Jenna Downing has had to work hard to get to where she is today. Since her first taste of success at the age of eight, she went on to become the youngest female professional skater ever, aged just 12 and won her first world championship title at 19.
Add to that modelling, acting and sports ambassador for the UK, and somehow managing to have the time to graduate with a 2:1 in Law from the University in 2009.
Just last week, the Barnsley born inline skater kicked off the new season with victory at Winter Clash in Berlin, one of the biggest events on the skating calendar, beating off stiff competition from American rival Fallon Heffernan in the process.
“There is always one girl from America (Heffernan), and we always end up battling it out against each other for first and second. So I was very happy to win as she is a good competitor.” Jenna said.
Now 21, her lifetime ambition of becoming world champion has already been realised, but her passion and determination for the sport is clear.
“I was seven when I first started and found out about a skatepark which was quite close to my house. I loved it trying out the ramps and tricks and things and gave me a brilliant buzz and I just kept going and I got into competitions and it went from there.
“Everyone was quite excited that I was a girl skating and I was doing all these ramps as there aren’t many girls who do it at such a high level.”
A year later, Jenna entered the world amateur championships in Holland finishing in 58th place.
“The competition organiser then asked me to compete with pro women which I was absolutely terrified about. I actually won that competition so it was from then on that all my hopes and dream started coming true.”
Jenna now competes all around the world after becoming the youngest female professional skater ever at 12 and the only professional female in Britain.
She believes the sport is becoming a lot more popular all over in the UK and her one remaining ambition is to secure inline skating as an Olympic event.
“It definitely used to be a lot bigger in America but now it’s getting really popular over here with all these new urban sports like BMX, skateboarding and inline skating.
“I’d like to see the sport become more mainstream.
Hopefully become an Olympic sport one day so that’s what I’m working on now with some organisations in Liverpool and some universities such as Liverpool John Moors.
“That’s my one dream I’ve got left now which I’d like to fulfil and compete at the Olympics.”
For Jenna, the balance between education and the sport she loves was always difficult, but her motivation to ensure neither would falter at the expense of the other was evident.
“It definitely was tough but it has always been important for me to maintain an education whilst practising in my sport because I’ll not be able to skate forever and I’ve always enjoyed studying.”
“I studied Law so it wasn’t an easy degree. My time management skills had to be on top form and if I know I’m going away on competition I’d take my work with me or I’d put a lot of time aside to make sure I got my studying done. I never wanted to fall behind on that.”
Whilst studying Jenna lived in halls in her first her, but found it difficult to get to skateparks in Liverpool and Leeds and moved back home for the last two years.
“I’ve never really drank a lot or partied a lot because for my sport I have to keep very fit.
“But I did enjoy my time at university and did enjoy my degree. It’s a brilliant university and I’m really glad that I went there.
“So happy now I have achieved the top in both my sport and studies because I can’t skate if I get injured or for any reason if I don’t skate I’ve always got my Law degree to fall back on.”
Jenna was Sports Ambassador for the UK in 2004 and puts a lot of time and effort into sharing her experiences with youngsters in the hope of inspiring kids to future sporting success and since 2007 has been a “Sporting Champion” for Sport England.
“I go out with a lot of disengaged young people and share with them my stories of success and hardship in the hope that I can inspire them to pursue their dreams and to take up sport and prove that anyone can succeed in sport.”
She is also part of the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, an athlete mentor on the Respect Athlete Mentor Programme and Sky Living for Sport youth volunteering projects for Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust.
“It’s not been easy for me, I’ve been brought up by a single parent mum and I’ve had to work really hard to get where I am today.
“So the whole point of these schemes are for me to give back and to show young people you can achieve your dreams.”