School of Sport Health and Applied Science Welcomes Paralympian

The School of Sport Health and Applied Science (SHAS) at St Mary’s University, Twickenham recently welcomed Paralympian Kelly Gallagher as part of a new staff development program. Following recent expansion, the School employed an additional 26 new members of staff and the University has invested in a number of new facilities to meet the increasing demand for undergraduate places. The key speaker on the day was Paralympian, Kelly Gallagher. Kelly has a genetic condition oculocutaneous albinism which has severely limited her sight. Despite this, she remains the only ever British athlete to win a Paralympic Gold medal at a Winter games, which she won in Sochi in 2014 for the Super-G downhill ski event. Kelly spoke to the team about the sense of freedom that downhill skiing has given her and her passion for her sport. She further inspired the School with her experiences as an athlete and the commitment it takes to achieve her goals. She explained the importance of the team around her, including her sport psychologists, physiotherapists and strength and conditioning coaches. In a Q&A session, Kelly answered questions about how she selects her team and what advice she would offer to our students. She also discussed effective support services for an athlete when helping them to achieve their goals. St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor, Francis Campbell welcomed all of the new and returning staff and wished them a successful year. The school also had the opportunity to meet their incoming Head of School, Professor John Brewer who takes up his post on 1st October 2014.