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As Beijing lurks round the corner I would like to use this opportunity to address how together we can help more of the County’s young hopefuls reach Olympic Games.
As we all know the County boasts some outstanding sporting talent, & earlier this week, Lincolnshire was in the news once again, as 25 year old Glenn Kirkham from Alford joined 8 other excited Olympic & Paralympic hopefuls who will wave the flag for Lincolnshire in Beijing this summer.
Glenn who has made 83 appearances for England in the men’s hockey team joins a formidable GB squad, including 4 Lincolnshire Swimmers: Mel Marshall, Kate Haywood, Lizzie Simmonds, & Rob Welbourn.
However although Lincolnshire is becoming increasingly renowned for producing swimming sensations, the recent qualifying success of Archer Simon Terry shows the County has wide breadth of sporting talent.
34 year old Simon Terry is in fact a returning Olympian, and will be representing Great Britain in Beijing, 16 years after winning two bronze medals in the Barcelona Games in 1992.
Also one to watch is Lincolnshire youngster Hollie Arnold; 13 year old Hollie who threw the javelin a personal best of 32.35 at the recent Dutch Open Championships in Emmerloord becomes one of the youngest Paralympians in Beijing.
Nevertheless when celebrating qualifying success it is important to note that the County also has a wealth of uncapped sporting talent, and it is this talent that the Lincolnshire Elite Athlete Program (LEAP) will support. You may in fact recall I introduced the LEAP program in a column earlier this year.
However for those of you who haven’t yet heard about the LEAP program, LEAP is an innovative way of marrying sport and business, with the sole aim to help Lincolnshire performers reach their potential. LEAP provides a support system for young athletes, but also a rare opportunity for businesses to join forces & contribute to the County’s sporting future.
Lincoln Golf Centre Manager- Bryan Logan is particularly passionate about the benefits of LEAP, and was the first to pledge his support:
“Over the years I’ve had some very good opportunities & it’s important to give back to the youth, some youngsters haven’t had the opportunities we’ve had.”
Bryan adds:
“If we don’t invest & give young talent the opportunity we won’t have any stars of tomorrow.”
Bryan’s £600 pledge of support is all about passion, as is the ethos of Lincoln Golf Centre.
Bryan concludes:
“I believe in giving everyone the opportunity, if you try you might, if you don’t you won’t”
If you are also passionate about supporting young talent and would like to pledge your support to the Lincolnshire Elite Athlete Program then please contact us on 01522 585 580 or e-mail emma.burke@lincolnshiresports.co.uk .Just ten businesses pledges of £60 per month can double the amount that is currently available for sport in the County.
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