Dame Kelly Holmes is hosting a training and education day for 30 young female athletes who are part of her successful "On Camp with Kelly" mentoring initiative, supported by Aviva, at Loughborough University on Thursday 2 July.
Dame Kelly Holmes is hosting a training and education day for 30 young female athletes who are part of her successful "On Camp with Kelly" mentoring initiative, supported by Aviva, at Loughborough University on Thursday 2 July. The athletes attending the get-together range from some of the girls who participated in the first ever OCWK camp in South Africa in 2004 through to athletes who joined the initiative last year.
The day will be a valuable opportunity for the athletes to catch up with their mentor Dame Kelly and she will do some specific work with the athletes selected for this summer’s international age group championships. All the athletes will learn about the risks presented by a condition known as the Female Athlete Triad which is common amongst female endurance runners and attend workshops on nutrition and sports psychology. The athletes will also have the opportunity to train together and receive physiotherapy and massage.
Dame Kelly said: “I ensure that I meet up regularly with the ‘On Camp with Kelly’ athletes to check on their progress and help them develop in their athletics careers by giving them mentoring support. Although I am in regular contact with the athletes by phone and text it is also important for me to see them face-to-face. The girls also enjoy meeting up and training together, they all go through the same things and are an important support network for each other.”
Tanya Veingard, head of sponsorship at Aviva UK, said: “We are proud to support Kelly in her work in recognising the talent in these young athletes, and hope that in doing so we are making it easier for them to achieve their dreams. ‘On Camp with Kelly’, which Aviva is proud to support, is about providing new and unique opportunities that will hopefully ensure the next generation of medal winners are confident and prepared to represent their country at an international level.”
"On Camp with Kelly", supported by Aviva since 2004, is double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes’ mentoring initiative for talented young middle distance athletes. Recent research has shown that "On Camp with Kelly" has had a significant impact on retaining female athletes in the sport in the late teenage years when drop out rates are traditionally high and has also led to improved performances in female middle distance running.
For more information about "On Camp with Kelly" and latest news and updates go to www.oncampwithkelly.co.uk.
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For more information contact:
Emily Lewis
Telephone: 020 8694 3766 / 07925 296736
E-mail: emily@doublegold.co.uk
For more information about Aviva’s support of athletics please contact:
Gerri Carr at Hill & Knowlton
Telephone: 0207 413 3000
E-mail: gerri.carr@hillandknowlton.com
Notes to editors:
‘On Camp with Kelly’
"On Camp with Kelly" (OCWK) was started by double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes in January 2004 and with support and sponsorship from Aviva has grown from strength to strength. Over 60 athletes have been involved in the initiative to date.
Dame Kelly set up OCWK because she wanted to help talented young female middle distance athletes to achieve their dreams and to retain them in the sport. Her vision of OCWK was that it should be an educational development programme so that the athletes who are part of it gain life experiences as well as learn what it takes to become a world class athlete.
Eight girls were given the opportunity to participate in the first OCWK camp in South Africa in October 2004, funded by Aviva, and since then there have been regular Get-Togethers, a training camp in Spain and a camp in Melbourne during the 2006 Commonwealth Games, as well as the opportunity to race in international meetings across the UK and Europe. The athletes also benefit from mentoring from Dame Kelly as well as medical and financial support funded by Aviva.
For more information about "On Camp with Kelly" visit www.oncampwithkelly.co.uk.
Research
Aviva commissioned research by performance psychologist Dr Anna Waters, Chrianna Consultants Limited, to investigate the impact of the "On Camp with Kelly" initiative and the positive role that mentoring can play in talent retention and development.
More information is available at www.oncampwithkelly.co.uk/news_detail.html&id=136
About Aviva
Aviva has been the team behind UK Athletics since 1999 and is committed to developing the sport at every level from the playground to the podium.
This year we’ll have put on six world class athletics events on home soil and supported the Aviva GB & NI Team as they prepare for major championships. Through the Aviva UKA Academy it is anticipated that by 2012, we’ll have given every child in the UK the opportunity to get involved in athletics.
Aviva is the world’s fifth largest insurance group, serving 50 million customers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
We are the largest insurance services provider in the UK and one of the leading providers of life and pension products in Europe.
For more information visit www.aviva.com/athletics