Wednesday December 16 saw the official launch of the Crawley School Sport Partnership Gifted and Talented Programme for 2009-10 supported by Freedom Leisure at K2 Crawley.
The launch was held to coincide with the first session of the Talented Athlete Programme (TAP), the pinnacle of the Gifted and Talented Programme for Key Stage Four students (aged 14-16).
The launch celebrated the partnership working between Crawley School Sport Partnership, Freedom Leisure, Crawley Borough Council, Thomas Bennett Sports College and the University of Brighton to provide the Gifted and Talented Programme.
The highlight of the TAP session was Sam O’Connor, Commonwealth cold medallist, former TAP and current Hazelwick student. Sam provided an inspirational talk, expressing how he had been sitting in their place just three years previously and how the Talented Athlete Programme had helped him on his journey to a gold medal at Edmonton in Canada.
Sam said: “The main factor in my improvement to this level was psychological – the Talented Athlete Programme supported this development through the sports science support and by simply developing friendships with other likeminded TAP students who became training partners. TAP also helped me monitor my fitness and identify areas of weakness to take to my coaches and work on.”
The students preceded this talk with a group teambuilding session led by Steven Hand, School Sports Coordinator in order to bring the group together so they can support each other throughout the programme. A speed, agility, quickness training session provided by School Sport Coach, Ed Stimpson, followed and then a gruelling fitness test conducted by Gareth Court and Rhiannon Haynes (lead School Sports Coordinators for gifted and talented).
The Gifted and Talented Programme supported by Freedom Leisure at K2 Crawley consists of TAP and the Talented Athlete Academy (for young people aged five to 14). The programme is designed to support the students from various sporting backgrounds through a generic approach to sports science and development, working in harmony with their sports coaches.
Tim Draper, judo coach to one of the TAP students, said: “This programme is brilliant as it provides me with additional support to help develop my athlete to the best of her potential.”
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