Posted: Friday 27 April 2012
Kilmarnock students scoop gold at British championships
Kilmarnock College's sport and fitness students are celebrating after being awarded gold at the 34th British Colleges Sport Championships held at Bath University.
The 40-strong squad of athletes, which included the college's football, volleyball, basketball and badminton teams, wowed the crowds with their true grit and determination to win.
The boy's football team were undefeated in all ten of their games and subsequently scooped the college's first gold medal. The college badminton squad achieved 4th place in the singles whilst the basketball and volleyball team finished as runners up in their games.
The teams were kitted out in new strips ahead of the competition that were kindly donated by local property developer entrepreneur, Marie Macklin.
Marie Macklin, UK Managing Director Of Klin Group, said: "When I was approached by Kilmarnock College I didn't even have to think twice, I am absolutely delighted to be sponsoring such a fantastic group of talented young people from the local community who are really putting Kilmarnock on the map.
"The students are not only a credit to themselves but also to the College. Their sheer determination to be winners is second to none and just highlights the excellent work that is carried out by the Principal, Heather Dunk and the whole team of staff at the College."
The British Colleges Sport (BCS) National Championships involved more than 2,000 students and staff from colleges across England, Scotland and Wales competing in fourteen different sports. The event was held at the University of Bath for the second year, which gave the young athletes access to some of the finest facilities in Britain as they competed in a total of forty-five events over a period of three days.
British Colleges Sport Chief Executive John Hole said: "The 34th BCS National Championships has been a great success; it is fantastic to see high achieving sport students competing with great sportsmanship.
Dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of sport, Kilmarnock College's Centre of Sporting Excellence offers Sport and Fitness courses designed to offer progression opportunities.
Sandy King, Curriculum Leader for Sport and Fitness at Kilmarnock College, said: "Kitting out the students in kits and allowing them to compete in competitions like this gives them a taster of the real world of professional sport."
This is the fourth consecutive year that Kilmarnock College students have competed in the championships, and they are in fact the only Scottish college that qualified for the competition.
Sandy went on to say: "We have a lot of very talented sports performers attending Kilmarnock College and I am thrilled that we are able to offer these students the opportunity to play competitive sport at a high level.
"I had no doubt in my mind that the students would do us proud at the event. Every member of our squad is an excellent ambassador not just for Kilmarnock College but also for East Ayrshire."
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FURTHER INFORMATION:
Issued by Beattie Communications on behalf of Kilmarnock College
Sarah Ballantyne Tel: 01698 787859 Email: sarah.ballantyne@onlybeattie.com
Lisa McCafferty Tel: 01698 787849 Email: lisa.mccafferty@onlybeattie.com
Scotland's Colleges Annual Awards 2011 - Winner of Public Value Award.
