The Young Ambassadors opened up the proceedings with a presentation about their role within the school and how they are going to attract more people into clubs and to participate in physical activity.
Kerry then took to the stage. She talked about her journey from playing school sport to representing Scotland at the commonwealth games. She had very clear messages for the pupils:
(1) Participate in a variety of sports at school! She talked about her participation in basketball and cross country that established a dedicated, hard working nature which later opened the door to further opportunities later on in life.
(2) Work hard in whatever you do (every subject) as persistence pays off. Kerry said maths, english etc were not her idea of fun but she had to work hard in these subjects to get into University.
(3) Success is not immediate it can take a long time, this was highlighted throughout the presentation. Kerry had to work extremely hard throughout her 20s to get to the elite level she is now at. This was illustrated particularly after her decision to focus on mountain biking at the commonwealth games which meant she meant she had to dedicate practically all her time to seek qualification, which included regularly traveling to Europe. To qualify, Kerry had to travel multiple times to compete on the European circuits (as well as british races) to seek the right level of competition. But her hard work and gutsy attitude paid off and she got her place in the team! This was despite the many hours travelling, transporting and building bikes before races, no support teams, bike failures, falls etc etc...But it was all worth while in the end when Kerry was awarded her place in the Scotland team for Glasgow 2014!
Her story is extremely inspirational for both staff and pupils. And for Kerry her successes started when she attended a school similar to the Gaelic School (Sgoil Lionacleit) and simply took part in the sporting opportunities that were provided at the school. Taking part in regular physical activity at school/weekends meant that when she left school she was in a physically active routine which motivated her to further develop and seek new sporting challenges at University. Kerry did this and has applied herself 110% to every opportunity she has been given. She is now one of the top ranked British female Mountain Bikers and finished a magnificant 14th at Glasgow 2014! A fantastic achievement to someone new to the sport.
We would like to thank Kerry very much for such an enthusiastic, informative and inspiring presentation. Moran Taing Kerry!
