Writhlington welcomed British Judo Champion, Tom Reed, to their halls last Friday, 17th January, to inspire some of its budding athletes.
Last year, students from across all year groups were nominated for upholding the British Olympic values within the school sporting community. Writhlington's sports department take great pride in nurturing every student, no matter what level of skill and fostering a passion for sports and creativity.
Tom Reed has long been one of Britain's most exciting performers, possessing an explosive arsenal of throws that makes him a crowd favourite. After claiming Silver in the British Championships, Tom joined the 'Living For Sports' Sky Sports initiative, aimed at engaging secondary students in sports and school community.
Students took part in workshops, learning the six key skills to creating success – mental toughness, hunger to achieve, people skills, sports and life knowledge, breaking barriers and planning for success. The skills were designed to help young people develop valuable life skills that will aid them in and outside of school, now and into the future.
While Tom demonstrated different judo techniques, students had the opportunity to not only try these out on each other, but also on Tom himself!
Year 8 student and fellow GB athlete, Cory Walkes, said: "It was a brilliant day, I know how hard training is, so could really appreciate the wisdom and knowledge he was passing down. We all had such fun taking part and it was a really great opportunity to work alongside a professional athlete."