Talented Young Sports Stars Receive Support To Make The Grade
4 January 2013
The promising students have been chosen to receive financial support as part of the University's Team Derby Performance Sport Programme
Through our new scholarships and bursaries we have already attracted some world class young athletes who have chosen Derby as they know we are dedicated to helping them achieve their goals.
The University is looking forward to sharing in these high performers' successes, which will build on our reputation of being serious about sport.
”Hari Punchihewa, University Deputy Chief Executive.
Nine talented athletes have received scholarships and bursaries from the University of Derby to support them as they compete nationally and internationally, as well as for 'Team Derby', as it seeks to consolidate on its British University and College Sports (BUCS) title 'Most Improved University' 2011/2012.
The promising canoeist, swimmer, rowers, basketball players and American Footballers, many of whom have already represented their country at international competitions, have been chosen to receive the financial support as part of the University's Team Derby Performance Sport Programme.
Through the programme, selected individuals receive additional financial support and services such as high performance coaching, strength and conditioning training, and physiotherapy.
Four talented athletes have received Team Derby Sport Scholarships this year, which includes a contribution towards their University fees.
Swimmer Jack Burnell, 19, from Lincoln, began an HND in Business Studies at the University in September after a successful summer in the pool. After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the London 2012 Olympics by just one place, in August he won silver in the men's 800m freestyle at the US Swimming Open in Indiana. He later won Gold for Team Derby in the 1500m Freestyle at the BUCS short course swimming event and is now training hard to qualify for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Basketball players Tom Brown, 19, from Belper, and Benson Arogobo, 19, from Nottingham, also received scholarships which will help them pursue a University education as they represent the Derby Trailblazers and Team Derby nationally.
A further Derby Trailblazer is pursuing a University degree at Derby thanks to the Team Derby scholarship programme. Nicholas Rose, 23, from Colorado in the USA, started an MSc in Marketing Management in September, and has already scored in a number of league games.
All three will be coached at the Trailblazers and for the Team Derby side by James Maudsley, who is the Basketball Performance Coach for the Derbyshire Institute of Sport.
Five further student athletes have been awarded bursaries which they can use to pay for the costs associated with pursuing their sport. Two are American Football players who have both represented their country and play regularly in the British American Football Association (BAFA) league for the Coventry Jets as well as for Team Derby side, The Braves.
Joe Brammer, 20, from Warwickshire (via Houston, Texas), who is studying a BA (Hons) Computer Games Modelling and Animation degree, lived in America with his family from the age of seven to 15. He began playing American Football at the age of nine, and brought his passion for the game back to the UK when he returned.
Back in Warwickshire he encouraged his childhood friend, Alex Preece, 19, from Coventry, who is studying aJoint Honours Sport & Exercise studies and Business degree at Derby, to try out for the Coventry Jets, where they now get regular games.
Alex and Joe both hope to play for Team GB in the next American Football World Cup, as well as helping The Braves achieve their aim of topping their BUCS league.
A talented rower, who decided to take up the sport after seeing the success of Team GB rowers at the Beijing Olympics, has had her hard work and great results over the past four years recognised by a Team Derby bursary.
Yasmin Marks, 20, from Derby, who is studying towards a BSc (Hons) Psychology degree, already has a number of medals under her belt including Gold from the European Indoor Championships 2012, hopes to be selected for the Team GB at the Under 23 World Championships next year.
A canoeist making his way back to the top following two years out of the sport through injury has also been awarded a Team Derby bursary.
Roger Weir, 21, who is studying towards a BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science degree recently got back into training for the canoe sprint, and hopes to return to his 2009 form (when he represented Team GB at the Junior European championships) within the next year.
International Rugby Sevens player, Mantas Marantas, 19, who has played for his home country, Lithuania, in European competitions in Denmark and Portugal during 2012, received a bursary which will help him as he trains to secure his place on the University's Team Derby side, and his national squad.
Each of the students were presented with their award in November by the University's Deputy Chief Executive Hari Punchihewa in his role of Chair of the University's Sport Management Group.
Ollie Shearer, Sports Development Manager said: "Team Derby was established to support individual athletes and increase the levels of sport participation amongst all of our students.
"Our talented sports people and real team spirit gave us some fantastic results last year which saw Derby go from 104th to 77th in the BUCS league. We're aiming to reach the top 50 by 2015, and are doing this by providing talented student athletes like these and clubs with the facilities and support they need to achieve their sporting potential.
"We hope that these bursaries go some way to help them achieve their sporting potential."
Hari Punchihewa, University Deputy Chief Executive said: "Over the last three years the University has invested in improving our sports facilities to offer a well balanced experience to our students and to demonstrate that we are serious about sport.
"We wanted to increase student and staff participation in sport and recreation at Derby, to do this we needed to make sport and exercise more accessible, more attractive and well supported through various programmes.
"A new gym, strength and conditioning training rooms and 3G sports pitches on our Kedleston Road site, as well as gym and sports hall refurbishment at our Buxton campus, gave our students the facilities they needed to take part, while the launch of the Team Derby brand brought a real feeling of inclusion to all of our sports teams and individuals.
"The figures prove just how successful we have been. We've seen participation increase from hundreds of students to at least 2,000 students regularly taking part in organised sport, whether that be competitively or for recreation.
"Only by doing this groundwork could we then begin to work towards improving the University's sport performance at a national level, specifically to reach our target of becoming a top 50 university in the BUCS league by 2015. We were very proud to receive the award for BUCS 'Most Improved University' 2011/2012 and this shows that we are well on the way to achieving what seemed like an ambitious target.
"Other East Midlands universities may have had a 25 year head start when it comes to sport, but we want to be a high performer in the region and be attractive to students who want to excel in sport as well as in their studies. Through our new scholarships and bursaries we have already attracted some world class young athletes, like Jack Burnell and Yasmin Marks, who have chosen Derby as they know we are dedicated to helping them achieve their goals.
"The University is looking forward to sharing in these high performers' successes, which will build on our reputation of being serious about sport.
"Our tie with the Derbyshire Institute of Sport also demonstrates our commitment to developing sport in the community across the county. We want to help find sporting talent and nurture it, to put Derbyshire and the University of Derby firmly onto the sporting map."
For more information about sport at Derby visit www.teamderby.com, for more information about studying at Derby visit www.derby.ac.uk.
The story was recently featured in the Derby Telegraph as part of an interview with Ollie Shearer. Please see their website for the full piece.
