Sarah Winckless

summary

An Olympic bronze medallist and double World Champion, Sarah Winckless has represented Great Britain at three Olympic Games and seven World Championships. She is an athletic all rounder, with an England Vest for discus throwing and Cambridge Blues in netball, basketball, athletics and rowing. Upon leaving university she decided to focus on one sport and became a key player in the development of the Great Britain Woman’s rowing team during the last twelve years.

biography

An Olympic bronze medallist and double World Champion, Sarah Winckless has represented Great Britain at three Olympic Games and seven World Championships. She is an athletic all rounder, with an England Vest for discus throwing and Cambridge Blues in netball, basketball, athletics and rowing. Upon leaving university she decided to focus on one sport and became a key player in the development of the Great Britain Woman’s rowing team during the last twelve years.

Going into the Athens Olympics she had never medalled at a Senior World Championships, she and her partner Elise took an incredible risk in the final to secure their Bronze medal. Sarah subsequently followed this up with two Gold medal winning performances at the World Championships in the quadruple scull. With these results under her belt and her preparation for Beijing 2008 well on track, Sarah then suffered a career threatening injury which required a major operation. Demonstrating her resilience and determination she fought her way back to secure her Olympic selection and take her place in the Women’s eight.

During her early teens, Sarah’s life was impacted by a change in her mother whose behaviour became strange and erratic; she was prone to mood swings and seemed to lose the natural grace of her movements. Sarah’s mother was diagnosed with Huntingdon’s disease.

Although now in a wheelchair and severely disabled, her mother has been an inspiration, fighting each step of the disease for a long as possible. In 1997 Sarah was tested and discovered she also carries the Huntingdon’s gene. This means at some stage she will develop the disease. Currently well, but always facing this uncertain future, Sarah approaches life and its challenges with a hugely positive attitude.

She has an ability to connect with her audiences and has delivered speeches to a wide range of groups including businesses, sports clubs, charities and schools. Recent examples include;

· After dinner speaking for BestInvest at their 120 strong client dinner
· Speaking at the Ladies Dinner for the Worshipful Company of Bakers at Drapers Hall
· Guest speaker to 450 women at a charity lunch
· Speaking at an autistic school; interacting with, and involving the pupils
· Motivating 100 talented youngsters for the Youth Sport Trust
· Presenting to industry experts at the Higher Education academy Hospitality Leisure Sport and Tourism national conference.
· Inspiring families and professionals by sharing her own personal experiences and philosophies at the Scottish Huntingdons Family Conference.

She is able to present in a wide range of styles, including after dinner speaking, formal talks, multi media presentations and interactive physical challenges.

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Testimonials

On two separate occasions I have had the pleasure of attending presentations facilitated by Sarah Winckless. The first occasion was at the Scottish Huntington’s Association’s Family Conference in November 2008. Sarah spoke passionately about her experiences and how she has been motivated by them. Sarah engaged well with a large group who ranged from medical professionals, carers, lay persons and also those affected by genetic illness. Sarah managed to engage the varying needs of the group and kept even the most difficult persons captivated by her enthusiasm and passion.

The second occasion when I had the enjoyment of hearing Sarah speak was when she was invited to a summer camp for young people affected by familial Huntington’s Disease (HD) in July 2009. Sarah facilitated a group discussion with over 20 young people ranging from age 12 to 24. Sarah managed the age range well and whilst she was speaking the young people were captivated by her enthusiasm, passion, resilience and honesty. I can honestly say that I have never heard a room of young people so quiet and captivated! Furthermore Sarah engaged well with the young people after the official presentation was completed and everyone who attend camp spoke of Sarah in the highest regard and are using her as their focus for staying positive and achieving life goals!

On both occasions I have found Sarah to be an incredibly enigmatic presenter who gages the needs of the group and adjusts her tempo and content accordingly. Sarah engages well with the varying needs of groups and is not fazed when asked difficult or personal questions, handling topics with the utmost care and consideration.

Sarah is incredibly professional and a great ambassador and as such I would recommend her for speaking at your event, whether about HD, rowing, sports or any other topic such as motivation, making difficult life decisions, staying focussed etc.

Kirsten Walker
Specialist Youth Advisor
Scottish Huntington’s Association

“It has been an enormous privilege to get to know Sarah over the last year since she agreed to become Patron of the Scottish Huntington’s Association. Families that live with Huntington’s disease have taken her to their hearts and not just in Scotland, but all over the U.K. wherever she has met with them. Sarah has an enormous capacity to connect with others, to reach them in the most fundamentally human way and to touch others in a way that opens the door for them to share their hopes, their dreams and their fears. Sarah’s personal and professional story is inspirational and genuinely courageous and when she tells it, those who listen are moved and frequently impassioned to bring about changes in their own life. Yet Sarah’s feet are firmly planted on the ground and her love for her family, her humility and her openness to accepting personal moments of self doubt make her one of the most approachable and accessible individuals I have ever known.

Sarah has engaged in her role as patron of the SHA with real energy and commitment. We were amazed when she decided to fundraise this June and with her friend Victoria Wood, set herself the task of raising £10,000 in ten days. Astonishingly they actually raised £32,000. I believe this demonstrates that Sarah not only has a wonderful personality, but that she can also be an engine that propels both herself and others towards successfully achieving ambitious targets.
Perhaps the most poignant impact Sarah has had on our charity is when she attended this year’s summer camp which we run for young people whose lives have been touched by Huntington’s disease. Many of these young people have a fifty/fifty chance of inheriting the gene that causes Huntington’s disease, most live with very ill parents who already have the disease and most are young caregivers. The summer camp gives them a break away from those responsibilities and an opportunity to meet others in the same situation. Sarah shared her personal story at this year’s camp and it had a huge impact on those young people. Many spoke for the first time about issues that mattered to them. Some expressed their fear and distress and some, who were thought to be coping with the challenges they live with, revealed that they needed more support than was realized. It was a powerful and emotional day, but all of the young people I spoke with expressed how positive it had been for them. Sarah’s skill in communicating with those young people was evident and she always seemed to know just what to say to inspire, support and comfort. She truly is a gifted individual.

Our relationship with Sarah has been wonderful and already benefited so many of the people we support and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with Sarah in the years ahead.”
John Eden, acting Chief Executive Scottish Huntingtons Association. – July 2009

“I have received nothing but compliments for the evening and everyone has mentioned your contribution.”
“Your speech was everything I could have hoped for and MORE.”
“The Insight into where your motivation and drive comes from was fascinating”

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF BAKERS LADIES DINNER JUNE 2009
From the Master Baker, David Powell

One of Sarah’s greatest assets as a speaker is a natural talent for “tuning in” to her audience. So I was delighted when she agreed to be our guest at a recent annual event targeted towards young people with disability and their families.

Sarah spoke engagingly about achieving despite setbacks.  It was fun – and inspiring. Her enthusiasm and warmth, her authentic style, and a real ability to engage with her audience gave us all that “yes we can” feeling.  We left confident that almost anything was possible…

Jane Andrews Ready Steady Go Healthy Event – March 2008

Sarah Winckless was invited to present at the 2008 National Olympic Academy to 200 individuals involved in sport across a myriad of sectors including; Olympians, coaches, support staff, sponsors, administrators, lecturers and university students. 

Sarah’s ability to enthusiastically deliver and relive her Olympian moments with the audience was unique.  She engaged each individual through her excellent communication skills and honed presentation skills and brought the reality of elite sport home to the group through a combination of humour and realism.  Her engaging nature encouraged the audience to gain an insight into the unique make up of an Olympian and also be inspired by her determination, commitment and vision. 

Sarah not only presented effectively and efficiently she displayed all three Olympic values within her presentation style; excellence, respect and friendship and we would highly recommend her to any group of individuals or organisation hoping to motivate and inspire their team. 
BOF NATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY CONFERENCE 2008

Dear Sarah,
I am writing on behalf of The Chiltern Centre to say thank you for being such a brilliant speaker at the Leander Lunch. This event is our annual major fundraiser, which this year raised in excess of £18,000 for the centre,
Many Thanks again,
Jo Roberts

LINDEN BRIDGE SCHOOL VISIT 2006
Linden Bridge is a school for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders.

Sarah came to open our new swimming pool and really captured the interest of our pupils. Sarah was a motivating speaker and brought to
life her experiences in her sport.

The day was a very special one for us and Sarah helped to make it even more special. She interacted well with the pupils and their parents and
has been remembered fondly ever since.

Ronwen Smith
Headteacher

Headteacher
Linden Bridge School