Helen Nelson: Scotland’s progress, the Six Nations and the importance of role models

SportSpiel

Scotland Rugby’s vice-captain Helen Nelson is one of the most crucial individuals in the squad.
With 55 appearances for the national team to her name she’s been a vital cog as the team looks to progress and improve – striving for bigger goals each time.
With the latest edition of the Women’s Six Nations soon to get underway – with Scotland playing Wales on March 23rd – it’s another opportunity to put that progress to the test.
In this episode of SportSpiel we look ahead to the upcoming Six Nations with Helen – who plays her club rugby with Loughborough Lightning – as well as talking about the journey this Scotland team has been on.
But there’s also a chance to look at Helen’s own journey – from first trying out rugby at the age of six, to becoming a member of the Scottish Alpine ski team, as well as returning to rugby at university after being turned down for football.
As so happened, that university experience helped set her up on the path she’s currently on – and now it’s just as much inspiring the next generation in rugby as it is trying to improve in the here and now.
That’s also something Helen knows all too well – the absence of any true female sporting role models when she was younger was, in her mind, something that could well have had an impact on her as she struggled with body image issues.
It’s another lesson in just how important seeing women’s sport can be. After all – seeing it is believing it.
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Credits
Image: With thanks to Claire Jones
Additional thanks to the Athlete Media Group for helping to organise this interview
Music: Otis McDonald