Climber Molly Thompson-Smith gives #ShowUp campaign big boost
Tuesday 19 June 2018 15:43, UK
Climber Molly Thompson-Smith made a rallying cry for females to get stuck into sport on the day she visited Sky to help launch the #ShowUp campaign.
Sky Sports and the Women's Sport Trust have partnered to encourage everyone to 'show up' and support women's sport by watching, attending or playing.
Thompson-Smith, a Sky Sports Scholar and on the mend from major hand surgery, was at Sky HQ in Osterley.
The 20-year-old Londoner reveals why she's so passionate about this initiative....
"As a female athlete in what could be considered as a male-dominated sport, I was immediately interested in the opportunity to be a part of the #ShowUp launch.
There were several incredible female athletes sharing their backgrounds in sport and what the campaign meant to them.
Any opportunity to encourage at least one woman to get involved in sport is a worthwhile one to me so I was thrilled to be able to share my climbing story and tips on how you could get into the sport.
With many phone calls and social media interviews packed in, the first half of the day flew by. Possibly the highlight (and even scariest one!) was being interviewed by two lovely young girls who were enthusiastic about sport and I have to say very good interviewers.
I know I'm (only) 20 but they did remind me of myself as a keen youth bananas about being active and outside!
At lunch I was let loose in the amazing Sky gym and was trusted to run a fitness class. I ran a Tabata style class consisting of 20-second bursts of hard work, followed by 10 seconds of rest, and then repeated.
It was hot, sweaty and really tough. Thanks to the staff for letting me run the class and the people who sweated it out with me!
A 20-minute turnaround and I was on Sky Sports News talking about the campaign, how I got into climbing, and my injury.
It's always such a great experience going on air, and every time I'm blown away by how hard it is to be a presenter listening to several voices through a headset and picking out which bits of information is directed at you, as well as actually reading the news!
And of course to everyone making sure everything runs smoothly off camera!
I'm a firm believer in sport being something that anyone of any age, gender or religion can do and feel part of a community as they do it, and that's why I wanted to be a part of this campaign.
I love trying to spread the word about climbing to as many people as I can - male and female - but especially trying to encourage those who may not think climbing is for them.
I know I can feel a little self-conscious when trying something new, but climbing has different styles and difficulty, meaning you can find something that's the right level for you and still enjoy doing it with your friends whatever level they're at too.
So if you're unsure as to whether you want to try a new sport, choose to watch our athletes on the telly rather than EastEnders, or watch your mates have a kick about in the park.
I urge you to give it a shot. It could turn out to be a great decision where you meet a friend for life, or find a passion for life.
#ShowUp
