On April 27th we were blown away by the 800+ schools and over 27,000 students that signed up and tuned in to watch our Olympic heroes Aidan Walsh and Rhys McClenaghan for our Olympians LIVE! webinar event. The two Olympians along with host David Gillick (an Olympian himself) , and his co-hosts, Team Ireland Mascots Daithí and Dearbhla, did not disappoint! Their energy, enthusiasm and Olympic spirit was transmitted all around the country.
The primary webinar kicked off with an Olympic movement break warm-up to help our two mascots get into their learning zones. Then David had a chat with Olympic medallist Aidan Walsh, learning about his love of boxing and sharing his pro tips on how to handle nerves, before challenging children around the country to his Olympic Movement Break Shadow Boxing Challenge & answering a question from Wicklow Montessori school.
Next up was the Prince of Pommel, Rhys McClenaghan. We watched his World Championship winning performance before learning more about him as a child-spiderman-wannabe and the training it takes to be where he is today. Rhys challenged us to his Olympic Movement break, Chair Lift, and he answered some more questions about his mindset from Bishop Murphy’s School in Cork.
Then the two Olympians came back on to answer a final question about dealing with disappointment from St. Mary’s Convent in Trim Co.Meath and David put the guys on the hot seat to answer our rapid fire round. It was an action packed fun filled 30 mins that got everything moving and inspired.
Rewatch the Primary Webinar in full:
Post-Primary/Secondary Recap
The post-primary secondary webinar got right down to business with a chat with Rhys McClenaghan where we learned more about his journey to being World Champion , the obstacles he faces (spoiler, it’s his own pressure) and he took us through a day in his life. Rhys answered questions from a student from Ms.Cullen’s class in New Cross College Finglas, Co Dublin about advice for students looking to follow his path.
Aidan Walsh was next up and was forthcoming with his wisdom and stories about his own journey in the sport of boxing, being inspired by his big sister, and the perks of having an Olympic medal (free coffee!). He shared some insights into his extremely hardcore training routine and his process mindset for success that resulted in an Olympic medal.
Rhys rejoined Aidan for a discussion about social media and how they both manage their own phone use and the pros and cons of the digital world. They were asked about managing online judgement by two in-studio students, Aoife Robertson and Rebecca Nolan from Colaiste Bride Clondalkin. The girls then challenged the boys to a TikTok which was a brilliant finale to the lively show.
Rewatch the Post-Primary Webinar in Full:
Special thanks to our two Dare to Believe Olympic ambassadors Aidan Walsh and Rhys McClenaghan, our engaging host David Gillick, our Mascots + TikTok stars Aoife Robertson and Rebecca Nolan, the students who were brave enough to ask their questions live online, Active Schools Flags for helping us promote the webinar, and our Team Ireland Dare to Believe squad and sponsors the IOC Solidarity Fund and Permanent tsb.
Thanks for the Tags!
Thanks to the many schools that shared photos of students taking part in the Olympic Movement breaks and watching the webinars. Follow and tag Team Ireland Olympic on social channels or email us [email protected] if you have more to share!