We’re excited to introduce you to our next fabulous and fearless woman, 24-year-old dual athlete, Mica Moore. Having tried numerous sports as a child from hockey to horse riding, it was at the age of 15 where she found where her talents lie… sprinting. This has seen her compete at various events including the Commonwealth Games for Wales as part of the 4 x 400m relay, where the team managed to place 7th. A national record that still stands today.
However, it was in 2016 that Mica decided to take up bobsleigh in addition to sprinting after a virus struck and her 2015 athletics season was wiped out. But it’s been a successful journey so far. The athlete became World Junior Champion during her first year in the sport with her partner, and they also achieved 8th place at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the best result for British women ever.
Have you always wanted to be an athlete?
I’m not sure I’ve always wanted to be a professional athlete, I had dreams of having all different kinds of careers and I’ve been lucky to try a few of them but as soon as I started training in athletics I knew this was something I wanted to do full time and something I wanted to succeed in!
Professional athletes have to stay at the top of their game at all times. They can’t afford to have an off-day, how do you prepare yourself for the transition from the ice to the track and how do you ensure peak performance mentally?
This is something I’ve had to learn over time and I’m really lucky to be able to take some experience from athletics. When I just competed in athletics I would have to race in indoor meets and then transition into the outdoor season, so I just look at bobsleigh in a similar way. My dad is my coach and I have complete trust in him to make sure my body is competing at the right time, so I just have to focus on my mind. I think having a goal for the season is a really great way to prepare myself and ensures that I’m enjoying both sports. As long as I’m enjoying it I feel that the performances will take care of themselves!
Your training schedule, particularly in the run-up to a competition, must be pretty tough. How do you stay motivated?
In the weeks before a competition training can get hard at times but I think the best way I stay motivated is to remember why I’m putting in that training and reminding myself of occasions where training hard has paid off – for example the feeling standing on the track at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games was incredible and something I want to happen again so I try and think of these time when training is tough. Often before a competition I get a deload week, this means I have a lot more rest and I get to back of training a little bit, I think this is the hardest time to stay motivated as you have to keep reminding yourself all the hard work is done and in a few days you’ll get to unleash it all on the track.
You competed at this year’s winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, however you and your partner had to raise £30,000 in just six days in order to compete. What was that experience like and what did you learn from it?
When we first learned of the funding situation it was very stressful. I remember feeling almost heartbroken that my dream of going to the Olympics was getting further away, but as a sportsperson you have to find a way and you have to remain positive. We set a plan in place to raise the funding and thankfully the public were so supportive and backed us! Once we’d raised the money I still had to confirm my place on the team with more testing at Christmas time, this was one of the most stressful times in my sporting career as I’d put in so much hard work to get on season and there was a possibility that I may not go to the Games, but I think this is also one of the greatest lessons of my life, I now know how to perform under extreme pressure and know that I can apply this to whatever I put my hand to.
The sports industry is extremely male dominated and women’s sport isn’t half as recognised as sport for men. What challenges have you faced as a female athlete and how have you overcome them?
I’ve been very lucky in my sporting career as I feel I’ve had great recognition for all my achievements, I think athletics is a great sport and showcases both men and women and in bobsleigh there is the option to even have mixed races and teams!
You won the sport award at this year’s Womenspire Awards in Wales, congratulations! Tell us a little about the award and what it meant to you to win.
I was so honoured to win the award as the other nominees were incredibly inspirational women. It’s an award I will hold close to my heart as when I was younger I felt there could have been more women for me to look up to and show that being active and having a muscly physique is something to aspire to. I hope that any work I have done or am able to do in the future will inspire the younger generation to go out there and try a sport or pursue a sport to the highest of their ability. Sport provides so many opportunities and I’m so proud to be an ambassador of it.
What do you think makes a woman fabulous and fearless?
Being fabulous and fearless is not being afraid to try something new even if you might fail the first time, it’s your ability to get back to it and give it another go. My favorite quote that I say to myself when I’m struggling is ‘Only the fearless can be great’, I love this quote so much I got it tattooed on me but what I take from this is, unless you give it a go how can you expect to achieve greatness!
What do you hope to achieve in the next 5 years?
Over the next 5 years I hope that I can keep progressing in sport, whether this be in my chosen sports of Bobsleigh and Sprinting or if I were to learn a new discipline. I’d love to compete for my home nation Wales again at another Commonwealth Games and I think another Olympic Games would really be the cherry on top of a beautiful chocolate cake!
We really hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s Fabulous and Fearless Women post as much as we have. It’s wonderful to have featured so many inspiring and talented ladies like Mica Moore, but don’t forget, you can also share with us the stories of those who inspire you, and who you think would make a great fit for the feature. All you have to do is simply share them on Instagram using the hashtag #livefabulousandfearless or drop us an email.