'If one kid can walk away knowing what their dream is, then I'll be chuffed': Wolverhampton pupils encouraged to follow their dreams by Gladiator, rugby star and author Fury
It was a day for pupils from schools across Wolverhampton to hear the words of inspiring athlete, Gladiator and now-published author as part of World Book Day.
Pupils from nine schools from across the city spent an afternoon hearing from and interacting with Jodie Ounsley, also known as Fury from Gladiators on BBC One, at Wolverhampton Grammar School on Monday (March 3).
Jodie was at the Grammar School as part of World Book Day to talk about her own story and her path through playing professional Rugby, competing at the Olympics and becoming a Gladiator, as well as promote her new book "Keep Smashing It: Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Confident".
Through the session, Jodie interacted with the pupils in attendance, talking to them about their dreams and ambitions and getting them to write those dreams down on paper, as well as answering questions about her life, becoming a Gladiator and how she coped with being deaf, having been born profoundly deaf, then fitted with a cochlear implant as a toddler.
The pupils have come from Wolverhampton Grammar School, Wolverhampton Grammar Junior School, Perton Middle School, Merridale Primary School, Pool Hayes Academy, Bilbrook Middle School, Pennfields School, Heath Park School and SS Peter and Paul Catholic Academy.
For Jodie, it had been a heart-warming day for her to talk to the kids and she said she hoped the session and her book could help to inspire them to follow their dreams.
She said: "The book is just the whole mixture of all the experiences I've got through, from going to professional sport and then my role as Fury on Gladiators.
"I think, for me, it's been about showing kids that you might see successful people and just assume that they've not had to work hard or they've never had any ups or downs.
"I'm quite an real person, so I just want to show kids the real side to how you can get there and achieve your dreams."
The pupils in attendance sat enthralled by Jodie's story, which saw her take up a number of sports to a high level, then find that Rugby was the sport for her at 15, going to Loughborough University on a Rugby pathway and being picked for the England Sevens side and being able to travel the world.
She said the visit to the Grammar School had been about helping pupils to understand their dreams and begin to work out a way to get there and said the interaction on the day had been amazing.
She said: "Today has been about dreams and, for kids, it's understanding what makes them happy and what they care about and, hopefully, being able to get a dream from that, because kids might not know what they want to do, but if they know what makes them feel happy, then that could go towards knowing what their dream is.
"Also, you might have a dream, but you're not quite sure how to get there, so again, it's just breaking it down into smaller steps and how you can get there in a more manageable way.
"I think it was amazing to walk around with the kids and knowing what their dreams were and how proactive they were to know that they need this step and that step.
"One of the kids said that they want to win 25 Grand Slams and they need to play for this club and they need game time here and I thought 'fair enough' as he knew what he wanted to do.
"That would blow my mind if that ever happened, but I feel really passionate about that and I take a lot of pride in trying to be a good person to kids, so hopefully, who knows, it might happen."
Jodie was also able to chat with the pupils after the session and pose for photos, as well as sign autographs, and said World Book Day was a great cause and a great way to showcase reading and provide youngsters with a more positive view of books.
Many of the questions from the pupils after the session were about Gladiators, including the tough audition process for the show and how great an experience it had been and how much it had meant to her family, with her father Phil having taken part in the 2008 series.
She said: "It was a very tough trail process and I went through all the different physical challenges and then one thing led to another, but the amazing thing is that I've been doing stuff like this on a smaller scale, so the show has just given me a bigger platform and I just want to use that in a good light.
"I wasn't around for the original series, but they brought it back in 2008 and my dad was a contender on it, so I was seven-year-old at the live show, watching my dad go against all the Gladiators and he set up all the games in our garage and had climbing walls and all that, so I feel like I've been training for it my whole life without even realising it.
"I definitely prefer being a Gladiator, but it's just been a big part of our family and it's definitely changed my life and opened up a whole different world, so it's been a journey and a lot to adjust to, but I'll be ok as long as I sat myself and be a good person."
For Jodie, the day had been a great way to talk to youngsters, hear their dreams and talk about how to achieve them and she said that if one of them could go for it, then it would be worth it.
She said: "I just think kids should believe in themselves and, especially around dreams, it can be quite daunting.
"I think that even if one kid walked away from today knowing what their dream is and has the confidence to tackle that head on, then I'll be chuffed."
- Schools can take part in the Express & Star World Book Day Special Edition. Email your group photos by Monday March 10 to [email protected]
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