Freya finds a voice in Scottish Swimming
Having been part of the Oban Otters Performance squad since the age of 10, Freya MacKechnie is all set to dive into the scientific side of her sport.
Now aged 16, Freya has become one of the first Scottish Swimming Young Ambassadors and is looking forward to putting her learning into practice both locally and further afield.
Along with some of her fellow Otters, Freya has already attended Scottish Swimming Young Leaders’ course through which she helped to organise a fundraising ceilidh for the Atlantis Leisurebased club.
During November last year she participated in the Scottish Swimming Young Ambassadors course at which 20 young people aged 16-25 were selected from all over Scotland to attend.
The aim was to give young people a voice in Scottish swimming.
‘On the weekend, I met lots of people who all had the same passion in the sport as I have,’ she told us.
The group met at Stirling University where they got to meet the Stirling swim team and spend a full day coming up with possible solutions to improving Scottish swimming.
‘We came up with five main aspects that we wanted to work on,’ she added.
‘These were, mental health, drop-out rates, social media, coaching diversity and support for smaller clubs.’
On the second day the group met up with the board and council members of Scottish Swimming where they discussed their ideas and volunteered themselves into anything they felt strongly about.
Two weeks later, the group met up again at Edinburgh University where they completed a course in human connections and participated in a networking day with members of Scottish
Swimming to review what the governing body had achieved over the year and what next they should aim for.
‘I was able to bring these ideas back to Oban Otters and talk to the committee about possible changes we could make,’ added Freya.
‘Being an ambassador means I have to work on projects with the other members and take part in meetings online throughout the year.
‘I am proud of my role and very grateful for the opportunity as it has meant I have met the people behind the scenes and have been given some insight into how Scottish Swimming is run.
‘I made lots of new friends during the course. And now feel like my voice is being heard, which has boosted my confidence and helped my ability to work with others.’
During November last year Freya took part in the Scottish Swimming Young Ambassadors course at which 20 young people aged 16-25 were selected from all over Scotland to attend