Alison Shanks - Olympic Ambassador

We were very lucky to have a visit from Alison Shanks.  She talked about her career and how she used goals and a pursuit of excellence to help drive her to success. 

Alison talked about the importance of Olympic values, Excellence Respect and Friendship and how these help her to focus on going fast and pushing herself beyond what she thought was possible.

She took students through her mindset prior to race time and the the crucial countdown to the start. Alison talked about embracing the "nervous butterflies" and turning these into a motivation to do her best. 

Alison encouraged everyone to aim high and pursue excellence, little by little, every day. Her story of how she turned from a passionate netballer into a world champion cyclist was inspirational.

It was great to get a glimpse into the mind of an elite athlete and hear first hand how she combined physical ability with mental toughness and determination in order to achieve her goals.