Female athletes inspire school students at Uxbridge College’s #ThisGirlCan event

International Athlete Chelsea Alagoa and Sports Therapist Kaydene Parker headlined an inspiring day of talks and activities for local secondary school students as part of the This Girl Can campaign at Uxbridge College.

During 2019’s This Girl Can event at Uxbridge College, part of the national campaign to get more women exercising, Chelsea and Kaydene spoke to sixty students from six local high schools about their own sporting careers and passions.

Chelsea is a former member of the GB Bobsleigh Team and medal winning guide runner for international para-athletes and now plays basketball for Brunel University. She encouraged the girls to make the most of every sporting opportunity that crosses their path and to take part for the pure enjoyment of being active.

Kaydene is a former Uxbridge College student, who qualified as a Sports Therapist at University of East London and now works in the role of Sports Academies Coordinator for the college’s Football, Basketball, Netball and Cricket teams as well as in private practice with Thames Valley Cavaliers National Basketball Club.

The day included a series of sporting activities, aiming to evoke excitement about participating in an active lifestyle, including: Tchoukball, Quidditch, UV Table Tennis, Aerobics, Danish Longball and Netball Shooting. There were also educational activities run surrounding; Body Perceptions, Biomechanics and Exercising at Home.

The Netball Shooting activity was run by Uxbridge College’s This Girl Can Student Ambassadors, who were eager to spread the word about the importance of sport and the many opportunities in the sector for girls their age.

Ellie Newman, Course Team Leader for Sport, who led the event at Uxbridge College, said: “This was another really successful event – our two guest speakers were a real inspiration. It was also great to have students from in and around the borough on site to make use of the enthusiasm of our staff, as well as the fantastic facilities we have on site, including our full size professional basketball court which we use for a wide range of sports. We hope the day will inspire more of the girls to take part in regular exercise and to consider studying or working in the thriving sports industry or even becoming professional sportswomen!”

This Girl Can events have been running at Uxbridge College since 2015 and continue to bring healthy and enjoyable sports participation to the forefront of the next generation’s mind.

The students who participated were from the following schools: Ealing Fields High, Drayton Manor High, Vyners, Uxbridge High, Parkside Studio and Rooks Heath.