Anna Kessel
A note from our Women’s Sports Editor
Over the first lockdown last year, my eight-yearold spent her time practising cartwheels and handstands, determined to master the skills.
Looking on in awe was her four-year-old sister – desperate to emulate what she saw. But the contrast in approach from my daughters could not have been more different. While the eldest calmly and elegantly composed her movements, the youngest hurled herself at top speed across the front room, seemingly unconcerned by potential risk or injury.
Juggling home working and childcare from the kitchen table, my husband and I shouted over reminders to “be careful!” and, “mind the TV!” – to little avail. She was fearless. Meanwhile, the eldest took time to demonstrate each movement to her little sister.
Having now read Tim Wigmore’s fascinating exploration of how children benefit from an older sibling’s sporting prowess, I can absolutely see how younger siblings overwhelmingly populate successful sporting teams. The advantages of watching, learning and comparing yourself to someone so much more accomplished speak for themselves. Tim’s article backs up this theory. It is a must-read for any parent.
Our cover stars are no exception, with 19-year-old Manchester United striker Lauren James inevitably routinely compared to her older brother, Reece, Chelsea’s 21-year-old right-back. Fadumo Olow spoke exclusively to England’s history-makers, the first brother and sister to play for the national team. She heard how growing up in a footballmad family, with two older brothers to compete against, Lauren learnt from an early age the importance of having a competitive edge. A habit that even extends to trainers – on which Lauren is certain that she aces in the style stakes, while Reece insists that he does.
It is thrilling to watch two young talents impressing on the field, as well as off it. In a move beyond their years, both siblings used their platform to call out social media companies for not adequately tackling racist abuse.
For this month’s Moment in Time, Rob Bagchi recalls the triumph of Fanny Blankerskoen, who won four gold medals at the 1948 Olympic Games, as a mother-of-two. She was subjected to the postwar equivalent of sexist trolling in “very many bad letters,” as she tells it, “people writing that I must stay home with my children and that I should not be allowed to run with short trousers”. A reminder of how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go.