The ability to get out of breath and work up a sweat could almost be a qualification for an aspiring athlete. However, Olympic gold heptathlete Jessica Ennis fears too many girls avoid taking part in sport because they don’t like getting hot and sweaty.
Ennis said she feels a responsibility to act as a role model for young women who are not keen on exercise. At an awards ceremony for inspirational students and teachers, she revealed sport helped her to beat shyness.
She said: “When you get to 13 or 14 sport is not the thing girls want to do, there are other things happening. Girls in my year didn’t want to get hot and sweaty. It didn’t appeal to them. It is still the case now but it is changing more and more.”
Having a mentor is key to changing girls’ attitudes, and she wants to help raise the profile of female sport, she said.
“After starting sport at the age of 10 it changed me and made me who I am. I was quite shy at school and sport gave me more confidence. I mixed with different people and was put in different situations — you have to travel a bit around the country.
“Things like that made me more focused and more determined and gave me structure in what I did... it carried through into my whole life. There needs to be more sport in schools. I would like more time dedicated to it at school.”
Ennis has warned before that budding sportswomen can be put off by the fear of becoming too muscular and looking different from their friends. “I’m always saying to them that strong can look good,” she said.
She believes the London 2012 Olympics have inspired more children to take up sport. As an ambassador for Sky Sports Living for Sport, a project to boost participation in team games, she visited schoolchildren in her home city of Sheffield.
The Sky Sports Living for Sport Awards, at Sky’s west London studios, recognised the efforts of students and teachers who have used sport to inspire young people. London regional finalist Maaryiah Atta, 12, of Brentford School for Girls, was acknowledged for encouraging fellow pupils to join sports clubs.
