FAMILY LIFE AND A FITTING SCHOOL WHERE EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUALS EMERGE
When we think of spending quality family time together, we might often think of going to the movies, taking a walk with the dog, enjoying a home-cooked meal together; some of us may take out the bicycles and take a ride along the ECP but, very few of us will think to train for a triathlon together!
With the ever popular dispute of ‘nature vs nurture’ and ongoing research that both nature and nurture can contribute substantially, we look at this now with a regard to the performance of a sportsperson.
Take a child with a family background of sports enthusiasts who regularly participate and enjoy sporting activities together, couple that with a school who invests in their students via sports scholarships, and you have the best of both – ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ – and, of course, one budding professional athlete emerges!
We recently heard about one such young lady, Emma Middleditch – who, not only is a budding athlete, but is a budding professional triathlete!. Emma, who is a British and French citizen who currently studies and is a sports scholar at GEMS World Academy (Singapore), follows her father, James, and sister, Louisa, who are both competitive triathletes and regularly train together for upcoming competitive events.
At the most recent MetaSprint Series 2015 held in Singapore in March 2015, Emma clinched the top spot in the Youth Triathlon (girls 12 to 13 years) category, whilst her father and sister were in sixth (Men’s Triathlon) and third in the Youth Triathlon (girls 14 to 15 years) categories respectively.
Emma is currently a Grade 8 student at GEMS World Academy (Singapore) who did not initially know about the sports scholarship offered. It was when Head of Education at GWA Singapore mentioned it that it was found she was eligible and accorded a sports scholarship at GWA Singapore based on her outstanding athletic performances.
GWA Singapore scholars are chosen according to their outstanding ability and attitude across a range of disciplines such as sports, arts, academics and entrepreneurship.
Emma shared her thoughts on the school;
- “The school has helped me a lot during my journey as a sportsperson. For example, the swimming specialists have helped me with my swimming skills while the cross country team improved my running skills. The sports educators constantly encourage me to push my limits“.
Emma’s parents, James and Josiane, are glad that Emma is able to pursue her dream to be a sportsperson at GWA Singapore. Sharing their sports philosophy, they said;
- “We think that sports positively impact our relationships and help our two girls understand the importance of discipline, concentration, time management and self-improvement. These skills that we hope they will be able to apply in other areas of their lives“.
Emma dreams of being a professional triathlete and to compete at the Olympics…we say watch this space, with both her family and her school behind her, amazing things will happen!
Could your child be accorded a sports scholarship?
To find out more about GEMS World Academy (Singapore) you can see their website HERE
Soooooooo proud offre you Emma
Soooooooooooo proud of you Emma! :-))