I won’t lie, I was pretty disappointed when Andy Murray was announced BBC Sports Personality of the Year last night. I’m not for a second saying that Murray didn't deserve to win, I just felt that there were so many others up on that stage who deserved it more. Don’t even get me going on what the hell Leicester City winning Team of the Year was all about - who voted for that anyway…?!? Regardless of who won, SPOTY definitely leaves you feeling inspired. Inspired by what the human body can do and inspired by the extraordinary lengths that these athletes will go to in order to achieve their goals. The total self belief that they have is unparalleled and it makes you think how much we underestimate our own personal ability in comparison.
6/16 contenders were female in the 2016 BBC Sports Personality of The Year
I’m a huge believer in sport. It not only has the power to transform bodies and minds, it also builds and develop communities. Unfortunately I didn’t discover sport until after school. You either fell into the ‘sporty or ‘not sporty’ bracket and as a little fat tubby girl with braces I was automatically sent into the latter camp by teachers. I then adopted an insecure mindset of ‘I coudn’t' or ‘I wasn’t good enough to play’ so I didn’t even try. In 2010 I ran (under duress) a 5k for Cancer Research after Mum was diagnosed. That led me to sign up for the Great North Run, which led to the London Marathon which led to learning how to row then the Uganda marathon. Rowing had an incredible impact on me - it gave me focus, confidence but most importantly the strongest support group of girlfriends imaginable. Had someone told me after the 5k in 2010 that in 2014 I’d be rowing at Women’s Henley (admittedly rowing badly but still rowing!) I’d never have believed them. It’s just another example of how it’s all about mindset and that it’s the small steps that lead to big change.
It’s fantastic that we have the likes of Laura Trott, the Women’s GB Hockey team and Sophie Christiansen showcasing what women can do in sport but I still feel we need more. Some may argue that we’ve come a long way in recent years regarding attitudes to women in sport but I beg to differ. Since SPOTY started in 1954, there have been 13 female winners and only 1 female winner in the last 10 years. Women need more exposure in the media so that young women can see what can be achieved to encourage them to start. But it is not just down to the profession athletes, it's also down to us, everyday ‘normal’ women. It’s down to us to be running the streets more often and picking up balls to show young girls and women that you don’t need to be ‘sporty’ to play sport. To show that it’s normal to have a red puffy face and a wobbly bum when you run. To show what physical, mental and social benefits you can gain from pulling on your lycra and getting outside. It's down to us to start being more positive rolemodels and to show that #thisgirlcan.
