Role models don’t have to be successful as in winning medals and the like. If I understand properly, part of the ‘this girl can’ program is to create different role models and one of those is the ‘not particularly good but bloody enjoys it’ role model. Which – let’s face it – is the category 99% of male sport participants fall into; all those sunday league footballers, Tuesday night 5 a siders, 20 miles to a cafe then back again cyclists, crap sunday social cricketers, hour of squash followed by a beerers….. none of who will ever win a medal for it but still get the benefits.
Letting ladies know that sport for fun is far more important than sport for reward – I’ll bet you the vast majority of the female athletes on last night took it up and still do it FTLOTG. I have two daughters, one is sporty and one less so, but the role models I have in mind for them are the realistic ones – and if they turn out to be good, then we’ll modify goals at that point.