Hello everyone, my name is Caitlyn and this is Hayden and we are part of Scottish Disability Sports Young Persons Sports Panel. Here is what we have been up to during lockdown.
So Caitlyn, what have you been up to during lockdown?
Well Hayden, I have been super busy during lockdown with online courses – one of my favourite courses has been learning British Sign Language. I have also been taking part in all of the activities the Be Active Be Well Programme had to offer and I would like to thank SDS for putting this on throughout lockdown. This was a great saviour as it kept me fit/active while I couldn’t attend all my different sports and I also got to try and explore new sports like Yoga, Tai Chi, High-Intensity Interval Training, Callanetics, Stretching and Wheelchair Based Exercises. However, that was only the active side of the programme: I also took part in the Wellbeing side too that helped you focus and look after your mental health. I especially loved the self-hypnosis, nature therapy, oxygen advantage and so much more and even learned so many new things and techniques to help me cope with different situations. I also learned that the way I used to draw/write to help me communicate and to tell people of what I was meaning or wanting to say is called Sketchnoting.
That isn’t all I have been doing throughout lockdown! I have been doing exercise videos with the Law Enforcement Torch Run Scotland Team for Special Olympics and this went Global as we joined in, as the LETR team in Ontario, Canada started this movement and it went all over Canada, USA, Scotland and even all the way to Australia. We call them our #10aDayTilItsOk challenge where you pick an exercise a day and do 10 repetitions of that exercise and video it then post it on Social Media so that others can watch and join in. This was a great way to stay connected to everyone throughout lockdown and also kept us active/fit. I also made a lot of new friends from all over the world by doing this and can’t wait to meet them all in person in the future. We even did a Virtual Global Torch Run and I got to go to a few of Scotland’s finest landmarks which was great fun as I got to see the team in person for the first time in months.
Most recently I took part in the Virtual Kilt Walk where I walked 27.8 miles for Forth Valley Disability Sport and raised in total (this is including the 50% from the Hunters Foundation) £705 for them which I’m so grateful for everyone supporting me and donating to this wonderful charity as they have helped me so much throughout my sporting journey and wouldn’t be where I am today without them. Also by doing this it has lead me in a new volunteering path by becoming a walk leader and helping at the Braveheart Health Walks in my home town so I’m now giving back to my community and meeting new people every week.
So Hayden you have heard all about my amazing adventures during lockdown. What have you been up to during Lockdown?
Well Caitlyn throughout lockdown I have rediscovered my love for Robot Wars, a childhood show of mine that was rebooted in 2016 before ending again in 2018.
Another thing I have found a new love for is Lego and encouraging others to give Lego a try with either a Lego set or just random bricks.
I have also been doing the BBC’s Couch to 5K, where I’m just about to start week 5 of the Challenge. This has kept me active during lockdown and helped me for when I had to pack up and move boxes as I have recently moved house and now that I’m settled in my new house I can’t wait and looking forward to what opportunities will arise in the summer.