Celebrity Spotlight - Kelly Holmes
Not intent on winning two gold medals at the 2004 Olympics, Dame Kelly Holmes has also recently become an author of her very own children’s books. Flying Start talks to her about… well, sports and children’s books!
What made you decide to start writing children’s books?
I think it’s really a follow on from the work I do in schools with kids, using sport as a way to help every child build their confidence, and be involved in sport even if only through a book.
Where did you get the idea for your book ‘Katy The Shooting Star’?
It’s actually based on a true story of a young girl who was called a gypsy at school, she was always left out on the sidelines, and nobody ever played with her but she loved basketball. The PE teacher Glyn Waldon, who is also the co-writer of this book, saw the girl playing basketball on her own. She was shooting one after the other; he thought she was great and asked her to join the team; she soon became the focus of the entire team, the main player. All of the stories are based on characters that face challenges and adversities which potentially limit their abilities. These stories focus on overcoming such difficulties, achieving your goals and being given a chance at opportunities.
Did you enjoy reading a lot as a child?
I didn’t read a lot as a child no. I was into the old Mr Men books and that’s why this is a very easy, simple read with lots of graphics, so it can actually engage the child and make it easier for the parents to become involved. They are also getting useful little tips about sport without being technical.
What do you think can be done to get children more active both in and out of school?
First of all they’re doing a lot more in schools to change the way that PE is delivered. Schools are still offering traditional sports that they must do for those who enjoy team sports like hockey and football, and for those who have an ambition to be better like I did. On the same level it’s about engaging every child, giving them a variety of options so everybody can have a go. So we’re seeing a lot more martial arts, trampolining, cheerleading, and street dancing happening at school now so every child matters. It’s also about clubs working with schools to make sure that it’s continued so that when the young person has finished school there’s somewhere for them to go that engages them and enables them to have fun more than anything. But I do believe that you should get children at a very young age to have sport as a normal part of their life and hopefully the books are a way of doing that.
What were you like at school as a child?
PE for me was the best thing, the highlight of my school life. I was always out with my friends, having fun and trying all new different activities, all the while seeing progress in myself in all that I did. I used to bike to school, three miles there and back, it absolutely was my life and I think we need to get that back into young people today.
Do you miss athletics and the competing now at all?
No, I don’t miss training as hard as I did then. Having achieved what I did in Athens and over my career, I’m satisfied I got everything I want out of sport. I now do it for my own benefit or just the enjoyment of it, occasionally doing other sports such as squash or badminton. I have nieces and nephews and I want them to think about sports as a way to develop and become someone, sport helps develop self belief and leadership qualities, and aids the ability to integrate with people. You know what happens in school if you’re left out on the sidelines; it’s not a pleasant experience for a lot of young kids. So I think through sport you can actually raise all your aspirations and be part of the good crowd rather than getting tied up with the bad crowd.
How do you fill your time now without all the training?
I’m a National School Sport Champion so I’m forever going around schools and colleges getting involved with programmes to encourage more kids to take up different activities. Most of the time it’s the ones who aren’t into sport or school and we are trying to use sport as a vehicle to change their lives really.
What have you got coming up work wise in the future?
I’m still doing ‘GirlsActive’ which was really big because it is engaging teenage girls to get back into sport. There were a number of reasons highlighted and debated over the last few weeks as to why they don’t do sport like hating their PE kits for example. A lot of my school sports work is getting bigger, I feel I am becoming more influential with the government now, having a lot of meetings with the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister about how we can get more funding into school sports to benefit everybody.
Check out Katy the Shooting Star by Kelly Holmes (Author), Glyn Walden (Author), Mike Webb (Illustrator).
Published by Big Park Books £4.99 www.bigparkbooks.co.uk
