Age: 17
Hometown: Greenock
Local authority: Inverclyde
What sport are you involved in and what is it that you love about it?
I am a keen dancer however my main passion and love is figure skating. I have been skating since the age of 5 and train 5 days a week following both an on and off ice training program. I train at North Lanarkshire Figure Skating Club and Stirling New figure Skating Club and currently compete at Junior level. My skating has taken me to competitions all across the UK, where I have achieved many podium places throughout my competing journey. One of my favourite things about my sport is the friends I have made along the way not only from the rinks I train at, but from all across the UK. I have grown up with a lot of these girls which I’m now lucky enough to call my friends, as we have been competing together for almost 8 years and share some amazing memories together. It’s great to keep in touch and even better when we get to see each other compete and cheer each other on from the rink side! I really have met the most amazing life long friends!
What motivated you to be part of the YPSP?
Coming from predominantly female sports, over the years I have sadly seen many talented athletes drop out of sport for many different reasons e.g. feeling of negative body image and low confidence. Sport has lost some amazing athletes for these reasons. This also became apparent during my time volunteering with Active Schools and as Sports captain and ambassador at my school with mainly boys participating in sports whether it be in class or taking advantage of some of the great clubs my school has to offer. Although a lot of really amazing work has been done on this over the past few years, I still feel more could be done and feel I can definitely contribute some great ideas.
I am also a great ambassador for equal opportunities and feel that sport is something that everyone should be able to participate in given the chance! Last year I was involved in delivering an amazing summer camp Sport for all, which was a camp for kids with additional needs. It opened my eyes to the lack of sporting opportunities in my area for these kids and many others across Scotland and I would love to be involved in helping give these kids the same sporting opportunities as everyone else! I believe I can be a strong voice and would love to make a real difference in shaping sport for the future generations of Scotland!
What do you think the big challenges facing young people today?
A reason I was so motivated to become part of the Young Peoples Sport Panel is coming from a very girl dominated sport I witnessed a lot of talented girls drop out of figure skating due to confidence issues and a fear of being Judged. This absolutely can be the case for anyone in any sport, however I've witnessed it first hand in female figure skaters. I personally believe there shouldn’t be any barriers in sports whether it's coming from a disadvantaged background, being disabled, their gender or a lack of resources in the area. I feel the current cost of living crisis is also massively negatively impacting sporting participation at the moment. Unfortunately some sports can be very expensive to participate in, making them only accessible to a small minority. The pandemic has also caused a change in people habits and caused many young people to stop participating in the sports they once did for many reasons, confidence issues or maybe their friends have quit.
How do you think sport can help support young people in Scotland?
As a young carer, I know how much a positive impact sport can have on not only your physical health but also your mental health too. It’s a great way to keep fit but also a great escape from reality. The covid pandemic highlighted how important looking after our mental health is, and I feel sport can play a huge part in this! Participating in sport, I feel can also set you up with many great invaluable skills like improving communication and interpersonal skills as well as confidence and leadership skills.
Is there a role model who inspires you? What is it about them you admire?
I have been very lucky to be surrounded by many great sporting role models over the years, whom who have all encouraged and inspired me.
From my amazing figure skating coaches in the past Nicola and Kayleigh and my current coach Gemma! They have really pushed me over the years to be the best version of myself and I’m forever grateful for the support they’ve given me over the years! Kelly Buddery is another fantastic role model, who is a coach in Sheffield and really inspires me too particularly during the pandemic. She started online classes for skaters all across the UK and abroad with hundreds of girls participating in her classes. I feel she saved a lot of girls from falling away from the sport!
I have spent a lot of time with my local active schools team and they have been very inspiring, especially Gillian Hughes and Gary Forbes. Volunteering with active schools has been one of the best things I’ve done and they’ve helped my confidence grow!
My school PE department have been more than amazing, especially my mentor Mr Armour. Since my very 1st day in Notre dame high school when I told him I wanted to be a PE teacher, he really has been the best support and helped me build many invaluable skills and my self confidence.
If I can be anywhere near half as inspiring as my role models then I will be doing just fine!