Ashley Couper wants to return to Bermuda once her running days are over to help encourage young girls to take up the sport ?

thus qualifying her as the perfect role model for Women in Sport.

Commonwealth Games hopeful Couper, who has written a thesis on sport and its importance to school-age girls, appears to fully embrace nearly all the principles that are at the core of the Women in Sport report.

A top-class runner, Couper always makes a point of visiting girls she has either trained or babysat when she returns to the Island for the Front Street Mile, and that always brings them out to support her.

?Yeah, I do see myself as a role model,? said Couper, as enthusiastic in talking about women in sport as she his her own achievements on the track.

?I always try and encourage young girls to take up the sport and I think they like to watch me run. Hopefully that can inspire them to be involved as well.

?Young girls always try and mimic what they see older people of the same gender do, and I think having women sportswomen can only encourage more participation.

?I teach in America and after races my kids are always crowding around me and asking how I got on. Whether I win or lose, I always try and be positive about the sport when I talk to them and hopefully that keeps them interested and maybe encourages them to try and compete when they are older.?

Couper admits that it was her own mother who first inspired her to be involved in sport, something she believes she got an enormous amount out of, even sports she wasn?t good at.

?I used to play a lot of netball when I was younger,? continued Couper, who qualified for the Commonwealth Games last week while setting a new national record in the 15000m.

?I wasn?t very good, but I loved playing it. I went to bed every night thinking about playing, it gave me something to really look forward to.

?It meant I could play with friends after school and ? I think this is the key part ? it gave me a sense of belonging. I was in a team, I felt wanted and I think it helped me learn how to interact with others.

?That is the sort of thing sport can teach you.

?I was first interested in sport through my mother and, without a doubt, she has been the perfect role model for me. Even to this day I still brag about her ? she is 61 and is still in better shape than most people I know.

?I owe her so much for getting me involved and I draw a lot of inspiration in what I do in sport ? and in life ? from her.?

The Women in Sport group have included a section on elite athletes in their report and what can be done to encourage more women to take up sport not only recreationally, but also to take it to the next level.

Couper has her own suggestions.

?Take a look at International Race Weekend,? said Couper, who flies back every year to compete in various events including the Front Street Mile which she wins with increasing ease.

?Although elite athletes come in for the longer distances, there is no women?s elite Mile. They have the men?s event, but no women?s one.

?Now I know I have a vested interest in there being a women?s event but I also think it would help the next generation.

?If girls see the athletes performing then they may be inspired like I?m sure some of the boys are. I think this applies to a lot of other sports as well, if youngsters can see the best here, not just on TV, then they may be encouraged to take part.?

And Couper, who has vowed to come back to Bermuda to encourage youngsters to participate in running and help train them and inspire them, wants to see nothing more than success for women in the traditionally male-oriented sporting arena.

?There is so much talent in Bermuda, it is incredible,? she added.

?If you look at these young girls, they are running just fantastic times. But a lot of them drop off when they get to 14 or 15 because they think it?s not cool or because of other factors.

?It is those girls who need to be kept in the system because otherwise their talents are going to be wasted and there is so much being involved in sport can do for them.

?Sport is so valuable to young people, it fosters good values, good ethics and positive self-image ? it is good for the soul.?