TRICKING | GIRL POWER, BACK WITH A VENGEANCE! (DID IT EVER GO AWAY?

GIRL POWER - BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!

(DID IT EVER GO AWAY?)

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH NEVE HARVEY, BAR TRICK PARKOUR FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR.

We love to celebrate success here at Project Gravity, especially the success of youngsters who have been awarded for hard work, dedication and tenacity within a specific sporting field. That’s why we’re so proud to feature Neve Harvey, an up and coming martial artist who was recently named Female Athlete of the Year at the age of just 13! In what is undoubtedly a busy time for Neve, we were lucky enough to grab some time with her for a chat.

FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING NAMED FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR! HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Being named female athlete of the year is pretty crazy and it still really hasn’t sunk in. Just to be nominated by other athletes is pretty cool but to actually win is just mind-blowing. The fact that people think I’m good enough to win gives me massive confidence in what I have done over the past year.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INTO MARTIAL ARTS?

I got into Martial Arts by mistake really. Up to about three and a half years ago I was in a local dance group, performing at events and competitions like pretty much every little girl. The dance teacher at the time wanted us all to learn flips to add to the choreography of our routines, so she took us all to a local movement centre called UTX for a taster session. I was the youngest person in our dance group at the time at just 10 years old, so the instructors there picked me out straight away as I was the smallest and probably the easiest to chuck around! That day pretty much changed my direction. Firstly, the moves people were doing in that gym were insane, Sam Kojo (Check out our feature on Sam on page 28) and Omid were on the spring floor in one corner doing a crazy amount of continuous gainer switches and triple corks and you had team UTX in the other corner training Martial Arts and weapons looking like something out of a Marvel film. I was just constantly staring around the room thinking how this stuff was so cool and definitely me. I remember at the end of the session speaking to my dad and saying ‘I need to come back here, can you speak to the instructor to see if I can come back’. Those instructors turned out to be Nathan Salmon and JJ Battell, and that’s how my Martial Arts journey began. I never went back to the dance group; I swapped the outrageous costumes and fake tan for a gi and a set of Karmas! Best move ever!

WHAT DO YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT IT?

Competitions! I absolutely love everything about competing; I love travelling to an event with my teammates, I like the atmosphere when you first walk into the event, I like how everyone is checking everyone else out when you are warming up, seeing what moves and tricks you are doing. I love doing a really hard trick that’s not in my form in the warm up just to see other competitors’ faces - wrong I know, but it helps me to relax and gives me a bit of a laugh! I do get nervous before I start but I have the best teammates and coaches that really get me mentally set. When I hear their voices before I start it really helps but when the music starts, I do flip into competition mode and things get serious.

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WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACE BEING INVOLVED AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL NOW?

Fear and putting unnecessary pressure on myself. Fear of hurting myself has been a big thing for me. Now that the tricks are getting more extreme, having the confidence to chuck the move is a big challenge and having the self-belief to go for the move is a big mental blocker that I have had to overcome. Luckily, I have some great people around me who have helped me reset. The best advice I have been given is, while you are just standing there thinking about it, you’re not doing the move, so chuck the move, take the hits because the rush of landing the move makes the pain disappear. Unnecessary pressure has slowly crept up on me lately, as I have landed some big moves and people are noticing what I have been doing I have felt some pressure to keep smashing out the big moves every session. I have had to learn that every session is not going to be amazing, I am only 13 so just having fun with the moves is now my main focus. - 13-

BEING NAMED FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR IS PRETTY CRAZY AND IT STILL REALLY HASN’T ”SUNK IN.

If you want to keep fit, travel, be part of an amazing team and have some of the best friends you could ever make, then what have you got to lose? Also being recognised as a serious bad ass is amazing!’

Most definitely, and even more so in the current situation. You don’t need a massive area to train and there are loads of places online to get lessons, ideas and tips. It’s a great way to keep fit, have self-discipline and feel part of a team. If you have the confidence to compete then you can meet some great people from all over the UK and abroad, plus let’s face it, when you say you do Martial Arts, it’s pretty cool!

WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, ARE THE CORE SKILLS YOU NEED TO DO IT?

I would say that firstly, you must have the desire and dedication to do Martial Arts. If you’re not happy to train regularly and put in the hard hours, then getting to a high level is not going to happen. Stretching is also a regular thing that you need to pay attention to. Stretching will increase your ability to achieve certain moves and kicks that will help you stand out from the crowd. Most importantly, the thing I have learnt lately is to have fun. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself. Things will happen if you keep practicing, but it’s important not to kid yourself into thinking that will just do, if you push yourself, take yourself out of your comfort zone and take a risk every now and again, the good times will come back, trust me!

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOU?

Like everyone else, I just want to get back to competing and travelling to loads of different events. I love competing and that’s where I seem to push myself even harder. Hopefully the future will be kind to me and I will keep developing my skills to keep me at the top of my game. My big ambition is to hopefully turn professional when I am older. I would like to get into the film industry; seeing my name on the end credits of a film in my local cinema would be amazing.

WHAT’S THE ONE THING YOU WILL TAKE AWAY FROM BEING FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR?

That other people with the same goals and ambitions think I am good enough. It gives me great confidence that I am heading in the right direction and that if I work hard and keep pushing my boundaries, who knows what I can achieve.

HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THOSE CHALLENGES?

What has really helped me overcome these challenges has been talking and opening up about what’s worrying me. I am lucky that some of the world’s best trickers and Martial Arts performers train where I do so they really help me out. I had a really good conversation with one of my teammates before Christmas that has really helped me in understanding that I can achieve what I want. I am not the first person to go through tough times and things will happen eventually, I just need to take it easy and enjoy my training.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHER YOUNG GIRLS THINKING ABOUT STARTING MARTIAL ARTS?

If you want to keep fit, travel, be part of an amazing team and have some of the best friends you could ever make, then what have you got to lose? Also being recognised as a serious bad ass is amazing!

@neve_harvey1 www.justlandedapparel.com