Derval: Fittest teen Aoife is a real inspiration for all
TV coach on hopes to win this series
IRELAND’S Fittest family coach Derval O’rourke has told how her star teen player Aoife O’rourke is inspiring girls across the nation to get sporty.
She is battling it out against coaches Davy Fitzgerald, Donncha O’callaghan and Anna Geary and hopes with such a strong female contender, this year could be her team’s time to win.
Der val , 39, told the Iri sh Mirror : “T h e y j u s t h a d a n i n c r e d i b l e p e r f o r mance l a s t we e k e n d wi t h Aoife, their youngest – she’s 17.
“I ’m a big promoter of girl s and women – I think we see lots of men on our television doing great stuff.
“Anytime there’s a chance to see a girl doing something amazing it makes me pretty excited.
“She’s an incredible athlete with super mental strength and so motivating for her family.”
The three- time Olympian and best- selling author said her own d a u g h t e r a n d y o u n g g i r l s across Ireland are tuning in to see Aoife shine.
The mum of two, from Cork, added: “To see a situation where it’s the 17- year - ol d daughter motivating the father who’s in his late 50s or 60s, you’re going l i ke,
‘ That’s pretty amazing’.
She’s like that throughout the entire show, she’s the driving force of the family.
“I ’m looking at her going, ‘ That’s the type of person I want my daughter to see’, I want her looking at the telly going, ‘ Aoife is amazing, look at what she’s doing’.
“I think she’s young kids.”
With lockdown, parents are struggling to keep their children active, including Olympian athlete Derval.
She explained: “I would have had my daughter doing gymnastics, swimming and soccer, my background is in sport so I ’m really into how important it is.
“It’s not about winning stuff, but I want her to be active and enjoy it and t o get al l t hat positiv e stuf f t hat being active brings.”
And Ireland’s Fittest Families is getting families off the couch, if only in their own sitting room.
Derval added: “With everything shut down for the last 12 months, after the show on Sunday night, the amount of pictures I was being sent on my social media of random people’s ki ds st anding on one l eg or squatting by a wall.
“My own child was standing on one leg in front of me, so I think it’s lovely it’s resonated and all these kids are doing it at home.
I r e l a n d ’ s F i t t e s t Family airs on RTE One on Sundays at 6.30pm.
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