which can be very powerful. In a way, that’s what I did with the Commonwealth title. I had a picture of the Commonwealth Title in the gym, in my bedroom, in my car, at the office at work, everywhere! Just to keep reminding me of what I wanted to achieve. That really helped me.

If you’re interested in sponsoring Stacey, contact us at inspire-me@caytoo.co.uk

If, like Stacey, you’re an athlete interested in how caytoo can help you better connect with brands, register here.

Our caytoo athletes can help motivate and inspire your team to achieve their goals in 2019, to find out more about our ‘Improve planning and goal-setting in 2019’ package, click here.

“I looked down and realised I’d lost my left arm”

10 January 2019 by

Jaco Van Gass grew up with a sense of adventure and a need for independence. Born in South Africa, he spent his childhood between the family home in the city and his grandparents farm in the country.

Jaco admits he “was very privileged to live an active, outdoor lifestyle”, growing up with a love for adventure. It was this sense of adventure and a ‘[craving] for independence’ that led to Jaco joining the British Military in 2006.

“I found out that because [South Africa] was part of the Commonwealth, I could join the British Army. Knowing they were active all over the world, the standard of training, the respect they have for the armed forces and the history of the various regiments, it ticked all the boxes for me.

“I have always had a sense of adventure. The army could take me all over the world.”

The British Military

Jaco decided the Parachute Regiment was where he wanted to serve. Only 20% of week-one recruits go onto to serve in the regiment, but the challenge of being one of the select few was an attractive proposition.

“I love pushing myself, pushing the boundaries. The parachute regiment is the hardest regiment in the army to join and the challenge it brought was attractive to me, thinking of jumping out of a perfectly fine aeroplane even more so!”

There is a reason only 20% of recruits make it through basic training.

“It was tough. There were stages where I thought, ‘If this is what the army is about then I don’t want much of this.’

“It’s only looking back on it once you’ve finished do you go, ‘It wasn’t that bad’, but when you are there, it’s shocking. Once you pass, go to parachute school, get your wings and join your battalion, that’s the life.”

After making it through training, Jaco wasn’t disappointed with what met him. Going on to do two tours of Afghanistan, he loved it.

“I love pushing myself, pushing the boundaries. The parachute
regiment is the hardest regiment in the army to join
and the challenge it brought was attractive to me.”

Whilst his first tour focused on ‘training some of the Afghan forces’ and ‘not so much on the frontline fighting’, the second tour lived up to expectations.

“My second tour was purely to go and do a job, push the Taliban back. The first one gave me a good insight and I learned a great deal. The second tour was even better, it lived up to my standards and what I expected.

“I loved every second out there. I loved every bit of the job . You get 14 days rest and recovery throughout the 6 months [on tour] and that was probably the worst bit. I didn’t want to come back to the UK.”

It was towards the end of the second tour that Jaco’s life changed. He was part of a successful mission that captured the leader of a terrorist training cell planning to carry out attacks around the Afghan election. On the way back from the mission, Jaco’s platoon came across a Taliban stronghold they didn’t know was in the area.

After 40-50 minutes of intense firefighting, Jaco was hit with a rocket propelled grenade (RPG).

“The rocket exploded right next to me, the blast ripped my arm off and a third of the muscular tissue of my left upper thigh. I was thrown in the air and [landed] about five metres from my original position. I landed badly on my leg and broke my ankle really badly.

“I remember hearing the guys still firing. All that’s running through my head is that I need to get back and help them out. I tried to hold my rifle in a correct firing position but it fell to the ground. I didn’t understand why. I looked down and realised I’d lost my left arm.”

“I tried to hold my rifle in a correct firing position
but it fell to the ground. I didn’t understand why.
I looked down and realised I’d lost my left arm.”

Jaco was aided by one of his teammates and admits if it wasn’t for him, he ‘probably wouldn’t have survived that night.’ A helicopter was sent in to pick him up, even though they were still under severe fire.

“Once on the helicopter, I knew I was going home. I just relaxed. I thought, ‘I can die, I can survive, I don’t care.’ I just gave in knowing I was going home, whether that was in a body bag or not.”

Rehabilitation

Once back in the UK, Jaco began his rehabilitation but couldn’t come to grips with his injuries straight away. He had gone from being in the ‘best shape of his life’ to ‘drinking protein shakes through a straw.’

For someone who craved independence, suddenly, Jaco found himself in a “hospital bed [with a] catheter and a colostomy bag, very reliant on hospital staff and family members.

“In my mind I was still a soldier, I was going back to Afghanistan, but my body was like ‘no this is not happening.’ [My body and mind] were fighting against each other. I got very frustrated and angry easily.”

The ambition was to reach Headley Court, the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre. However, once there, he caught a virus and was sent back to civilian hospital. This forced Jaco to come to terms with his injury.

“In my mind I was still a soldier, I was
going back to Afghanistan, but my
body was like ‘no this is not happening.”

“That was really tough for me. That’s when I realised something serious had happened and that I might not be able to be a soldier anymore. My mind and body synced. Once that happened, it was like a fast forward button was pushed and my real recovery started.

“I knew to take things a little slower, step by step, set realistic goals and keep building on that.

“There is a fantastic environment created when you’re in Headley Court. Sometimes people look at me and think, ‘You’ve picked up horrific injuries’, that’s true, but I look at some of the guys at Headley Court and I’m lucky compared to them. There were triple amputees, guys losing their sight, extremely bad burn injuries and I could see them cracking on, having a smile on their face, doing things I [thought] I could do. I would grab that energy and inspiration from them to continue my journey.”

Sport was the next step in Jaco’s journey and played a huge part in his rehabilitation process.

“I went out with the mindset of ‘let’s see what I can and can’t do.”

As it turns out, Jaco can do a lot.

Sporting career

You hear a lot of the pain threshold and mental resilience that being in the armed forces brings. For Jaco, ‘over the years [he’s] constantly pushed it further away’ and the ‘mental resilience you learn in the army’ gives you an ability to ‘push that little bit more, where someone else may give up.’

“You know just to hang on a little bit more and break through that pain barrier.”

This resilience and mindset has led to a number of remarkable achievements. Jaco was part of the record-breaking team of wounded soldiers to trek unsupported to the North Pole (joined by Prince Harry), climbed Alaska’s 6000m Mt Denali and, in 2012 with the ex-servicemen charity Walking With The Wounded, attempted Everest (narrowly missing the summit due to adverse weather).

When returning to England following the Everest attempt, Jaco was inspired by the London 2012 Paralympic Games and turned his attention to the triathlon.

“I was okay at the running, shockingly bad at the swimming and very good at the cycling.”

Whilst at school Jaco had played rugby but, after breaking his knee, he took up cycling and fell in love with the sport.

“You know just to hang on a little bit
more and break through that pain barrier.”

The GB Triathlon coach told Jaco to focus on his cycling. That’s exactly what he did and went on to win two Invictus Games gold medals in 2014, Gold and Silver medals in 2016 as well as representing Team GB all over the world.

However, the achievement he is most proud of is a Bronze medal in the 2018 Para World Championships.

Having made numerous sacrifices whilst trying to reach the Rio Paralympics, Jaco was not selected for the Games. Jaco began training his own way, taking a step back from Team GB. After riding a very good time in a competition, Jaco was asked to represent Great Britain at the 2018 World Championships in Rio.

“I had a chance to prove to them that I should have gone on
the plane and that I had a medal ride in me and I did that.”

The event would take place against the same riders and in the same velodrome as the Paralympic event Jaco had missed.

“I had a chance to prove to them that I should have gone on the plane and that I had a medal ride in me and I did that. I broke the British record within my category and came away with a bronze medal.”

Whatever Jaco has turned his hand to, he has succeeded. His mental resilience and ‘never say die’ attitude has taken him to the top of mountains and podiums across the world, not allowing his life-changing injuries to hold him back. Next for Jaco is a mountain bike race in his native South Africa and, potentially, another Everest attempt. There is no doubt that, just like the rest of the challenges and hurdles Jaco has faced, he will succeed.

Katy Daley-Mclean MBE | Leading from the front

13 December 2018 by

Katy Daley-Mclean MBE recently received her 100th cap for the England women’s rugby team, an achievement that was covered across all of the national media. However, when Katy started playing the sport, it may not have been covered at all.

Katy was born into a rugby family but there was still a ‘massive association’ that rugby was a ‘boys sport’. Still, at five years old Katy’s father took her to the local club to get involved. She ‘just loved it and played mixed rugby up until age 12.’

Whilst Katy admits there were the odd negative comment surrounding a girl playing rugby with the boys, the ‘really supportive’ network of people around her meant it never had any real bearing on her.

As there was no female division for girls between 12-16, it wasn’t until Katy was spotted playing tag rugby at the Millenium Youth Games that she got back into the sport.

Women’s rugby on the rise

Fast forward to the present day and Katy has not only won the women’s Rugby World Cup as captain, but has made 101 international appearances and plays for Loughborough Lightning in the Tyrrells Premiership.

Domestically, Katy believes the the game has seen massive improvements both on and off the field.

“It’s a much better brand to sell and promote now. I think when you look at the media coverage, it’s not perfect but from when I first got capped in 2007 to now, there’s 100% improvement.”

England games are now shown on Sky Sports and ITV and attracted a record 2.6m viewers to the England vs New Zealand women’s World Cup final. It is not just on the TV, however, with more and more people attending fixtures. The fact that 17,440 people turned out for France’s 18-17 victory over England in this year’s Six Nations, a record attendance for a women’s international game, is a real indication of how much the game has grown.

Katy believes this is a result of the Tyrrells Premiership, player power and the RFU’s reinstatement of contracts for England’s female players.

“For us as players, we’re now doing a better job at making the brand sellable, the RFU are putting their share in with the contracts and then you look at the Tyrrells Premiership, it’s made a massive difference to the standard of the game and it’s making the domestic game much more watched and supported.”

The increase in supporters the Tyrrells Premiership also transfers through to a higher level of interest in the England women’s team.

It helps that ‘women’s sport is still in a place where it’s accessible’, but Katy credits the women’s World Cup, that was held in England in 2010, and the Red Roses World Cup victory in 2014 as landmarks that shifted the perception and narrative around women’s rugby in the UK.

Not only did Katy win the 2014 World Cup as captain, but she did so whilst working full time as a primary school teacher.

Describing the tournament as the ‘highlight of her career’, the best thing about the victory as captain was how well the team gelled and the experience taught Katy how to cope with the pressure of performing well but also leading the team.

Surviving the leadership pressure cooker

In dealing with pressure, Katy admits she had different strategies, but the team around her were vitally important.

“It was a little bit about offloading, making sure everything didn’t build up to the point where it all fell out, making sure there was the opportunity for other people to speak and, even though I was captain, I had a really good leadership group around me.

“There was four or five girls and the weight was shared amongst the group. There is no way a single person could do it on their own.”

Similarly, Katy believes that to be a good leader you need to ‘be yourself’ and get others involved.

“In my early years, I tried to be a mix of everything. You can’t be everything to everyone. Once I learnt that lesson, it was about being yourself, but finding your weaknesses and bringing in other people around you in your leadership team.

“That was a massive lesson for me, using the likes of Sarah Hunter, my vice captain, whose strengths were my weaknesses. That’s what made us a really good team, we filled all the gaps.”

Preparation is also key, making the task of leading much easier when everyone knows their role.

“By the end I really enjoyed not having to micro manage, being able to sit back and trust that everybody would do their job and that we’d done enough prep in the build up that people knew what was expected of them.”

Equally as important is the ability to read the room as different situations dictate different reactions from your leader or captain.

“Sometimes you might need to get stuck into [them],” Katy explains, “sometimes it might just be really process driven.”

Katy uses the example of the World Cup final in 2014. As a professional athlete, you shouldn’t need much motivation when competing in a final, so for Katy, it was focused on making sure the players were fully prepared for the task ahead.

“There’s a fine balance between being emotional and being ready to play, being very focused and being prepared. As captain, it was about the build up. Making sure we just kept repeating our processes, how we were going to start and what we needed to do to dominate over Canada.

“Before the whistle, it was getting into the girls that this wasn’t going to happen just by being there, we had to make it happen and I think that’s about reading the mood of the team.”

Creating role models

Katy clearly got it right, with England winning the game against Canada 21-9. The group of women that lifted the World Cup in 2014 immortalised themselves as champions of female rugby in the UK. Now they should be pointed at as living examples that, as a female athlete, team sports are a viable career path. They are the role models for the next generation.

“It’s about providing an opportunity for young girls to realise they actually you can do a team sport as a profession. You don’t need to be a dancer or a gymnast, you’ve got other options. That’s the big thing about women’s sport isn’t it? It’s cool now.

“When I look back at my career and the group of players that have been around, the likes of Tamara Taylor, Sarah Hunter, Danielle Waterman, Rocky Clarke, when you look back at what they, as a group have achieved, it’s something to be extremely proud of.

“When I was younger there was no real association with a female team sport to think ‘wow I want to be like her.

“If we’re inspiring young girls to think, ‘Actually I want to go and do what they’ve done’ then that’s brilliant.”

Katy recently received her 100th cap for England and admits it ‘couldn’t have happened in a better way’. Beating the USA 57-5, Katy scored a try and picked up the player of the match award in the process.

“It was a perfect evening. The amount of messages I received from people both associated and not associated with the sport was pretty overwhelming.

“The game was great, my sister and niece came out with me, my cap was presented by my dad and we won so to be honest it couldn’t have been any better.”

Moving forward, Katy believes the most important thing for women’s rugby is the involvement of sponsors.

“For me, the next big thing is getting more main sponsors across the domestic league. It’s just going to improve the ultimate standard of the game, filtering up and filtering down, because of the resources the clubs will have available.

“The beauty about the contracts coming back is that they’re not short term. That shows how important the women’s game is to the RFU, it’s a big statement of intent from them. It also shows that, because of what other unions are doing, nobody wants to be left behind.

“Hopefully, what comes out of that is brands want to be a part of women’s sides because they see the value in it. Until that happens you are missing a piece of the jigsaw.”

The future for Katy is all about enjoying her rugby, playing for Loughborough Lightning in the Tyrrells Premiership and continuing her glistening career for England.

“I’d love to get a contract with England to see what’s left. If I’m still enjoying it and still adding value to the white shirt, I’d love to stick around.”

Are you interested in working with Katy? Check out her commercial opportunities and inspire your team through an authentic, legendary rugby star.

“I am proud of who I am, I never had that before”

13 December 2018 by

Running represents a multitude of things to different people. For some it is a way to get fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. For Mimi Anderson, it started off as a way to get ‘thin legs’, but resulted in numerous course records, world records and a whole host of adventures.

Starting at the age of 36, Mimi admits she couldn’t run for longer than 30 seconds without losing her breath.

“I stood on a treadmill and I had no idea of what I was doing at all. I felt very self conscious, like everybody was watching me.”

After one mile, Mimi built up to three, but it wasn’t until she took her running outside that she fell in love.

“I remember the first time I went and did a run outside. I absolutely loved it. It gave me a sense of freedom, I felt as though my feet had been given a pair of wings.”

However, Mimi leapt from running rookie in 2000 when she signed up to the Marathon des Sables (MdS). Described by the Discovery Channel as the toughest footrace on earth, the MdS is a 251km race over 6 says in the Sahara Desert. At the point of accepting the challenge, Mimi had only ever run 13 miles.

“Up to that point, it’s ridiculous, I didn’t even know that half-marathons and marathons existed. The first thing that attracted me [to the MdS] was the adventure.

“I thought ‘Yes, I’m a mother and wife and I’m not a fantastic runner, but why can’t I do that?”

“I remember the first time I went and did a run outside.
I absolutely loved it. It gave me a sense of freedom,
I felt as though my feet had been given a pair of wings.”

Since that first race, Mimi has broken the World Record for running from John O’Groats to Lands End and the length of Ireland, as well as competing in numerous ultra-marathons that make your legs weak at the thought of them.

However, whilst facing the inevitable challenges that come with running in some of the most extreme environments in the world, Mimi has had to face up to many mental health battles of her own.

“My father’s jobs in the British Army meant that my sister and I had to have nannies. Unfortunately from the ages of 6 – 8 our nanny was incredibly abusive towards me, something that my parents had no idea about as I had to keep it a secret otherwise she threatened to “be nasty” to my sister if I said anything. As soon as the abuse was discovered I never saw her again.

“The brain is a very clever machine, and I erased these two years of my life from my memory, all the nasty things that happened to me, but it all came back in the form of an eating disorder when I was at boarding school at 14.”

Mimi suffered with anorexia for 15 years.

“Oh God, it’s horrible, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. You become an expert liar, telling people you’ve either eaten or you’re about to eat.

“If you have to eat anything, you are then constantly thinking of ways to get rid of the food you’ve just eaten.

“I never did it because I wanted to be thin. People think it’s all about the weight, it isn’t at all, it’s a mental illness and the only way I felt I had any control of my life was through food.”

It wasn’t until the birth of her second child that Mimi realised she needed to get help.

“I just thought ‘I can’t have this cycle going on continuously throughout my life, it’s not fair on my kids’. It was a long hard struggle.”

“People think it’s all about the weight, it isn’t at all,
it’s a mental illness and the only way
I felt I had any control of my life was through food.”

Running had a huge impact on Mimi, finding a way to develop a healthy relationship with food again as well as repairing her confidence. It gave her a new way to think about food.

“In order to run I needed to fuel myself, teaching me that food wasn’t something to be afraid of and giving me a newfound respect for my body.”

Having an eating disorder and then the abusive nanny beforehand, your confidence is dashed.

“Yes, I probably came across as quite a confident person but I used to be anxious and I had no sense of self worth.”

“The running has given me a sense of self worth and a few years after I started, even if I was doing things badly, it wouldn’t matter. I’m still proud of who am I and I never had that before.”

Mimi has overcome personal grief as whilst competing in the 6633 Arctic Ultra in 2007 (a 352 mile self-sufficiency race across the Arctic) Mimi’s father sadly died.

After checking her emails at one of the checkpoints, receiving no bad news from home, Mimi set off on the next leg of the race.

“About two minutes after leaving the checkpoint, I felt as though I had been punched in the heart and I couldn’t breathe. A huge sense of loss overwhelmed me and I knew that my father had passed away.”

“I knew my father was incredibly proud of me and everything I did. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would have wanted me to to finish.”

My love for my father gave me the strength to keep moving forward, I didn’t want to stop as I would have let him down. His love and belief in me gave me the strength. That’s how I knew I could continue.”

Not only did Mimi win the race, she finished 24 hours ahead of the runner-up.

Mimi’s obstacles didn’t stop there. During a recent run to break the Female World Record to run across the US, a distance of 2,850 miles in 53 days, Mimi was dealt a huge blow.

“The only person who could get me out of the
black hole I was in was myself, if I didn’t it was going
to be an extremely difficult journey for my family.”

Having covered 2,217 miles in 40 days(three quarters of the way across the third largest continent in the world) and on track to break the female world record, she had to stop. She was in excruciating pain and, had she carried on, was looking at the possibility of having to have a total knee replacement on returning home. It was the end of her running career.

“That was beyond devastating. I’ve had to re-find myself and completely re-evaluate where I am and who I am.”

“I found it very difficult and when I got back from America I did want to hide. I don’t mind failure but I felt everybody was going to ridicule me and I felt totally ashamed.”

During her run in America, Mimi received lots of negative comments from online trolls but her team kept the comments from her during the run. When she was back, however, they continued.

“I found myself going into a black hole, but somehow I had to find a way to pick myself up. The only person who could get me out of the black hole I was in was myself, if I didn’t it was going to be an extremely difficult journey for my family.”

“That one decision to run the MdS back in
2000 completely changed my life for the better.”

Throughout Mimi’s running career, she has had to keep extremely strong mental strength. Not only to finish the mad challenges she sets herself, but also to overcome an eating disorder, a career ending injury, the death of her father whilst competing and online trolls.

None of this has stopped her yet. Okay, she can’t run, but now Mimi is focused on cycling and swimming. Having just cycled the length of the UK, Mimi is aiming to cycle the Pacific Highway in America, 1884 miles from Vancouver to the Mexican Border, as well as learning how to swim.

“That one decision to run the MdS back in 2000 completely changed my life for the better. I hope that, in turn, it shows my kids and other people you don’t have to be an elite athlete, you don’t have to be particularly special. If you work hard, have a touch of determination the results can be fantastic.”

“We’re innovative and we punch above our weight”

24 November 2018 by

GB Taekwondo is world class. The Ten Acres Sports Complex is located on the outskirts of Manchester from Monday to Friday, competition permitted, you will find taekwondo’s established Olympians and future Olympic hopefuls training.

After their success in recent Olympics, UK Sport increased GB Taekwondo’s funding to £8.2m for the four year cycle leading up to Tokyo 2020, a 22% increase on the backing they received for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

GB Taekwondo’s head office is stationed next door to the training hall. The office Matt Archibald, CEO of GB Taekwondo, assigned us on our visit to the centre had a window through which we could watch the athletes train first hand.

Matt Archibald, ceo, GB Taekwondo, Olympics, Team GB, Paralympics, Tokyo 2020 — Matt Archibald, ceo of GB Taekwondo

“I have worked in Canary Wharf and central London for sports organisations and it’s not the same feeling as working within a world class programme.”

“The biggest highlight is the close association with the
sport and athletes. Being right there in the coal face
in my office, you can hear them screaming, kicking
and shouting when they are training.”

“The biggest highlight is the close association with the sport and athletes. Being right there in the coal face in my office, you can hear them screaming, kicking and shouting when they are training.”

Taekwondo represents a real success story for Team GB. Having only been recognised as an Olympic Sport in 2000, they have gone on to win 6 medals across 5 Olympic Games.

“I think the main selling point for GB Taekwondo is we’re innovative and we punch above our weight. We are a small squad with fairly small participation yet we compete with the likes of the Korean team. We are always looking for ways to get the best out of everything we do.

“You ask anyone in there, they are trying to help athletes win medals. We’ve been blessed with some fantastic athletes.”

Damon Sansum, Mahama Cho, elite athlete, GB Taekwondo, Olympics, Team GB, Paralympics, Tokyo 2020 — GB Taekwondo athletes at the training centre in Manchester

Matt explains that taekwondo offers the chance for a brand to be involved with a sport that centres everything they do as an organisation, and as individual athletes, around a few key values: commitment, ownership, responsibility and excellence (CORE).

“We are still open for that title sponsor, the main sponsor
of the whole team and the whole sport. There is definitely
potential out there, especially with the Olympics less two years away.”

“You have to have that mental toughness, you have to have that bravery. It is a daunting place and whilst we are very much a team and a squad up here, it’s an individual sport and these guys have to go in and do battle.”

In addition, Matt outlines consistency, dedication and respect as traits GB Taekwondo stand by.

“You will very rarely see bad tempered matches. That respect comes from the martial art, but it’s reinforced by our coaching team and everything we do. The behavioural standards are extremely high.”

GB Taekwondo already have sponsorship deals with brands such as; Mooto, High 5 and Reflex Nutrition, Bosu Body Bar, Hill Dickinson and Hakim Group amongst others. Yet they are still without a headline sponsor.

“We are still open for that title sponsor, the main sponsor of the whole team and the whole sport. There is definitely potential out there, especially with the Olympics less two years away.”

Within a title sponsor, a brand could have naming rights for the centre in Manchester, as well as appearing on the athletes combat suits, a new opportunity in the sport as branding was previously banned.

“I think with sport you have to connect on some sort of
emotional or value level. That’s not to say cash isn’t important,
you’ve got to have that conversation, but it does appear to be more than that.”

But a title sponsor is not the only opportunity GB Taekwondo has available,as they are now in the second phase of developing their training centre. On-site accommodation and improving the facilities available to the athletes, such as ice baths and wearable technology, are just a few of the additions they are looking to make. All of this is open to collaboration with a brand.

“We work in partnership with Manchester City Council and the Eastlands Trust. We could negotiate something that is in everyone’s interest. We are flexible.”

But it is not just cash GB Taekwondo are after. Yes, in negotiating sponsorship, cash and finances are a factor, but a true partnership is as important for Matt and the organisation.

“We always like working with, and we are lucky to work with, really good people. There tends to be a level of connection and a mutual respect. Where that exists you tend to enjoy and learn so much it.

“I think with sport you have to connect on some sort of emotional or value level. That’s not to say cash isn’t important, you’ve got to have that conversation, but it does appear to be more than that.”

In a similar vein to athletes, Matt acknowledges that building upon the success the sport has enjoyed on the Olympic stage is the biggest challenge he faces in running GB Taekwondo.

“Maintaining that Olympic success, it’s easy for me to say, is what we are here to do. To have very successful teams and continue that upwards trajectory.

“You’ve got to keep evolving and improving.”

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