Decathlete inspires students at The Hyndburn Academy
Published on : 29 November 2019
/ Categories: General
Year 7s meet national decathlete Matt Lee and take part in special athletics fitness challenge.
Today, Year 7 students from The Hyndburn Academy welcomed a new teacher to class – national decathlete Matt Lee.
Matt, who has overcome issues with injury over the years to compete at a national level, hosted a dedicated fitness session with the students whilst giving an insight into his experiences as an athlete. This included an inspirational assembly explaining some of the challenges he has faced and how he has turned his career around from repeat injuries to being back at the top of his sport in the UK.
The Year 7s quizzed Matt about his experiences and what has helped him stay focused and positive throughout his challenges with injury – learning that resilience and support from friends was the key to his success. Matt then gave a demonstration of some of the skills required in the decathlon – which involves ten different events including long jump, shot put and the 100 metres.
After that, it was the turn of the students to get active. Matt and the PE team at The Hyndburn Academy had set up a special fitness challenge which included sit ups, burpees and squats. To add to the competitive spirit, this combined a sponsorship challenge where students who raised the biggest totals for their chosen charity, were rewarded with prizes. Chiara Angotti raised the most money individually and received a picture with the athlete and a special presentation certificate.
Throughout the session, The Hyndburn Academy’s Year 11 GCSE PE students were on hand to provide support and some individual coaching for the students – cheering them on and giving them tips on how best to complete the different tasks.
Matt Lee said:
“I've had a great time here at the Hyndburn Academy, the students are fantastic and very enthusiastic. Hopefully, I've been able to inspire some of them with my story. It is about working hard, putting in the effort and then you can achieve your goals."
Year 7 student Noah Bent said:
"I really enjoyed this afternoon. The activities were quick and made us all work hard. I enjoyed the sit up challenge the most and I was glad I got to ask him my questions."
Nicola Palmer, Headteacher at The Hyndburn Academy, said:
“Today’s visit from Matt Lee was a thoroughly enjoyable, interactive and inspirational session for our Year 7s, who have come away keen to put into practice some of the lessons they have taken from it. We are very grateful that Matt took the time to speak to our students about his experience as an athlete and share some of the personal challenges he has overcome to get to where he is today. Resilience, perseverance and self-confidence are just some of the key attributes we want to nurture in our students as part of an Education with Character so Matt was an excellent role model for this."
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