Junior Sports Stars learn secrets of success from Olympians

JUNIOR Sports Star winners have enjoyed a day of white-knuckle fun, rafting with a trio of Olympians and learning their secrets of how to stay motivated, overcome disappointment and dream big

Marissa Georgopoulos

less than 2 min read

March 31, 2016 - 12:54PM

Penrith Press

West

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JUNIOR Sports Star winners have enjoyed a day of white-knuckle fun, rafting with a trio of Olympians and learning their secrets of how to stay motivated, overcome disappointment and dream big.

Paddlers Jessica Fox, Lucien Delfour and Ian Borrows, who are all bound for Rio, took time out over the Easter weekend to inspire the next generation of sporting stars at Penrith Whitewater Stadium.

Ian Borrows, who will compete in the C1 canoe slalom, told the excited audience that he took up his sport after watching paddling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a 10-year-old.

“(My dad) brought me to the course and I watched the Games and got a bit excited by that,’’ he said. “I started paddling after that and went from there.’’

Junior Sports Stars and high school athletes at Whitewater Stadium. Photographer: Adam Yip

Jessica Fox, a Silver Olympic medallist at just 18 and former Junior Sports Star winner, said it was “fantastic to see the next generation of athletes coming through’’.

She said balancing education and sport had been an important part of her goal to be an Olympian like her parents. “I had this dream of the Olympics and I wrote it on a piece of paper and stuck it up on my wall and this dream was something that inspired me every morning to get up and do well at training and do well at school and be able to think about where I wanted to go with it.’’

The athletes enjoying the thrill of the white water. Photographer: Adam Yip

The exciting day was capped off for the young athletes with selfies with the Olympians and a chance to hold Fox’s Olympic medal.

Olympian Jessica Fox taking a selfie with JSS and Ian Borrows and Lucien Delfour at Whitewater Stadium in Penrith. Photographer: Adam Yip

The day was a huge highlight for the Press’ 2015 Young Sporting Spirit award winner, Mitchell Gavin, of Cranebrook.

The 12-year-old rugby league enthusiast and avid Panthers supporter said he was motivated by the Olympians’ advice, mainly that “you have to have a good education”.

Mitchell said in the lead up to the day he had been eagerly looking forward to gliding down the rapids.

“I was excited, I couldn’t wait ... I had fun.”