Athletes Boosted By 'Sports Bursary' Fund
3 March 2010
From top - Tilly Anthony, Josh Gosling and Sam Rush
Three University of Derby students who have the opportunity to represent Great Britain at major sports championships, have received new 'sports bursaries' to help finance their studies.
Boxer Tilly Anthony and freestyle kayaker Josh Gosling have been awarded £400 each from the new Team Derby Fund, set up this academic year by the University to support its talented athletes. A third student, Tae-Kwon-Do martial artist Sam Rush has been awarded £200 from the fund.
The funding will help each athlete subsidise travel and equipment costs as they aim to break into their respective national squads. These awards are the first to be announced this academic year.
Tilly Anthony - the 18-year-old from Hilltop in Oakwood, in Derby, is a first year BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Studies student who is hoping to make the 2012 GB Olympic Squad later this spring.
She said: "It is great to be awarded money from the Team Derby Fund as it is going to help pay for things such as travel expenses and equipment which will boost my chances of making the Olympic squad which is my dream."
Tilly took up boxing three years ago for fitness and exercise, and is now performing to such a standard she has been selected to compete in three Olympic qualifying sessions in Sheffield.
She is one of only five female boxers competing for three places in the 51 kilo category, with a series of weekend trials taking place at the EIS in Sheffield before the Olympic Squad is announced at the end of March.
Tilly, a member of Chaddesden Amateur Boxing Club, hopes to become a PE teacher after her degree finishes.
Josh Gosling - around 300 people worldwide compete professionally in freestyle kayaking (Squirt Boating), and Josh is in with a great chance of making the GB freestyle team for the 2011 World Championships in Germany.
The discipline involves performing many gymnastic style moves on and under the water in a kayak within a set space on the water in a 90 second slot.
Josh is a second year BSc (Hons) Sports and Exercise Science student at Derby, and the 20-year-old, from Prospect Road, Carlton, Nottinghamshire, has already been selected to take part in the GB team at this year's European Championships in Austria.
Josh practises regularly at the National Watersports Centre, near Nottingham, and first took up kayaking ten years ago, and went freestyle six years ago.
He said: "It is welcome news to receive this funding which can only help in my preparation and give me a better chance in competition - it is good to have the backing of the University."
He has ambitions to become a coach on completion of his degree but is also working on the development of the latest innovative white water kayaks for the sport with Nottingham-based company Big Dog Kayaks.
Company directors Peter Orton and Jason Buxton and sales manager Andy 'Snakey' Whiting have all represented GB in this sport, and have held down influential development and managerial roles within the paddlesport industry.
Many of the kayaks already accepted as benchmarks within white-water, sea, surf and squirt paddling were designed or developed by one or more of this team. There are few other companies globally, with this level of experience on their books. Big Dog is part of a group of companies, including Valley Sea Kayaks and North Shore Sea Kayaks, which are run from Private Road in Colwick, Nottingham.
Josh works on the research and development side of kayak production work, bringing his own expertise to contribute to the company's products.
Jason said: "We are delighted Josh has been awarded this funding and he is a great asset to our company with his input, knowledge and his skills in this sport."
Sam Rush - the 24-year-old, from Briar Close, Buxton, is preparing for trials next week on for the GB Olympic Squad. He has also been English Open Champion and been an open champion in other countries including Ireland and Holland.
Sam, a second year student studying on the Joint Honours in Martial Arts and Outdoor Recreation is also due to compete in the forthcoming English Championships in March. He said: "The funding is a welcome boost as in the past, I have had to turn down invitations to fight abroad in some tournaments due to the costs involved."
The University's Sports Development Coordinator Ollie Shearer said: "We set up the Team Derby Fund to offer support and encouragement to some of our talented athletes as they balance work, study, sporting and other commitments.
"The initiative shows the University's support for some of our top athletes and their development and we hope Tilly, Josh and Sam can go onto great things in their chosen sports."
For more information about this news release, contact Deputy Head of Corporate Relations Simon Redfern on 01332 591942 or 07748 920038 or email s.redfern@derby.ac.uk
