Author: Lecky

Jessica Hudson – Triathlon

Posted on 01/05/201501/05/2015 by Lecky

Jessica has been awarded a grant towards her Triathlon training and competition.

Support in competing in South West Triathlon Series with the aim of being selected for South West Team in inter-regional championships. Grant will go towards entry and travel costs and equipment (turbo trainer, footwear, wetsuit, servicing costs of bike). Attend residential training week run by GB coach in order to improve skill and speed in the three disciplines of Triathlon

The funding will assist in allowing Jessica to develop in the sport of Triathlon through having suitable equipment and coaching ensuring she can complete to the best of her abilities. This will be here first year in Triathlon however she has competed for the last two years in feeder series. In Biathlon (Swim – Run) she has been ranked 25th in the country for her age and has competed in the British Biathlon Championships and National Schools Championships. In Biathle (Continous run-swim-run) she finsihed 3rd in the National Schools Champioship and was selected by Pentathlon GB to represent GBR in Italy and Germany in 2014. She was ranked 5th overall by the International Pentathlon Union in the world Tour during 2014.

Oliver Wagner – Track and Field

Posted on 01/05/201501/05/2015 by Lecky

We are very pleased to have awarded a grant to Oliver to support his training trip.

I have been invited to a one and a life time chance to train with Olympic athletes in Fiji. The Fijian team had picked me out whilst training in Dumfries for the Commonwealth Games.

I feel like this is a one in a life time opportunity. This venture would open many doors in the Athletics world for me. This would allow me to delve into the cultural differences that i would witness. The links which have been made can be made even stronger for future travels. The wisdom passed on to me could be insurpassable to the likes of coaching methods I may acquire in this country, making me a better and more fierce competitor.

Emile Cairess

Posted on 18/03/201518/03/2015 by Lecky

Training was going exceptionally well in December with the aid of all the gear purchased with the grant. The big races were approaching and things could not look better. However, at the beginning of January I was set back by a cold meaning I had to miss the Yorkshire cross country championships and a whole week of training. I started to feel better the week after the Yorkshires and so decided to run in Cardiff in the UK cross challenge. The race was distinctly average. I came 2nd to Ben Dijkstra who was unbeaten for the best part of 3years, I only just held off a competitor that would usually be comfortably behind. Despite the performance this meant I would lead the cross challenge standings going into the UK cross challenge final race in Birmingham as I already had a 2nd place performance in Liverpool to back Cardiff up. Next up was the Northern championship in Pontefract. The cold was still lingering but I managed to come a comfortable 2nd. After the Northern the cold turned into a virus and forced another full week off training. This week off was followed by 2 decent weeks of training. Then came the National, I had hoped for a medal earlier on in the season but with the way training had gone my expectations were considerably lowered. The race was run in awful muddy conditions something which I am not well suited to. However, I exceeded my expectations and came 6th. My results up to this point had been good especially with all the missed training. I knew that with a couple more weeks of good training I could perform really well. The inter counties the finale of the UK cross challenge series was two weeks away. In the first I trained reasonably hard but well, in the second I backed off. My preseason target for the inter counties was 5th.

The race began at a ridiculous pace as it was downhill and I got boxed in and drifted down somewhere near 70th place. I didn’t panic and worked my way through. By the end of the first lap I was in the 5th but the leaders were long gone as they had clear running earlier on in the race. I just had to hold on, I did. This meant I won the UK cross challenge series.

So cross country season is nearly over, despite hampered training I achieved a northern silver medal and became the UK cross challenge champion, a successful season.

Thank you very much for the grant it has helped me in a number of ways and I’m sure my performances wouldn’t have been on the same level without it. It has also helped my mum with the expenses of travelling all over the country – again many many thanks for the very much appreciated support.

Kind regards

Emile

Winner U17 UK X Challenge

Will Rigg – Orienteer

Posted on 11/02/201501/05/2015 by Lecky

Will Rigg has been awarded a grant towards the costs involved in him being selected for a place on the British Orienteering Talent Squad.

After coming 20th in the European Youth Championships Long distance race I am motivated to further my improvement as an Orienteer .I would also like to take the opportunity to attend an annual training camp to Portugal to train and compete in the international event Portugal O Meeting. This will give me priceless experience competing against some of the top international athletes from my age group and an excellent opportunity to train with my Swedish Club mates including the likes of World Champion Gustav Bergman.

As a full time student, I have limited funds to take advantage of the opportunities that are open to me. I hope to be granted a Winning Students Scholarship and although most of this funding is ring fenced for university activity I hope to be able to put some of this towards the cost of my place in the British Orienteering Talent Squad. However, there will still be a substantial shortfall and so I hope to be granted an award from the John Taylor Foundation so that I can continue on the Athlete Development Pathway that lies ahead for me.

Will Rigg

Posted on 11/02/201511/02/2015 by Lecky

We were very pleased to give a grant to Will Rigg towards the costs involved in the British Orienteering Talent Development Squad. This is what he has to say:

The John Taylor Foundation has helped be by providing me with the funds to Participate in the British Talent Development squad. This will give me access to Top class training camps which provide excellent coaching and training opportunities for me to develop me as an Athlete. I will have contact with the National Technical Talent Coach and the National Physical Conditioning Coach throughout the year to help monitor and aid my progress. Additionally I will receive Sport Science support including physiology testing at Manchester Metropolitan University. The training camps will prepare me for the forthcoming season so I’m in best possible shape to be up for selection for the Junior World Championships in 2015/2016 in which I aspire to be competing in and representing my country.

Will in full flow

Joe Woodley – Orienteer

Posted on 20/01/201501/05/2015 by Lecky

Joe Woodley has been awarded a grant towards the costs involved in him being selected for a place on the British Orienteering Talent Squad.

This year my key aim is selection for the Junior World Championships, to be held in Norway. With this competition in mind i have spent time training and racing in Norway for the past two Summers and intend to train there again prior to the competition.
In 2016 The Junior World Orienteering Championships is being held in Switzerland and I aspire to a top 15 placing.

I am currently unable to self fund all of my training, racing and travelling even with parental support. I have raised money by holding cake stalls at local orienteering events, and intend to do so again.

Tom Thomas – Fell running

Posted on 20/01/201501/05/2015 by Lecky

Tom Thomas has been awarded a grant towards kit for the upcoming season. We wish him well.

I have always been a fellrunner, from being a junior to a senior. I was never that talented, I definitely came under the banner of an enthusiastic try-hard anorak; I would know every race record, but also know I wasn’t going to finish anywhere near it. I became an under 23 in 2011 and started really running well, having views to do the U/23 English and British Championships. Unfortunately, about a week after the Long Mynd race I turned my ankle, despite going over to Ireland to do the Mournes and a jaunt round the Coniston race, it pretty much ended my running for 3 years. The diagnosis – I’d basically done in Peroneal tendons, if I ran, I couldn’t walk the next day so eventually after a year of trying, I just stopped running and threw in the towel because it was getting me down.

Fast forward to last summer, I had finished uni, had no job, suffered from pretty bad depression due to personal issues and I discovered running again….I tentatively tried my ankle and it seemed fine. I could run two days in a row, and even though it’s a case of management I managed to train well and finish 24th at the Scafell Pike race and I was running better than ever off significantly less mileage. So I’ve decided to finish my unfinished business and go all out to try and medal in the U/23 British championships this year. I do think long term I can be a race winner, I train hard, I eat well and I love the sport. For now I’d be content with a good showing in the British champs and take it from there.

I’m working, but shifts and money have been hard to come by and I got job scammed recently which was really great given the circumstances. I’ve earned £200 in the last 2 months and that doesn’t really cover 3 weeks living costs and now I’m at the point where my shoes are causing me injuries. I will be working to contribute to my aims but I don’t have any savings or anything other than what I earn….hopefully there will be some improvement here.

Joe Woodley

Posted on 20/01/201520/01/2015 by Lecky

I would like to thank the John Taylor Foundation and all of the trustees for the grant I received. This support is so important and will help me to achieve my goals in 2015. I will of course provide a report and photo to let the trust know how their funding has helped me.
Kind Regards
Joe Woodley

Dominic Allen

Posted on 14/01/201514/01/2015 by Lecky

Thank you so much for the cheque to help towards to costs of my new javelin. This will be a really great help.

I will ask my parents to look into the cardiac screening and thank you for your suggestion. I will also consider raising funds for JTF if the opportunity arises.

In July I finished my exams and I was quite pleased with the results I achieved. I am now studying A levels in chemistry, physics and maths at Exeter College. I am also doing ACES sports academy at college, which is really helping towards my athletics and fitness in general. After college I am hoping to go to Loughborough University to study Accountancy and Financial Management as well as continuing with my athletics. This is where David Parker (National Javelin coach) is based and I am currently going to Loughborough for coaching with him once or twice a month.

I have been lucky enough to have been selected by British Athletics to attend an Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence Programme. This will involve attending 9 sessions at either Bath or Loughborough College.

I am still currently going training at my local club twice a week, and also receive strength and conditioning training once a week from James Marshall (Excelsior). My aim is to becoming an international athlete for team GB and to compete at an Olympic Games.

As you can see from the amount of travelling and training necessary to be the best that I can, your financial support has been invaluable, as I would not have been able to make the most of these opportunities.

I have two part time jobs which I manage to squeeze in between training & my studies, my wages from these help a little with the costs of my athletics and also my parents do all that they can afford to support me too.

Dominic Allen – Javelin

Posted on 14/01/201514/01/2015 by Lecky

Dominic Allen has been awarded a grant towards his costs for the upcoming season.

I have been going to Exeter Harriers since the age of 11. Although I have tried many events, javelin is what I feel more passionate about javelin. Javelins are extremely expensive to purchase and can vary greatly. On average they cost about £1,000 each and when I need at least 2 this can become very expensive. I was really delighted to come 3rd in the UK Championships earlier this year as it has been a difficult year for training for me. Exeter Harriers track has been closed for most of the season (March –August) for refurbishment. This has meant that I have had to travel to Taunton, Tavistock or Yeovil which takes about an hour travelling time. This meant that I did not always have a coach for the training session. Obviously not ideal training. I have also been studying hard for my GCSE’s which I now have the results for and am quite proud of achieving 10 A –C grades.

I am hoping to have a much better season this year with the hope one day of competing at the Olympics.