Olympic Ambition
World Champion bobsleigh driver and Olympian Nicola Minichiello lead a bobsleigh masterclass to mark her new role as an athlete mentor for Sky Sports Living for Sport. The masterclass for young people from Aireville School, Skipton took place at the Camp Hill bobsleigh facility in Kirklington, North Yorkshire.
The bobsleigh masterclasss, led by Nicola alongside coaches from Camp Hill, took ten young people from a local school through bobsleigh basics before tutoring them on a bob-push track. The young people were encouraged to learn new skills from Nicola and discover the enjoyment that can be gained from taking part in sport. Nicola, who has worked as a teacher, joins a team of athlete mentors led by Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell, who provide free school visits to schools that sign up to the initiative.
Positive effect on young people
Nicola Minichiello, Sky Sports Living for Sport athlete mentor commented: "I am really looking forward to visiting schools and mentoring young people involved with the Sky Sports Living for Sport scheme. I’ve been helped by a variety of people throughout my career without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today. Sports mentoring has such a positive effect on young people and my bobsleigh masterclass in Yorkshire was a great introduction to the initiative for me."
Over 17,000 young people in over 600 schools have benefitted since the programme began in 2003 and now the initiative is open access to all secondary schools.
So far over 250 schools have signed up and we want to get as many secondary schools involved as possible, so if you think any secondary school could benefit from this initiative find out more at www.skysports.com/livingforsport (opens in a new window) or email jack.eatherley@bskyb.com (opens in a new window)
Video Transcript
David Craig - Sky Sports Presenter: They are the golden girls of British woman’s bobsleigh, having taken first place at the world championships at Lake Placid. Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cook are a formidable team, but the pairing came about under unusual circumstances.
Nicola Minichiello: Gill had a fantastic reputation, she is an international athlete herself and I knew I needed to find a way to get in contact with her and other people like her to get her involved in the sport. One of the ways I contacted Gillian was through facebook.
Gill: She sent me a message on Facebook in August and I replied and came down and had a shot and it all went from there.
David Craig - Sky Sports Presenter: The queens of speed on the ice are ambassadors for Sky Sports Living for Sport, a programme designed to inspire young people who are at risk of dropping out of school. The hope is the masterclass will encourage those participating to get involved in bobsleigh.
Nicola Minichiello: With hard work, focus, dedication and with goals and aspirations you can do it. Anybody that wants to get involved in bobsleighing log on to the British bobsleighing association website, come down and get involved. The Living for Sport programme is about getting people involved in sport and whatever their skill might be, whether music or just allowing them to be everything they can be.
David Craig - Sky Sports Presenter: Having shown potential bobsleigh stars of the future the ropes, Britains’ world champions will soon be back in full time training themselves, as they target another gold at the winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010.
Nicola Minichiello: Absolutely, with 11 months to go till the Olympics it is a really exciting time for us right now. We are coming together as a team, my driving is improving, Gillian’s pushing is improving and it is now just kind of maximising that and making sure that we are dotting all the I’s and crossing the T’s and getting everything ready for 11 months time.
David Craig - Sky Sports Presenter: A training track in a car park in North Yorkshire is a far cry from the breathtaking ice tracks around the world but it’s been good enough to see Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cook become World Champions. David Craig Sky Sports.