Commonwealth Gold medal gymnast hopes to inspire pupils at Aberdeen school
22/02/12
Steve Frew, the first gymnast to win a gold medal for Scotland in the history of the Commonwealth Games, will give a demonstration and inspirational talk to young people when he visits Bucksburn Academy today [Wednesday 22 February].
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n a career that spanned 23 years Steve won gold in the men's rings competition at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in July 2002. He will visit the school in his role as athlete mentor for Sky Sports Living for Sport.
Sky Sports Living for Sport, delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, uses sport stars and sport skills to improve the lives of thousands of young people in secondary schools across the UK.
Since the initiative launched in 2003, 35,000 young people in over 1,500 schools have benefited by using sport to improve their lives. The key areas of focus for the initiative are: attainment and achievement, health and wellbeing, self-esteem, and encouraging pushing pupils to reach their full potential.
Steve now in his fifth year as an athlete mentor said: "I struggled with my own issues as a young boy but by focusing on what I wanted to achieve and staying true to myself, I turned negativity into something positive which helped me get where I wanted to be. Sky Sports Living for Sport really enables young people to have a channel through which they can focus on their goals and better themselves in life."
Lee Williams, PE teacher at Bucksburn Academy said: "The aim of the visit is to inspire young people in the lead up to London 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and Steve's visit is sure to do both with his own inspirational story."
While at the school Steve will meet Sports Leaders Shane Pirie (14), Sally Gray (14), Rachel Brechin (14) and Jacob Joyce (14) along with pupils who study PE.
Aberdeen Sports Leadership Academy [Grampian Leaders] sits within Active Schools Aberdeen and receives financial support from sportscotland - the national agency for sport. The academy offers high-quality regular support, training and development for young people who are committed to actively volunteering in sport and physical activity opportunities within their school or community.
The academy is open to 20 students in S4-S6 who attend local authority schools in Aberdeen. The young people taking part complete a sports leadership qualification and a sport-specific governing body leader award. In addition to volunteering, participants are given first aid, child protection and disability inclusion training.