College Volleyball teams crowned national champions

Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s (NULC) Academy of Sport is celebrating after both the Men’s and Mixed Volleyball teams were crowned National Champions at the British Colleges National Cup Finals.

The National Cup Finals were held on Wednesday 25 April at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering. The teams were cheered on by a number of fellow NULC students who travelled to support their team.

The Mixed Volleyball squad overcame Taunton College from Southampton with a 2-0 final score.

The Men’s squad beat Barton Peveril Sixth Form College from Hampshire, again by 2-0.  

Trevor Humphreys, NULC Academy of Sport Manager, said: “Week after week, TEAM:NULC are coming home with tremendous scores and being crowned National Champions is a great end to a tough year. The students from the NULC Academy of Sport are extremely dedicated and disciplined and continue to raise the standard of sport played amongst their peers.“

Trevor continued: “The coaches have been instrumental in the Volleyball teams’ success, putting in extra work and transporting the team all over the country to allow them to play.”

Along the way TEAM:NULC fought off strong competition from colleges across the country including St Thomas Moore College in Birmingham, Dudley College, King Edward VI Sixth Form College in Stourbridge, Richard Huish College Sixth Form in Devon and Middleborough College.

To find out more about the Academy of Sport at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk/sport or contact Trevor Humphreys on 01782 254269, or email sport@nulc.ac.uk

TEAM:NULC Sports Results: Wednesday 25th April

Yesterday marked another great day for the College as both the Mixed and Men’s Volleyball Squads won their National Cup final to be crowned National Champions. This is a fantastic achievement and massive congratulations must go to all the players and staff who have been involved this year. The college is now firmly recognised as one of the top sports colleges throughout the region and country.  A more in-depth write up of the finals will follow shortly.

The girls also finished their season yesterday with a 10-1 win over Shrewsbury 6^th Form which confirmed runners up spot in the West Midlands Performance League. Well done to all the girls.

Results for Wednesday 14^th March 2012

§        Football Ladies (home)- TEAM:NULC 10-1 Shrewsbury 6^th Form

§        Men’s Volleyball (away)- TEAM:NULC 2-0 Barton Peveril College (Hampshire)

§        Mixed Volleyball (away)- TEAM:NULC 2-0 Taunton’s College (Southampton)

Lecturer hits the airwaves to talk about Olympic success

As the country prepared to celebrate 100 days to the London 2012 Olympics on Wednesday 18 April, NULC lecturer Anthony Bosson was invited to BBC Radio Stoke to talk about his role in this years biggest sporting event.

Anthony, a Sports Therapy lecturer at NULC has been selected to work in the London 2012 Medical Team.

Listen again to Anthony on BBC Radio Stoke by clicking here and scrolling to 02:08.

TEAM:NULC Sports Results: Wednesday 18th April 2012

As the season draws to a close for Football, Netball, Basketball, Volleyball and Rugby there were still some important fixtures to be played yesterday.

The Men’s Basketball Academy rounded off what has been a fantastic season by winning the West Midlands Performance League with a comprehensive 140-44 win over Dudley College. This adds to the National Cup final that they reached and caps what has been a great season. Congratulations go to Shawn Jamison, the coach, and all the players. Well done!!

The Netball Academy consolidated 3^rd place in the West Midlands Performance league with a win over Dudley and will now be looking forward to regaining their crown as West Midlands Champions next year.

The Ladies Football Academy missed out on possibly winning the West Midlands Performance league by losing to Stafford in a game which they dominated from start to finish. They now have a game next week against Shrewsbury to confirm the runners-up spot.

Next week I will attach a form showing just where all the teams have finished in what has been an incredibly successful year. Well done to all the students and coaches of all Academy teams.

Results for Wednesday 18^th April 2012

§        Basketball (home)- TEAM:NULC 140- 44 Dudley College   

§        Netball (home)- TEAM:NULC 48- 35 Dudley College

§        Football Men’s 1^st Team (home)- TEAM:NULC 0-7 Ilkeston Town FC

§        Football Ladies (home)- TEAM:NULC 2-4 Stafford College

§        MMU/NULC Football 1^st Team – no game

NULC welcomes home three National Champions and a record medal haul

Students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) came away with a haul of medals and three national champions at the British Colleges Sport (BCS) National Championships recently.

The BCS National Championships were held at Bath University on the weekend of Friday 30th March –1st April, with 22 students from NULC chosen to represent the West Midlands region following trials at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre.

The men’s Volleyball Squad was crowned national champions with Gold whilst the ladies volleyball team just missed out in fourth. Jemma Causley, aged 18 from Trentham, won Gold for swimming, Roxanna Keshavarz, aged 18 from Adderely Green, won Silver in Squash and Natalie Slater, aged 18 from Kidsgrove, won Gold for Table Tennis.   

The other NULC students to compete included Sam Botham aged 16 from Meir Hay in Cross Country and Grant Hamnett aged 16 from Porthill in swimming. 

The BCS National Championships take place once a year during the spring term and are one of biggest annual multi-sport events in the UK. Each year more than 2500 students and staff from all over the UK meet up for sporting competition in 15 different sports.

Trevor Humphreys, Academy of Sport Manager at NULC, said: ” The students have worked extremely hard to get physically fit for the national championships and this success is testament to their hard work and dedication. The results have shown that Newcastle-under-Lyme College is becoming one of the most successful Colleges within the region and nationally for sport.”

Natalie Slater, a member of the College’s Elite Sports Performance Programme, said: “I’m delighted to have won Gold at the national championships. The College has supported me every step of the way from fitness training to funding for my sport kit!”

The Elite Sports Performance Programme (ESPP) was introduced by the College as part of the NULC Academy of Sport to allow talented athletes to continue with their academic studies, while training and competing to the highest level. The ESPP is open to students who have represented the county or above in a chosen sport within the last academic year.

To find out more about the Academy of Sport at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact Trevor Humphreys on 01782 254269 or sport@nulc.ac.uk.

You can now keep up-to-date with the latest news from the NULC Academy of Sport by 'liking' the official Facebook page here.

Olympic hopeful inspires youngsters

 Olympic hopeful Kate Dennison visited students at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) to chat to students as part of the Colleges commitment to sport.

Kate Dennison, aged 27 is a Pole Vaulter and held the British Record for two years between 2009 and 2011, taking it from 4.45m to 4.60m.  She said: “I’ve had a brilliant day at the College and I’m very impressed by the facilities the students have here.  It has been great to chat to young people and hopefully inspire them to take a career in sport.”

Kate spent the day at the College where she toured the £60 million campus on Knutton Lane and gave workshops with a number of students from subject areas including Sport, Public Services and Foundation Studies.

Foundation Studies students were particularly interested in picking Kate’s brains as they prepare to compete in the Special Olympics this Summer.

During the day pupils from Seabridge Primary School were also invited to meet Kate who made time to chat to the pupils individually and provide them with information about diet and nutrition.

NULC is a member of the London 2012 Get Set network, in recognition of its commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values.

Kate's first World Final resulted in a 6th placed finish at the 2009 IAAF World Championship in Berlin with a height of 4.55m. She then went on to win a Bronze medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Championships in Delhi.

To find out more about the range of courses available at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or info@nulc.ac.uk.

To read more about Kate Dennison visit her website by clicking here.

NULC hosts Staffordshire Sport Maker convention

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) hosted the first Sport Maker convention to take place in Staffordshire.

On Thursday 22 March, the convention was opened by former Olympian and World Champion 400m runner Daniel Caines. In a motivational address to the students Daniel set the scene for the day by relating the importance of volunteers in his own successful athletics career and how the Olympics helped inspire him.

Over a hundred students from Newcastle and Stoke attended and took part in workshops and sports taster sessions to help give them the skills and inspiration to create new sporting opportunities in their colleges and local communities. The event was the first of many Sport Maker workshops and conventions that will be delivered over the coming months in Staffordshire and Stoke.

Sport Makers is part of Sport England official Olympic Legacy programme and is all about using the inspiration of London 2012 to recruit, train and deploy thousands of volunteers to go out in to their communities and get more people involved in sport. The programme offers some great benefits to those that take part including free Adidas kit and the opportunity to secure Olympic tickets.

To find out more about the Sport Maker Scheme click here.

College staff selected for London 2012 Medical Team

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) is celebrating after one of its staff members has been selected to work for the official London 2012 Medical Team.

Sports Therapy lecturer Anthony Bosson submitted an application back in October 2010 and has fought off strong competition from over 250,000 applicants to be selected this month.

Talking about the selection process Anthony says: “I had to attend a series of interviews which assessed my knowledge, application and practical skills in relation to sports injury and sports massage therapy. Finally all successful applicants had to attend a test event, for example the British Swimming Championships to demonstrate their ability to perform at major events.”

Anthony, aged 42 from Lichfield works at the College as a lecturer for the Sport Department delivering VTCT Level 3 and 4 Diplomas in Sports Massage, and BTEC Sport and Exercise Science specialising in Sports Massage and Sports Injuries.

As a busy member of staff at NULC, Anthony also works as a Sports Therapist for the NULC Academy of Sport and provides sports injury rehabilitation for the Academy’s Elite Athletes who compete at regional and national level.   

Anthony explains his role during the Olympics: “I’ll be working for the official 2012 Medical Team based in the Athletes Village, which is at the heart of the Olympic Park. I’ll also be seconded to the Aquatics Centre for the swimming and water polo games.  My key responsibilities will be the assessment and treatment of sports injuries including the provision of sports massage therapy to all Olympic athletes.”

Commenting on howl the experience will help his career Anthony says: “Above all, I will gain immense fulfilment and increased motivation to achieve further success. The experience will also be conveyed to our students at NULC to encourage them to identify their own aspirations and achieve their dreams.“

Anthony is fast becoming a recognisable face amongst students at NULC for his achievements in the Sporting arena: “On hearing the good news, the students have been very pleased for me, in fact some have already got the motivation bug to achieve big things for themselves.  It’s great for them to see that local people can achieve great things in their careers.”

He continues: “My colleague Shelley Brown and her team are outstanding and exceptionally supportive in everything I’m involved with at NULC. The College are building a great reputation for sporting achievements and I’m proud to be apart of the 2012 sporting legacy.”

Summing up the achievement of his role in the 2012 Olympics Anthony says: “Sport is my passion and Sports Therapy has provided invaluable opportunities for me to work at European and World Championship level, but the Olympic Games is a pinnacle in my career and it doesn’t get any better than getting to work on world class athletes on your home soil. “

To find out more about Sports Therapy courses at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or info@nulc.ac.uk.

Students, Paralympians & schools join forces for NULC Paralympic event

Sport students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College organised a special Paralympic-themed event to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Paralympic athletes.

Around 80 pupils from local high schools, including Sir Thomas Boughey and Trentham High School, attended the event on Thursday 29 March at the Colleges £6 million Gordon Banks Sports Centre.

The event provided pupils with the opportunity to participate in a range of Paralympic-themed games, including Wheel Chair Basketball, Blindfolded Football, Seated Volleyball, Bocchia and Goalball.

The day has been organised by 33 first year Sport Science students as part of the performance-based project element of their BTEC course. During the day students raised an amazing £639.60 for charity Fight for Sight through a number of raffles, auctions and stalls.

On the day a number of athletes and sporting ambassadors attended the event including Ian Marsden (current GB Paralympic Athlete), Jenny Booth (Gold Medallist Swimmer in Atlanta 1996), Andy Flowers (Head Coach of Stoke Spitfires Wheel Chair Club) and Angela Smith (Olympic Ambassador for Staffordshire).

Shelly Brown, Curriculum Manager for Sport, said: “The students have worked extremely hard to organise a large-scale professional event.

“All the students are interested in London 2012 and it’s great that we can incorporate the biggest British sporting event this year into their studies and give them the opportunity to see their plans to come to life in the community.”

Shelly added: “NULC has a growing reputation for sports participation and we’re delighted to be able to invite local school pupils to come to the College to meet with current students, sample the sports facilities and most importantly have fun whilst learning.”

Throughout the day, students from other courses at the College provided entertainment. Music Technology students performed live DJ sets and A Level Dance students performed an ‘Opening Ceremony’.

NULC is a member of the London 2012 Get Set network, in recognition of its commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values.

To view a gallery of the images from the event visit the NULC Facebook page by clicking here.

To find out more about studying Sport at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or info@nulc.ac.uk.