Breaking News Archive: 2008/2009
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| Breaking News | ||||
| 2009 |
No end to pupils’ talents as they lift their way to victory at British under 18 and under 23 Weightlifting Championships
On Saturday, 31 October 2009 at Kilwinning Weightlifting Club in Ayrshire, six members of the Palace of Art Weightlifting Club, five of whom are former pupils of Glasgow School of Sport, competed in different weight categories and all fared well in their efforts.
Mark Fitzpatrick jerking 115 kilograms |
Haris Ansari snatching 82 kilograms |
Amy Hamilton, Stephanie McDiarmid and Colette Will (former gymnasts), Amy Liu (a hockey pupil) and Mark Fitzpatrick (an athletics pupil) have successfully moved to weightlifting through talent transfer. The sixth member of the group, Haris Ansari, is a former pupil of Bellahouston Academy so it was a proud day for the school.
First out for the club was 15 years old Stephanie McDiarmid in the 44kg class in her first Under 18 British competition. Stephanie did well “snatching” 35 kilograms and “clean and jerking” 46 kilograms (approximately 6 stones overhead). Stephanie only weighs 40kilograms! This lift won Stephanie a second place and all new bests in the competition.
Next to lift was Colette Will who lifted in the 53 kilograms class and in her first competition since April 2009 following a shoulder injury. Colette lifted 45 kilograms in the “snatch” and “clean and jerked” 58 kilograms to finish in first place out of four lifters in her group. A great return to competitive lifting for Collette!
Amy Hamilton lifted in the 63 kilograms class weighing a light 59 kilograms and trying to get near to the qualifying standard for inclusion in the Scotland squad for the Commonwealth Games next year (2010) in India. Amy snatched 65 kilograms and then in the “clean and jerk” Amy lifted 75 kilograms to increase her total to 140 kilograms, to achieve first place. Amy has until mid 2010 to achieve her standard and I’m sure she will give it a good shot.
Amy Liu was competing in her first competition for a several months and made a good return competing in the 69+ kilograms weight class. She lifted 52 kilograms in the “snatch” on her third attempt and got 70 kilograms in the “clean and jerk”. This gave her new personal bests all round and first place in the competition.
For the two male lifters, the first to compete in a well contested 69 kilograms class was Haris Ansari. Haris managed to “snatch” 82 kilograms and “clean and jerk” 105 kilograms (approx 16 stones overhead) and managed a very good third place overall in only his second British Championships. Once again, new personal bests all round.
Mark Fitzpatrick who recently moved home to attend Stirling University but still attends the club competed in the 85 kilograms class at a light bodyweight of 80 kilograms. Mark managed to “snatch” 87 kilograms and “clean and jerk” 115 kilograms for new personal bests all round, achieving a credible third place for himself and the club.
Ray Cavanagh
Assistant High Performance Strength and Conditioning Coach
Palace of Art Weightlifting Coach
June 2009
Russian Gymnasts Return from 12 to 25 June 2009
Coaches from around the country will have an opportunity to attend a coaching workshop on choreography and apparatus work this coming Sunday, 14 June 2009 at Bellahouston Leisure Centre.
Gymnasts, coaches and enthusiasts can watch top Russian and Glasgow gymnasts in action on Tuesday, 23 June 2009 as they perform an action packed display.
To book tickets for the coach education workshops (£15 for both) or the gymnastics display (£4) please contact Glasgow School of Sport on 0141 582 0034.
Places are limited so book now to avoid disapointment.
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Hockey Coach Derek Forsyth Appointed
Glasgow School of Sport, in partnership with Scottish Hockey, announced the appointment of Derek Forsyth as new Assistant High Performance Coach today.
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More information on Derek's appointment is included on our Hockey News page.
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May 2009
Congratulations Suzan! - Latest Pictures of Ebenezer
Suzan Mhango, visiting teacher from Malawi, has just become a mum to Ebeneza. Suzan was one of two sports teachers who accompanied the six athletes on the athletics scholarship to Glasgow School of Sport in April 2008.
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Suzan and young Ebeneza |
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From Russia With Love!
The Glasgow School of Sport are to host a delegation of Artistic gymnasts, coaches and the Head of the Olympic Reserve School in Rostov-On-Don, Russia from 12 to 25 June 2009. This is the second year of this exciting partnership in which top Russian coaches and gymnasts will work alongside Glasgow School of Sport, the City of Glasgow Gymnastic Club and Scottish National coaches to share their expertise and training methods. Six gymnasts from the Olympic Reserve School will train alongside Glasgow School of Sport and the City of Glasgow gymnasts. The aim of this exchange is to raise standards of performance and maximise Glasgow's chances of its gymnasts being selected to the 2014 Commonwealth Games Squad. There will be an opportunity for coaches to participate in coach education workshops and for aspiring gymnasts to watch top Russian and Glasgow gymnasts perform. Please visit International Links to read about this successful partnership.
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Congratulations Suzan!
Suzan Mhango, visiting teacher from Malawi, has just become a mum to Ebeneza. Suzan was one of two sports teachers who accompanied the six athletes on the athletics scholarship to Glasgow School of Sport in April 2008.
Ebeneza was born on the 19th August 2008. Both mum and daughter are well.
Scotland Team Open Water Events
Congratulations to the following pupils who were selected to represent Scotland at Open Water swimming events in the Netherlands and Belgium at the end of August 2008:
- Glenn McIntosh S5
- Mark Deans S3
- Megan Donnelly S4
The triumphant trio returned with fantastic performances and personal best times. Mark had an awesome swim in the 3 kilometre race in Belgium breaking the existing record by 52 seconds.
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June 2008
Glasgow School of Sport Badminton Tournament
Glasgow School of Sport has been successful in its application to run an Under 12 Tournament in September 2008 and an Under 11 Tournament in March 2009 at Glasgow School of Sport. At a recent Annual General Meeting BADMINTONscotland sanctioned the School to run 2 tournaments in season 2008/09. This is great news for the School of Sport and will attract some of Scotland’s most talented shuttlers to compete in the 6 court state of the art facility at Bellahouston Academy. The tournaments will be open to players born in the following years:
Under 12 (Born 1997 or later) - Saturday 20 September 2008
Under 11 (Born 1997 or later) - Saturday 21 March 2009
Entry forms will be available in early August 2008 from this website and the BADMINTONscotland website.
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May 2008
Amy Hamilton - Crowned British Youth (U17) Champion 2008
At the British Youth Championships in May 2008 Amy Hamilton lifted very well to take the championship in style. Amy did 3 good Snatches of 50kg 55kg and then 57kg. On her third attempt she did 3 good Clean & Jerks in which she lifted 65kg, 68kg and then a new best of 71kg. Amy is now 3kg over the required qualifying standard to be selected for the Commonwealth Youth Games for Scotland, being held in Pune, India in October 2008. Well done Amy.Click to return to top of page
April 2008
Amy Hamilton is currently a School of Sport pupil who has switched her talents from gymnastics to weightlifting. She has had an unbelievably successful start to her weightlifting career which has been acknowledged in her athlete of the month award from team sponsor Clydesdale Bank and the Commonwealth Games Council Scotland.
Amy Takes First Athlete of the Month Award
Article by Rob Eyton-Jones
Teenage weightlifter, Amy Hamilton from Knightswood in Glasgow, received a boost to her hopes of competing in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India (11-18 October 2008), after being crowned the first Athlete of the Month by the team's sponsor, Clydesdale Bank and Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS).
16 year old Amy, who is the Athlete of the Month for April 2008 is one of Scotland's best young female weightlifters and enjoyed a highly successful 2007. She represented Great Britain in the European Youth Championships and became British Champion at junior (under 20), under 18 and under 17 levels. So far this year she has defended her junior title and become British Schools Champion.
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Amy Hamilton at the British Youth Championships 2008 |
Star Weightlifter Amy Hamilton contemplating the challenges ahead |
Her success has come just two years after starting the sport. She discovered weightlifting whilst training at the Glasgow School of Sport, Bellahouston Academy as an acro-gymnast. Combining the excitement of circus acrobatics with the skill and precision of gymnastics, acro is a team event where partners counterbalance each other to perform acrobatic feats. As the strongest of her acro-gymnastics trio, Amy was literally the base of the tower for her team mates.
"I could be in the splits whilst holding two people above me which takes strength, power and balance, the same things you need as a weightlifter," said Amy at her club, the Palace of Arts Weightlifting Club, where she received her award on Friday.
"My gymnastics career was going well but coaches told me I had better prospects as a weightlifter. It's more of an individual sport and it's about how hard you can push yourself. So there's more personal achievement than in gymnastics where there were three of us in one partnership, where everyone had to be at their best to be the most productive."
Athletic and sleek of limb, through weightlifting Amy has reduced her weight from 63kg to a current, trim 55kg.
"People often say to me "you don't look like a weightlifter", then when I ask them what a weightlifter is supposed to look like they say 'manly and muscular'. I tell them that's bodybuilding."
Yet for all her grace and poise retained from gymnastics, Amy can lift astonishing amounts of weight. Her best Snatch - throwing the bar from floor to above her head in one movement - is 60kg (nine and a half stone). Her Clean and Jerk - a two part lift from the floor to shoulders then overhead - is up to 71 kg (a shade over 11 stone).
Ray Cavanagh is the coach who guides Amy through as many as two training sessions a day, six days a week, "Amy is naturally strong and flexible, has progressed very quickly to get to this standard and she's as motivated as they come."
Amy has just been invited onto the newly formed British World Class Weightlifting Youth Squad. She has also been selected to compete for Great Britain again at this summer's European Youth Championships in France, an offer she declined so she could concentrate on making Scotland's Commonwealth Youth Games team.
"We're also turning down a schools competition in Austria because we are concentrating on the Commonwealth Youth Games and don't want interruptions," said Cavanagh.
"Pune is important because it will prime her up for the senior Commonwealth Games in Delhi or Glasgow. This will be her first multi-sport games and an important experience for her."
Amy has already achieved the qualifying criteria and will find out in August, when CGS considers all nominations against the sport's selection policy, if she is in the team.
In the meantime she is delighted to be Athlete of the Month and excited about nearing her ultimate goal of competing in a future Games. "It's great to win this award and the £300 will be really helpful for buying new equipment and paying for using the gym," she said.
"Long term I'm looking at Delhi or Glasgow and I'd love to make it to London. India will be a great experience and hopefully I can be in medal contention."
