Special Olympics GB show support for 'This Girl Can' Campaign
In support of Sport England's new campaign 'This Girl Can' that aims to inspire women to take part in sport and physical activity, Special Olympics GB is featuring some of it's female athletes as they prepare to compete at the 2015 World Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Introducing Holly Riseborough
Holly, 19, is one of over 100 athletes heading to the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2015 in Los Angeles. She will be competing as part of Great Britain's Artistic Gymnastics Team.
Holly won her first medal at a local gymnastics competition when she was six, since then she has gone from strength to strength. She began entering national competitions at the age of eight and has competed at two Special Olympics GB National Games, and both British Gymnastics and National Down Syndrome sports events.
Holly is currently the Level 3 British and World Champion for gymnasts with Down Syndrome. 2015 is a big year for Holly, as she is busy training and preparing for her first World Games in Los Angeles.
The 2015 Special Olympics World Games take place from 25 July to 2 August. With 7,000 athletes, 3,000 coaches representing 177 countries, 30,000 volunteers and an anticipated 500,000 spectators, it's expected to be the single biggest sports event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games.
Holly's dad, Peter couldn't be any more proud of his daughter. He writes about her journey to success:
Holly started gymnastics when she was three years old, however she soon had to stop because the area couldn’t cater for her needs at the time.
After a couple of years Holly started at Coventry Olympic Gymnastic Club and she's been there ever since. She has also been a part of Special Olympics Coventry for the last eight years. Holly trains for approximately nine hours per week on all pieces of apparatus.
Gymnastics isn't Holly's only love, she also enjoys performing, and regularly participates in a Youth Theatre Drama Group at Warwick Arts Centre and Coventry Youth Dance.
Holly is currently at Rugby College studying for a Level 2 in Performing Arts. She volunteers at the local Tesco store and co-teaches dance to Mencap members every Friday.
Holly has benefitted enormously from gymnastics both in terms of her health and social development. Gymnastics gives her a purpose and is an area of her life where she can be seen as an equal. Many younger gymnasts at the club look up to Holly and can’t believe what she can do.
This is Holly and she's spreading the word that This Girl Can.
