Sportingwales 8

Charlotte Bryan
swimming, table tennis, track cycling and volleyball, and is the ﬁ rst
multisport event Joseph has participated in.
“The UK School Games gives you a real feel of what competing at the
Olympics or Commonwealth Games would be like. I'm looking forward
to my family and friends watching me perform locally, especially my older
brother Callum, he plays in the under 19’s Welsh Rugby League team.
We are both very competitive and neither of us likes to lose. It will be
great to have him there," said Joseph.
Another competitor ready to impress at the UK School Games is
badminton ace Dan van Hooijdonk, 16, from Swansea who attends
Pontarddulais Comprehensive School. Dan’s positive attitude and love of
Joseph Rowland
all things sport has helped drive him forward towards his dream of being
a professional athlete.
“I enjoy playing most sports. I like to think of myself as the sporting
type. Tennis, basketball, athletics, swimming and lots more. I try to ﬁ t
two badminton sessions in per day. Plus I like to put my body through a
UK School
demanding ﬁ tness test every Sunday,” said Dan.
Games 2009
This is the third year that Van Hooijdonk made it into the UK School
Games with 2008 seeing him win silver in the mixed event despite
Wales, 3rd - 6th September
battling injuries.
“This will be my last year at the UK School Games so I hope it’s a good
See the
one,” he said.
Focused swimmer Charlotte Bryan, 14, from Flintshire Wales is another
Action Live
athlete who will be giving it her all when she competes next month. A
student at Alun School, Charlotte trains 18 hours every week in the pool • Multi-sport event
with both early morning and evening sessions.
• Participants of school age
• Ten sports
“It feels really exciting to have made it into the 2009 UK School Games.
I play loads of other school sports too, which keeps my ﬁ tness levels up.
• Four day event
I like especially like running and rounders and I also go to the gym,” said
• Home nations competition
Charlotte. • Olympic and Paralympic
Games enviroment
The UK School Games is designed to create a legacy whereby young
people of all ages and abilities can aspire to compete in sport, become
leaders, volunteers and technical ofﬁ cials. The Youth Sport Trust, which
Tickets 0844 847 1658
is responsible for the development and organisation of the UK School www.ukschoolgames.com
Games, works across a range of initiatives and programmes to increase
young people’s participation and enjoyment of physical education and
school sport. For more information and tickets to the event, visit www.
ukschoolgames.com
sportingwales
issue8twothousand&nine
UKSG Sporting Wales magazine.indd 1 09/06/2009 15:26:23
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