Canoeing’s rising stars get taste of life as elite athletes
Loughborough University
Thursday 8 January to Sunday 11 January, 2009
Talented young canoeists from across the UK will get a unique insight into life at the top of their sport when they attend the National Talent Orientation Camp 2009.
They will be among 80 of the country’s most hotly tipped young athletes representing six Olympic and Paralympic sports to spend four days at Loughborough University on a training camp designed to give them a taste of what it takes to be the best.
(See below for a list of canoeists attending the 2009 National Talent Orientation Camp)
The National Talent Orientation Camp, a four-day training camp organised by the Youth Sport Trust (www.youthsporttrust.org), is for talented youngsters aged 14-18 who are aiming to be part of their sport’s World Class talent confirmation phase of the Olympic and Paralympic pathways.
Each young athlete has been handpicked by their national governing body. The sports are; canoeing, sailing, rowing, cycling, hockey and wheelchair basketball.
Making use of Loughborough University’s leading sports facilities, the camp aims to offer the youngsters a unique insight into the world of performance sport, while preparing them for the different personal, sporting, academic and vocational challenges which lie ahead.
It combines high-quality training sessions with workshops delivered by former Olympic and Paralympic athletes including sprinter Jason Gardener and sailor Joe Glanfield, focusing on four strands; Talent and Ability; Attitude and Ambition; Knowledge and Understanding; Education and Lifestyle Support.
The workshops will pose such questions as; “Can I perform when it counts?”, and “Do I know what it takes to be the best?” and encourage the young athletes to learn about themselves, their sport and the systems in place to support them.
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “The young athletes attending the National Talent Orientation Camp are approaching a crucial point in their sporting careers when they will be making key decisions about their future. We are offering them an insight into the world of performance sport while allowing them time to reflect on their talent and ability and challenging them to see if they believe it’s a pathway they want to pursue. At the Youth Sport Trust, we are working hard to support our elite young athletes at the earliest opportunity and provide them with unique experiences, knowledge, skills and confidence to fulfil their potential, both now and in later life.”
The camp, which also has strands for parents and teachers to learn ways in which they can support the young athletes along their sporting and educational careers, includes keynote speeches on education and lifestyle planning, advice on drugs-free sport, a Higher Education Marketplace and the opportunity to quiz a panel of elite performers.
Organisers will even enlist the help of a British Army Unit, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, to put the youngsters through their paces during a series of Command Tasks designed to challenge their decision-making under pressure, get them to work effectively within a team and help raise their confidence.
Seven out of ten (73%) of the British canoeing team at the 2008 World Junior Championships’ attended a previous National Talent Orientation Camp, while half of the British sailors at the 2008 ISAF World Youth Championships’ also attended past Camps.
More than 90 per cent of the young athletes who attended the 2008 National Talent Orientation Camp said they had a more positive attitude to their sport as a result, while nine out of ten had a more positive attitude towards training.
One youngster said: “The Camp is everything that you need, it is most useful thing I have ever done and it really opens your eyes to what can be achieved”, while another added: “It was the best four days of my life so far.”
More information is available at www.youthsporttrust.org
Canoeists attending the Youth Sport Trust’s 2009 National Talent Orientation Camp
First name Last name Age Town / City County / Region
James Webster 15 Calne Wiltshire
Peter Wilkes 16 Chelmsford Essex
Beth Stevens 17 Guildford Surrey
Emily Lewis 15 Malvern Worcs
Maria Middlehurst 17 West Byfleet Surrey
Alex Foster 16 Teddington Middlesex
Kristyan Gaul 16 Rugby Warwickshire
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Media Contacts
For more information, please contact the Youth Sport Trust press office:
Lee Murphy, Tel: 0207 874 7686, Mob: 07825 065179, email: lee.murphy@youthsportrust.org
James Webb, Tel: 0207 874 7680, Mob: 07752 372151, email: james.webb@youthsporttrust.org
Lizzie Jones, Tel: 0207 874 7675, Mob: 07825 065195, email: lizzie.jones@youthsporttrust.org
Notes to Editors:
The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity with a simple mission: To build a brighter future for all young people through physical education (PE) and school sport. Our main objective is to increase young people’s participation and enjoyment of PE and school sport and, through this, improve their life chances. The National Talent Orientation Camp is funded through the Government’s PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP). The camp has been developed by the Youth Sport Trust in partnership with UK Sport, the national governing bodies (NGBs) of the sports involved and the Gifted and Talented Education Unit at the Department for Children, School and Families.