This Girl Can
This Girl Can is a Sport England funded campaign that has challenged stereotypes of sport and physical activity and has inspired millions of women to increase their activity levels up and down the country.
Elze Demereckaite
Hospitality Business Management student
Anna Fillingham
Marketing and Advertising student Social Secretary for the Fencing Team
Caitlin Hay
Criminology student
Keeley Hutton
Schools and Colleges Relationship Officer
Aziidah Nanteza
PhD student researching Finance
Mia Rayson Regan
English Literature and Creative Writing student
Elze Demereckaite
Elze is a 22 year old student studying Hospitality Business Management.
What type of sport or physical activity do you take part in on a regular basis?
Thai boxing/muay thai
What challenges have you faced in participating in sport and physical activity?
Overcoming health problems.
How has sport and physical activity impacted on your university experience?
It has enhanced my experience so much! By accidentally trying muay thai, I found my new passion and I also met so many new people that are now my good friends.
How has participating in sport and physical activity helped you?
It helped me deal with stress from university work, personal life. I also became much more confident, healthy and happy. At the same time, I started spending my free time actively, with like-minded people. I challenge myself everyday, I am getting prepared for fights, really putting my limits to the test and I love that.
What skills/behaviours have sport and physical activity helped you to develop?
Confidence, discipline, tenacity, respect, strategy.
What advice would you give someone unsure about participating in sport or physical activity?
Try absolutely everything that you can, there is a sport for everyone! I found muay thai by complete accident - my friends convinced me to come to a taster session, which I really did not want to go to and I never stopped doing it since then. If you don't like it - don't do it again, but at least now you are one step closer to finding your sport.
Anna Fillingham
20 year old student studying Marketing, Communications and Advertisement. Anna is the Social Secretary for the Fencing Team.
What type of sport or physical activity do you take part in on a regular basis?
Fencing
What challenges have you faced in participating in sport and physical activity?
Definitely realising my worth, sometimes going through bouts of losses in sports can make you feel you're not good enough. But not giving up when things got hard made me realise how strong I was and that I was capable of anything if I changed my perspective and put my mind at ease.
How has sport and physical activity impacted on your university experience?
It has helped to give me a mental break from university work and stress. As well as enabling me to make new friends and have a place to go to if I have any worries.
How has participating in sport and physical activity helped you?
It has enabled me to stay active and keep an overall balanced lifestyle as well as helping with mental health by getting out of the house and away from work life.
What skills/behaviours have sport and physical activity helped you to develop?
Confidence has really helped coming from sports. I feel like I am able to use my voice a lot more and not worry what people think.
What advice would you give someone unsure about participating in sport or physical activity?
Learning something new. Learning anything new is exciting, not to mention good for you, and your brain. It can be scary but it's usually very fun, you've just got to get out of your comfort zone and try something new.
Caitlin Hay
Caitlin is a third year Criminology student
What type of sport or physical activity do you take part in on a regular basis?
Rugby
What challenges have you faced in participating in sport and physical activity?
Being told that rugby is a man’s sport and not for girls.
How has sport and physical activity impacted on your university experience?
It has meant that I have a great group of friends and an amazing support network.
How has participating in sport and physical activity helped you?
It’s helped me channel my negative and look for positives in everything I do.
What skills/behaviours have sport and physical activity helped you to develop?
It’s helped me develop respect and discipline.
What advice would you give someone unsure about participating in sport or physical activity?
Give it a go there’s nothing wrong with trying something new.
Keeley Hutton
Keeley works at th Univrsity s a Schools and Colleges Relationhip Officer.
What type of sport or physical activity do you take part in on a regular basis?
Running, swimming and pilates.
What challenges have you faced in participating in sport and physical activity?
I’ve faced many challenges through my years of running. Fear of failure, confidence and health issues. Most recently, I experienced challenges due to my health. At the start of lockdown, I struggled to run. My body didn’t want to work and I felt exhausted all the time. This was the worst thing to happen because running keeps my mind healthy. After a few tests, the problem was identified and I was able to get back to exercising again. It was a long, slow process but I am now back to my previous fitness. It shows that with determination, you can overcome most challenges.
How has sport and physical activity impacted on your university experience?
I have met so many new people from the University, by attending classes, the gym and running at lunch times. It has given me a sense of community, new friends and given me the confidence to try new things, like lifting weights in the gym, which I would have never done previously.
How has participating in sport and physical activity helped you?
Exercise makes me feel good both on the inside and on the outside. I have a long-term health condition which is managed well when my fitness is good. It keeps my mind healthy and allows me to cope with my busy life of working full time and being a mum. If I’m feeling grumpy or stressed, I go out for a run or exercise and return a happier version of me.
What skills/behaviours have sport and physical activity helped you to develop?
This one is a hard one because physical activity is a way of life for me so I don’t look at it as developing my skills and behaviour but if I have to pick something, I would say it has improved my determination. If I want to achieve something, I will do everything in my power to make it work. I can relate this to both work and sport. I’ve run marathons, both on road and in the mountains and that is something you can’t do without determination (and some say stubbornness).
What advice would you give someone unsure about participating in sport or physical activity?
Don’t be afraid to try something new. You might meet new people or discover something that you genuinely enjoy.
Aziidah Nanteza
Aziidah is a PhD student, researching finance.
What type of sport or physical activity do you take part in on a regular basis?
Weights and strength classes.
How has sport and physical activity impacted on your university experience?
It has helped me develop a more positive attitude towards uni. I literally look forward to when I can do another fitness class everyday.
How has participating in sport and physical activity helped you?
It has helped me improve my mental and physical health.
What skills/behaviours have sport and physical activity helped you to develop?
I have found that I am more able to concentrate on my research and have been able to complete tasks on time as both my mind and body are stronger.
What advice would you give someone unsure about participating in sport or physical activity?
Try one class at a time and see what you like. There is something for everyone.
Mia Rayson Regan
Mia is in third year, studying English Literature with Creative Writing.
What type of sport or physical activity do you take part in on a regular basis?
Cheerleading
What challenges have you faced in participating in sport and physical activity?
It is a challenging sport that requires a lot of different skills and training my body to be able to meet these challenges. I also have a disability that has caused me to have to stop at training.
How has sport and physical activity impacted on your university experience?
It really has taken over my life. I missed it so much during lockdown. It is a great way of taking a break from university stress.
How has participating in sport and physical activity helped you?
It has been a fantastic impact on my mental health and has allowed me to try something new and meet some amazing people.
What skills/behaviours have sport and physical activity helped you to develop?
It’s taught me that nothing has to stop you from doing what you love and that working as a team can make you feel like you’re part of a big happy family.
What advice would you give someone unsure about participating in sport or physical activity?
I would say give it a go! If you don’t try it, you’ll never know. I hated sport before I found cheerleading and I would never go back to not doing it. It really has changed my life.