HELLO EVERYBODY,

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I am excited and overwhelmed by the number of people that have shown interest and willingness to help and support my dream of becoming a Winter Olympics Athlete at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Skeleton, as you may or may not know, is a downhill sliding sport that involves a single person laying headfirst on a sled. The aim of the sport is to get to the bottom of an ice track in the quickest total time possible, which means hitting speeds up to 80 mph with your chin centimetres from (sometimes on) the ice.

There are no brakes on the sled and we experience immense pressures – up to 5G (even up to 8 snap G)… hence why some people like to tell me I’m a little bit crazy!

My target is to raise £3000. This will contribute to my living, training, and travel costs over the next season and allow me to train and compete as a full-time athlete, alongside my studies in my final year at Loughborough University.

I currently do not receive any financial assistance, so to progress on my journey and make my dream of becoming a Winter Olympics athlete a reality, I will need financial support to get me started first and foremost to travel for training, which is essential due to there being no home track in the UK for bob-skeleton.

The FUTURE…

Great Britain’s skeleton athletes have medalled at EVERY games that the sport has featured. It is my goal to emulate the likes of Shelley Rudman, Amy Williams and Lizzy Yarnold and win a gold medal for Team GB at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Talent program – which I am a member of, is renowned for producing champions, therefore I am confident that my work ethic and drive, alongside the team around me, will get me to where I wish to be in seven years. I believe that I can be on that podium.

ABOUT ME

I am 21, and from Manchester. I am currently in my second sliding season as a skeleton athlete. I came across skeleton through a Talent ID search named Power2Podium, shortly after the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, where I progressed through numerous selection phases and became a successful applicant from over 1000 that originally applied.

Prior to skeleton, I was a heptathlete (specialising in 100m hurdles) and represented Great Britain at Junior Level in 2013, and won the 100m hurdles at the renowned English Schools Championships in Gateshead in 2012.

As a heptathlete, I struggled with injury due to the repetitive nature of the activity, so it only made sense that 3 ankle operations later, I decided to see if I could fulfill my potential as a sportswoman elsewhere.

Being selected into the British Skeleton Talent Programme is an exciting new prospect, and I am willing to work hard to see how I can fulfil my potential in the sport. Skeleton has given me a new and thrilling passion and has reignited my desire to represent my country at an Olympic Games.

Stretching my final year at Loughborough University, where I am currently studying English and Sports Science, will give me more lenience when it comes to attending training camps abroad, and allow me the extra time I need for training and learning how to slide,  alongside all the other lifestyle aspects which I will need to progress in the sport.

The money you contribute will go towards UK travel, rent, bills, food, training facility costs and equipment for training.

Let’s make my BEIJING 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS dream a reality.

UPDATES…

Firstly, I have some SOUVENIR REWARDS from out here in LAKE PLACID, NY for a lucky few supporters…

12/12/15

I am currently out in Lake Place, New York learning to slide the track here! It is one incredible track and it’s even more exciting as this track will be the destination of our first competition in March. The track out here is like a HUGE water slide and its a completely new experience compared to the other tracks we have already slid (Lillehammer, Igls and Winterberg). Things are going great out here and other than a few bruised hands everything is going well!

I also have some souvenir rewards from out here in Lake Placid for those supporters that get me to £1500 and £200!!!

02/11/15

I have just returned home after sliding in Winterberg (Germany)! I was one of the lucky two selected to drive the van home with all the sliding equipment, which meant a 10 hour drive through 5 different countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and finally the UK). Subject to change is a phrase which summed up the whole sliding week out in Winterberg!!! The weather was incredibly unpredictable, with strong winds and lots and lots of rain, mixed with the unusually warmer climate, it meant that the track was in a poor condition and ice had began to melt and fall away in certain corners of the track! As a result of this, it meant that we could only slide on the last two days of the camp (better than nothing I suppose!!).

Although sliding was limited, it meant a lot of time for learning off the track, which was extremely useful and puts me in a great position for getting to grips with our next track out in NEW YORK – Lake Placid in two weeks time!!!! It will be my first experience of sliding “across the pond” and will also be the destination for my first race as a Skeleton athlete, in March next year!

A huge thank you to those who have donated so far!!!