PembrokeshireSport.co.uk has for well over a decade firmly held the belief that Sport Pembrokeshire, one of the sporting arms of Pembrokeshire County Council – and we continue to feel that because Matthew Freeman (who has taken over the reins from Ben Field and doing a great job!) is leading a team who are actively involved in encouraging participation in an amazing array of sports and other activities.
 
To that end, we have supported their fantastic annual sports awards, publicized via Alan Jones and Lois Hilling any news about financial help available, and been out with them at events, especially with regard to the wonderwork working with disability lead by Angela Miles.
 
From time to time we have also produced articles on many of those involved at Sport Pembrokeshire, more recently with a question and answer feature organised by Dan Bellis – and today we have our latest ‘victim’!
 
Jen Losada is fanatical in her encouragement of netball and today we are very pleased to publish her answers, and having seen the great work she has been doing in the sport, and other areas, we say long may she continue to share her love of the game and use her excellent organisational skills in her new role!
 
Can you tell us a bit about your sporting background?
 
I have always been a ‘sporty’ person and when growing up I played every sport for my school team. However, the main sport I played and was most passionate about was netball. I played from a young age and continue to play now at 44.
 
I have my own netball club in Tenby which I started 11 years ago, with no coaching background or qualifications and only one adult team. I have progressed and qualified as a Level 2 coach and have a collaboration of eight junior teams and five adult teams. I have also recently started to coach tots and walking netball. I am as passionate now about netball as I was when I started my journey at six years of age.
 
How did you get into your role with Sport Pembrokeshire?
 
I saw the role advertised and felt it was a role I could succeed in. I had worked with Sport Pembrokeshire in the past and knew it would be an amazing opportunity for me to further my sporting background and to support young children with engagement opportunities both in the school and in the local community.
 
What does the role entail for you personally?
 
The role requires a lot of understanding and empathy with regard to children’s hardships and backgrounds. Although I have worked with children in a coaching capacity and as a childminder, I have never worked in a school environment, therefore understanding the dynamics of the school and how I would fit in as an Active Young People Officer in that environment was initially challenging.
 
With the right support of Sport Pembrokeshire staff and school staff, I feel I have adapted well and now have a great working relationship with the PE department and working in other areas of the school providing sporting interventions. I have learnt to be patient and adaptive and that not one size fits all.
 
Why is investing in the future of School and Community Sport so important?
 
I feel strongly that investing in schools sport is vital; it is the one area that children can be themselves, have a release and perhaps succeed in areas they felt they previously couldn’t.
 
Sport is so dynamic and comes in all forms which can be adapted to maximise every child’s potential.  To also provide sport in the community gives children the opportunity to continue to do well out of the school environment.
 
What are your hopes for School Sport in the future?
 
My hopes for school sport in Pembrokeshire would be more recognition. We are a rural community as a whole and we have some fantastic sporting talent in all of our schools and communities but being so far west we tend to get overlooked from opportunities further up the line, and I personally feel as coaches/parents we have to continue to push for equality of sporting opportunities for our youngsters to be able to progress further.
 
Have you trained/Coached any Sporting stars?
I have coached many girls who have progressed into West Wales netball squads but my biggest sporting star would have to be my daughter Courtney. I coached her in netball from a young age but as she went to university her love for rugby took over.
 
She is now a contracted Bristol Bears’ player and has caps for Wales, and although she is no longer playing netball I see a lot of transferable skills that she learnt through the sport of netball in her rugby matches.
 
Do you have an interesting sporting fact about yourself?
 
I have played every positon on the court through my netball journey, starting as a shooter when I was in school, moving to Centre court when I was in the army and now defence for the past 20 years.