A Winning Mindset - 2024 Fundraising Dinner
Have you ever wondered what elite athletes use to carry their medals? Paralympic rowing champion from Paris 2024, Frankie Allen, revealed the answer to an enthralled - not to mention packed - Long Room at Lord's Cricket Ground last night while speaking at a brilliant fundraising dinner supporting Behind Every Kick. Frankie, guests learned, transports her gold medal in a sock!
This was one of the many fascinating insights gleaned from an inspirational evening where guest speakers Mark Hunter (Olympic gold medalist in rowing from Beijing and silver medal winner from London 2012), Clare Griffiths (an integral member of Team GB wheelchair basketball at five Paralympics between 2000 and 2016) Sophie Carrigill (captain of Team GB wheelchair basketball in Paris, her third appearance at the games) and Frankie Allen (rowing gold medalist on her Paralympic debut) were in conversation about winning mindsets.
Mark spoke passionately about taking the path less paddled in rowing. Having grown up in a working-class family in East London, the sport's stubbornly elitist image didn't deter him from dipping his oar in the water when given a chance to try. So began a sporting journey that transformed his life from "being a bit of a mother's boy, who wouldn't say boo to a goose" to fulfilling an ambition in Beijing he'd nurtured since the age of 13. "That's the power of sport. It was where I could excel. It has given me confidence for the rest of my life."
Grabbing opportunity was at the heart of Frankie's story, too. She's been rowing since her early teenage years when her uncle took her out on the often windswept and rainy waters of Henley-on-Thames. But it was only after getting the chance to mix with some of the squad from the Tokyo Games that she began striving for a Paralympic podium finish. She was invited for a week of training with the team and suitably impressed the selectors to be asked to stay on. A little over two and a half years later, Frankie crossed the finishing line first with her crew in Paris, roared on by all her friends and family. "It all feels like a fever dream. But I vividly remember waiting for the gun to go off for the final and telling myself not to think about the occasion and instead to focus on executing everything we'd trained for."
Clare, responding to a question from Isaac (who attends Hatcham College) about dealing with adversity, spoke about the importance of "controlling what's controllable and learning from past experiences - the good ones and the mistakes ... There were things I got wrong as one of the team's leaders at London 2012, and I've taken so much from that. Back then, I just doubled down on what made me the player I am. Training harder, trying harder. But we didn't get the results on the court we wanted, and I realised that approach hadn't helped me support my teammates in a difficult environment. I learned so much from it. You have to be conscious of your mistakes and how to use them to improve. But you also have to pat yourself on the back for your successes. That plays a massive part in building belief."
For Sophie, answering a perceptive question from Emmanuel (a Behind Every Kick programme and Harris Academy Tottenham graduate) about what motivates her to keep competing, a winning mindset isn't really about winning at all. "It's the little things you do every day, the sacrifices you make - getting up early to train, debriefing after every defeat and setback to keep improving. After the last Paralympics, I was a bit down on basketball for the first time. We hadn't achieved what we wanted, and four years seemed a long way away. But you take a bit of a break, give yourself a bit of love, and then your passion for doing what you love doing kicks back in and spurs you on."
So much of the athletes' discussion reflected what the Behind Every Kick programme aims to spark in young people. Resilience, confidence, motivation, aspiration, teamwork and the ability to thrive under pressure. To underline this point, guests then heard from Amira Mohamed who attended the programme in 2019 at School 21 in Stratford and is now in the final year of a Sport and Exercise Medical Science degree at UCL. Amira movingly explained the impact the charity has had on her life. "I didn't realise just how important the skills and lessons we learned would be for my future ... I've remained connected to Behind Every Kick ever since then and have had the chance to take part in amazing opportunities like workshops with Olympians and visits to companies like Google. Through the connections I've made, I've just completed a six-week internship at Isokinetic, who help rehabilitate injured athletes. I can't tell you how brilliant a time I had there. I now know there are roles out there that I'll absolutely love doing and understand that having a job that I'm passionate about is crucial to my happiness." In February, Amira became a trustee of Behind Every Kick and as she told those assembled in the Long Room, "It's a role that allows me to contribute to a cause that has had such a profound impact on my life. I want to expand this programme into as many schools and sports clubs as possible so that even more young people can benefit from the opportunities I've had."
Amira then introduced the 2024 Behind Every Kick fundraising campaign film which featured current programme attendees speaking about their experiences. It also included testimonials from Isaac, Ruth and Yousif who recently completed work experiences in I.T., finance and law and joined us in the Long Room as special guests of honour. You can watch the film here:
Last night's event coincided with the start of the Big Give's 2024 Christmas Challenge. Thanks to the support of The Childhood Trust, donations made to Behind Every Kick between 3 December and 10 December will be match-funded. In other words, your donation will be worth double, allowing even more young people to fulfil their potential. From 3 December, please donate here.
With thanks to event sponsor OakNorth Bank for their generosity.