National Sporting Heritage Day: Inspire, Share and Celebrate

National Sporting Heritage Day takes place on the 30th September annually. This annual event is organised by Sporting Heritage and is a celebration of sporting history and legacy. It is a day to be celebrated by anyone with a connection to sport. 

The theme for 2021 is ‘Inspire, share and celebrate’. There is a focus on cross-generational activities and education. It is hoped sharing stories about sport will close generational gaps, provoke conversations and help young people to learn more about inspiring athletes from all disciplines throughout history.

For schools, there are amazing resources available on the Sporting Heritage website. National Sporting Heritage Day is ideal to celebrate in the classroom and will captivate the interests and imaginations of your pupils. You can access the necessary information and resources via this link. 

Inspire

At Kent-Teach, we know the last 18 months have been incredibly challenging for employment and recruitment. Thankfully, the job market is recovering and there are a plethora of job vacancies becoming available each day. But, searching for jobs can be a challenging and time-consuming process. After dedicating a great deal of time and effort to your job applications, it can be incredibly disheartening and saddening if you do not receive an invitation to interview or narrowly miss out on being offered the job. 

We have taken National Sporting Heritage Day and the theme of ‘Inspire, Share and Celebrate’ as an opportunity to add some positivity to the job market. We have picked our top 3 awe inspiring athletes, who overcame tremendous odds, to show you that anything is possible and to keep on trying. 

Kerri Strug

In 1996, Kerri Strug made history for achieving a gold medal in Women’s Gymnastics. The US athlete secured the USA’s first gold medal in history for women’s gymnastics. However, this was not the only reason why Kerri made headlines. When completing a vault, Kerri landed awkwardly. During this landing, Kerri injured her foot. However, she continued to perform a second vault, using her injured foot, and managed to perfect a landing on one foot. Then, in severe pain, she fell. It transpired that Kerri had, in fact, severely damaged her ankle. She was hospitalised with a severe lateral sprain and damage to her tendons. The perfect second vault, which Kerri performed with her injured ankle, earned her the gold medal. Kerri was in severe pain during the second vault but managed to make Olympic history. Although we would never recommend completing any task whilst in severe pain, Kerri’s story is testament to the human spirit, determination and shows that the desire to succeed can prevail even in the most challenging of circumstances. 

Robert Garrett

The Olympics have changed considerably over the years. In 1896, the first ‘modern’ Olympic event was held. Despite being referred to as the first of the modern Olympics, it undeniably looked very different to the Olympics we observe today. Robert Garrett was an American athlete who demonstrated exceptional talent in track and field and shotput. However, Garrett was also invited to participate in discus. He had never tried discus before and had not even seen the equipment required to play. When it was his turn, Garrett did not put himself under pressure to execute the event perfectly; he competed for fun. Understandably, the first throws were a little bit of a disaster. However, on the 3rd attempt, he executed the throw perfectly and he overtook his closest competitor. Amazingly, Garrett secured a gold medal in discus. This historical moment proves that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. 

Eric Moussambani

Eric Moussambani featured in 2000 Olympics in Sydney. His home country was Equatorial Guinea; a place ravaged by poverty. Moussambani secured his place in the Olympics via a wildcard. His Olympic discipline was swimming. But, there was one slight issue… he did not know how to swim. Prior to the commencement of the Olympics, Eric started the process of learning to swim; completely self-taught. Without a coach, it was difficult for Eric to gauge his progress. The day of the Olympics arrived and it was time for Eric to put his efforts to the test. The odds were in his favour as he was the only athlete to not be disqualified for an early start. The event required Eric to swim (alone, thanks to the disqualification of his fellow swimmers!) whilst being timed. Eric’s time was the slowest recorded in the history of the Olympics. However, the audience were on his side. There were times when it was uncertain if Eric would even complete the event, but he did. Eric became an Olympic icon and reinforced the premise of the Olympics that taking part is what truly matters, not winning. Eric’s sheer determination brought him to the centre stage of the world’s most iconic sporting event and he proved that anything is possible, hard work and effort pays off and that adversity can be overcome. 

There are numerous inspiring sports men and women who have overcome tremendous odds, defied limits and enjoyed great success through hard work and determination. This National Sporting Heritage Day, be inspired by the triumphs of hundreds of sporting figures and remember to never give up. Job seeking is a journey and, with continued effort and optimism, you can achieve your dreams and goals, ending up at your chosen destination. 

If you are seeking further support and tips for your job search, our blog ‘How to Optimise Your Job Search Process: Top Tips for a Successful Job Search’ contains a wealth of information to make your job search successful.