Shooting and athletics may not be sports immediately associated but young Birchfield Harrier shot put star Adele Nicoll was grateful for the opportunity to broaden her horizons with the help of two Commonwealth Games athletes.

The 20-year-old was one of four young sport stars to enjoy a shooting masterclass at Cardiff’s SportsWales Centre with Commonwealth gold medallist David Phelps and his wife, fellow Glasgow 2014 competitor Sheree Cox.

The duo, who have more than 40 years competitive experience between them, tutored the athletes on how to shoot a .177 air rifle, as well as running a workshop on mental skills training as part of an SSE Next Generation experience day.

And as Nicoll comfortably secured top spot in the resulting tournament, she admits she relished the chance to try something new and pick up transferable skills along the way.

“I really enjoyed the day, it was so interesting and something I would never have done without this opportunity,” she said.

“And I managed to win the competition, so that is always a plus – it makes me enjoy it even more.

“I’m going to take away some really important lessons from today, particularly some of what we were taught in the goal setting session.

“I found that really interesting because Sheree was talking to us about how she deals with negative thoughts to get them out of her mind before a competition.

“It’s great to be in a room with such experienced athletes and to have lessons from them, especially as shooting is something that I have never done before. To learn from the best is the best way to start.

“The SSE Next Generation programme are amazing at putting on events like this, and I think it is really important that we learn about other sports in order to widen our knowledge.”

Cox now works as a chiropractor and sports masseuse but enjoyed a 12-year international career, including competing at the Delhi and Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

She was also supported along the way by SportsAid, a charity involved with the SSE Next Generation programme – with Nicoll one of 100 athletes currently supported on the scheme.

And Cox admitted the application and enthusiasm shown by Nicoll despite the new environment had not gone unnoticed.

“I’ve been really impressed with Adele,” she said. “You could see the focus and competitive edge all the athletes had, they immediately wanted to do better, they wanted to try it again and try a little bit more.

“I just really wanted to share my experience and tell them any tricks or tips I’ve picked up over the years and how it can help in other sports as well.

“It’s always good to listen to different sports and how they deal with nerves and pressure. Even I’ve learnt some stuff from some off the kids.

“Shooting is one of those sports where it’s not necessarily the physical side of things but more the mentality of how you approach it and you can apply that to other sports.”

SSE’s Next Generation programme partners with SportsAid to provide financial support and training to the sports stars of the future. Keep up to date with the latest @SSENextGen