Tag: judo

Gold medallist joins judging panel for Summer of Sport

Miller Homes Summer of Sport Sarah Clark

Commonwealth Judo Gold Medallist Sarah Clark will judge the Scottish applications for this year’s Miller Homes Summer of Sport competition.

Now in its fourth year, Summer of Sport is giving local sports clubs across Miller Homes developments a chance of receiving a cash boost by taking part in the competition, which could see them win £500 or, for the first time, pick up a top prize of £1,000.

To take part, entrants have to say in no more than 200 words why their sports club is worthy of winning, how the money will benefit the club and what it will be spent on.

Neil Gaffney, Sales and Marketing Director at Miller Homes Scotland, said: “We are delighted to have Scottish Judo Champion Sarah Clark on board with us to judge the entries for Summer of Sport. Sarah’s judo career has been inspirational and was topped off when she picked up the Gold medal in Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games last year. Her insights and enthusiasm will be a welcome addition to the judging process.

“Over the last few years we’ve been delighted with the success of our Summer of Sport competition and particularly the impact receiving the prize money has had on the winning clubs.

“We have been really impressed with the diversity and standard of entries from those clubs who’ve taken part previously. As a result we will be extending our support this year for those in our communities who are providing opportunities for sport, education and development by awarding an overall prize of £1,000 to one of our six regional winners.

“We strongly encourage anyone with an affiliation to a sports team or club to have a go, and wish all entrants the very best of luck.”

Commonwealth Gold medallist Sarah Clark said: “Coming from a small local club, as many of the entrants to the competition will be, I know first hand how important it is to have the right equipment and access to regular training. The Summer of Sport competition is an excellent way of supporting local clubs and I’m looking forward to receiving entries for this year’s competition. I am sure it will be a tough challenge to select a winner.”

Competition judges will assess the entries on a variety of factors, including how the money will be used and how it will directly support the development and fitness of its members.

Details of the initiative have been distributed at a local level among sports clubs and associations; however community leaders and club managers can also pick up an entry form at any one of Miller Homes’ marketing suites across the country.

To find your nearest Miller Homes development, please visit the Miller Homes website. Closing date for entries is Wednesday 31 August. Terms and conditions apply.

Miller Homes operates in the following six regional areas: Scotland, North West of England, North East of England, Yorkshire, The Midlands, and Southern.

Sport in the sun at Spartans

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More than 250 children from six local primary schools descended on Ainslie Park yesterday for Spartans School Sports Day.

Pupils from Blackhall, Craigroyston, Flora Stevenson’s, Forthview, Pirniehall and St David’s took the opportunity to take part in a range of sports – from triathlon, boxing and mountain bike relays to judo, fencing and football.

The sun shone, the day was a great success and the happy kids all left Spartans with a medal!

Spartans Community Football Academy youth worker Jamie Tomkinson, who organised the sporting festival, said: “It was good to see so many children enjoying the different activities and having fun. Many of them were trying out some of these sports for the first time and it was great to see their energy and enthusiasm.”

Big events like this take a lot of organising, and among those involved in making the Sports Day such a success were Edinburgh Leisure, Spartans CFA volunteers, Edinburgh Judo, Nike volunteers, FetLor, Granton Youth Centre, MY Adventure, Fencing Fun’s Keith Cook and Kabo.

Some pictures:

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More pictures of the Sports Day on our Facebook Page

 

Edinburgh College student is crowned British Judo champion

An Edinburgh College student has fought her way to the top of one of the world’s toughest sports after winning gold in the U-70kg category at the British Judo championships.

Sally Conway, who studies Instructors Course in Fitness and Exercise at Edinburgh College, is a full-time judo athlete and competes for Great Britain. The young athlete recently tore ligaments in her shoulder whilst competing at the London 2012 Olympics but returned to full health to win gold at the British Championships in Sheffield.

This sporting success follows a European Cup gold in Malaga and three weeks of Grand Prix and Grand Slam competitions in Tokyo, South Korea and Abu Dhabi, where she won a bronze medal and $1500 in prize money. Sally now has her sights set on competing in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Sally said: “It was important to finish the year on a high with a medal. The plan now is to taper down a bit before heading out to a training camp in the new year. Over the Christmas period I will still be keeping active, nothing too serious, probably down to one session a day.

“I want to be ready for the Paris Grand Slam in February so I can achieve my main goal of 2014 – to compete and hopefully medal at the Commonwealth Games. To be selected as early as possible would be ideal as then the pressure of qualifying is off and I can focus on the competition.

“I’m so looking forward to competing at a Commonwealth Games, especially in my home country. I am sure it will be really fun. Already there’s such anticipation and everyone is asking me if I will be going to the Games.”

Sally is one of eight judoka to be nominated by Judo Scotland for scholarship support from Winning Students, the national programme that provides funding and assistance to talented athletes studying in colleges and universities across Scotland.

Sally, who is 26, added: “By the end of June, I will be qualified as a gym instructor and in delivering circuit training and exercise to music classes. I am also doing Lifeguarding and First Aid courses and there is the option of further study afterwards.

“I am loving being back in education. I left school at seventeen and went into full-time training until this year. After London, I said I want to get back into education again, both to break up the training, but also to let me have a different focus. It’s something which will give me more options for the future. I can’t see myself sitting in an office working at a computer; it was always going to be something around fitness and physical activity.”

Edinburgh College is brimming with sporting talent, with fellow judo champ Jodie Mullen, football players Lizzie Arnot, Lucy Graham and Sarah Laverty, and curling champion Jennifer Dodds all awarded Winning Student scholarships to compete in international competitions, such as the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and Paralympics.

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