On International Women’s Day, Special Olympics Great Britain proudly celebrates the incredible contributions of Special Olympics City of Birmingham and West Midlands Ski Group athlete, Katie Day, who recently completed her two-year term as Chair of the Athlete Leadership Team.
"I'm really proud of everything we’ve achieved as a team," says Katie. "I feel privileged to pass the baton to the next generation of athlete leaders, but I’m also a little bit sad that my time as Chair has come to an end."
"As a founding member of the Athlete Leadership Team, I had huge boots to fill following the first Chair, Ian Harper. It was an honour to continue his incredible work and help ensure a thriving future for all Special Olympics GB Athlete Leaders.
Over the past two years, I have watched the other nine members of the 2023-2024 Athlete Leadership Team grow tremendously. In our final meetings, they all contributed to discussions, became more confident, and gained new skills to succeed in life. The athlete voice is now heard louder than ever.
Katie joined Special Olympics GB in 1997 and has competed in multiple National Summer and Winter Games. She also represented the nation at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, in 2005, where she was presented with her medal by Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
"I always tell people how proud I was to meet the founder of Special Olympics when I received my silver medal in 2005," says Katie. "Fast forward 18 years, and I had the incredible opportunity to meet her son and Special Olympics President, Tim Shriver, at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin.
"As Athlete Leadership Team Chair, it was an honour to attend events as an ambassador while also cheering on our 84 athletes competing in different sports."
While Katie has been a trailblazer within the Special Olympics GB movement, using her leadership skills to inspire others, she admits that it wasn’t until she became an Athlete Leader that she truly gained confidence in public speaking.
"Becoming an Athlete Leader gave me the confidence to express my voice more clearly," says Katie. "I’m a different person thanks to this experience, and I cannot recommend the training enough to all athletes.
"We all have the ability to use our voices and share our opinions, and the Athlete Leadership programme helps us to be our best."
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Having stepped down as Athlete Leadership Team Chair at the end of December, Katie is confident that she is leaving the role in great hands with Mitch Camp.
"The Chair role couldn’t have gone to a better person than Mitch. He has grown so much in confidence and leadership.
"We wish Mitch the best of luck in his new role. You’re a superstar, Mitch — you’ve got this!"