East Kilbride Post - Easter Issue

3 April 2015 East Kilbride Post Focus

SPORT BASKETBALL SERIES AIRSPACE. FOTO:

pirates www.eastkilbridepost.co.uk/sport

39 The Pirates Want You continued from back

Air Space Hits The Heights From Parkour to Dodgeball, EK’s newest attraction

has something to get you off your feet.

ll It’s hard to imagine so- mething more exciting than the feeling of stepping out- side your own abilities and imagining yourself a su- perhero, able to run faster, jump higher than you ever thought possible.

Now residents of East Kil- bride can experience the fee- ling of superpowers by taking to the trampolines at Air Spa- ce, the trampoline park fea- turing over one hundred in- dividual jumping platforms opened in December last year. The Post was given the guided tour by Centre Mana- ger Sheila Cook and found out all about what the town’s latest attraction has to offer. The experience starts an

in-depth safety briefing and guidance on how to land which- if you’re new to tram- polining comes in very han- dy indeed. The first impres- sion you get from Air Space is that safety is a paramount. There are around ninety staff, most from the EK area, em- ployed to ensure that everyo- ne enjoys the park safely (so- mething which is vital when you’re majestically leaping through the air like a moun- tain lion). “We started off with aro-

und twenty to thirty staff origi- nally and now we have about ninety, most of whom are cus- tomers handing their CVs in.” Sheila told us. “Some of the guys are British trampolining team members and even tho- se who had very little experi- ence all had a month’s training where they were on the tram- ps for six hours a day.” Once you’re on the mez- zanine floor, you’re given yo- ur ‘jump socks’ and the fre-

edom of the centre to try out the myriad jumping plat- forms. Whether you’re look- ing to get off the ground for the first time, hone your alre- ady incredible skills by lear- ning how to wall run or you fancy trying out a different ta- ke on a popular sport, you’ll find something enjoyable. Fans of underdog films

from the mid-00s’ might want to give Dodgeball a go and, with Sheila revealing to us that there are plans to start a tournament to find the best team in EK, now might be a good time to start practicing. Elsewhere there’s the chance to feel like Iker Casillas in the penalty shoo- tout area which allows ‘kee- pers to take to the skies to keep out shots and the chance for frustrated Le- Bron James wannabes to land a killer slam dunk in their dunk lane.

With the upcoming intro- duction of party rooms and slack lines (tightrope walking for the uninitiated), things are looking good for those who li- ke their fun vertical. All diffe- rent age groups are welcome but Air Space is only open to those over the age of 10. The concept of trampoli- ne parks comes from the USA and bringing it to the UK is the £2 million brainchild of Go Ape. “It’s fun in small groups but it’s less about teams and more about indivduals getting what they want from the ex- perience,” Sheila told the Post, “we’re not affected by the weather and the various different activities mean that everyone will come away from their session with a different experience.”

fans will be used to, instead of 11 players on the field at a time, youth football uses five and the game is much shorter- with ea- ch game lasting around an ho- ur, but that’s where the diffe- rences end. The positions, the fundamentals and the contact are all exactly the same as what you’ll see on TV! The Pirates’ youth squad is open to boys and girls and new players will have the opportu- nity to test out different po- sitions on the field, from the pass-throwing sharpshooters at Quarterback to the hard- hitting Defensive Tackles. On- ce they’ve worked out what position suits them best and le- arned the game’s fundamen- tals, they’ll be put in full kit- hel- met, shoulder pads, as well as pads to protect knees, hips, and tailbones and thrown into the full contact game.

The Pirates are com- mitted to making sure that their young players thorou- ghly enjoy their experience and, as you’d expect with a sport like American Football, they take safety very serious- ly. Their coaches are all ful- ly qualified and youth deve- lopment coach Jim Dorman is one of the club’s most deco- rated former players. For worried parents, they ensure that all coaches have full insurance, provide para- medics at games (just in ca- se!) and all coaches are ful- ly PVG Disclosure Scotland approved. It’s not just kids though; pa- rents are also very welcome in the Pirates family. The club en- courage them to attend trai- ning sessions, meet the coa- ches and ask any questions they have about the sport or the club. The atmosphere at games is really important and the more family members co- ming along to support the team in tournaments, the better. What of the elephant in the room though, a town full of budding Tom Bradys and Dan Marinos is all well and good but what about the cost of getting involved? It’s good news, due to their membership in the East Kilbride Sports Council and

Lottery funding they are able to keep costs to a minimum, mea- ning that parents can expect to pay just £10 per month! This covers everything from

tournaments to training costs and even covers the loan of a full kit and free transport to all games outside the central area. In fact, all players need to kick off is a gum shield! Youth players are actively

encouraged to get involved wi- th the adult team, helping out as sideline assistants and ball boys and girls. This lets them get up close to the biggest games in the UK and it ser- ves as part of their footballing

education. Who knows- they might be inspired to make the step up to the adult team! In addition to the 14-16 yo- uth category, the Pirates also offer a junior team for players aged 16-19 and these are the first steps to the big leagues. Pirates chairman Amanda Mc- Donald told the Post, “Our yo- uth teams are the first step in a player pathway that can see young people join the Pirates at age 14, move up from youth to junior at 16 or 17, and then eventually kit up for our adult team at 19.”

So if your kids are looking to get into a growing sport that

steps outside the norm and you dream of owning a Miami mansion while your progeny throws touchdown passes for the Dolphins, get involved wi- th the Pirates. Find out more online: eastkilbridepirates.co.uk

info

EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES Founded: 1985 British Champion- ships: 1 (2011) Conference

Championships: 10

2014 Biggest Win: 81-7 (vs. Nottingham Caesars)

2014 Record: 9-0-0 2014 MVP: Iain Dick (Running Back) Follow them: @ PiratesFootball

Nominations Close for East Kilbride’s Sports Personality of the Year

Preparations begin for annual ceremony crowning the best in EK’s sporting community

Sports Event

ast Kilbride Sports Coun- cil has been hosting their annual Sports Awards Evening for over 30 years and they go from strength to strength in hi- ghlighting the town’s excepti- onal sportspeople in all age ca- tegories.

E Nominations closed re-

WHEN: 9th May 2015 WHERE: The Village Theatre PRICE: Free

cently and preparations are beginning in earnest for the ceremony.

Hosted by local celebrity Cliff Smith, the awards are a fantastic night out for all the fa-

mily as the sporting community comes together to honour the commitment which many lo- cal people show to their cho- sen sport.

The Awards take place on

Saturday 9th May and tickets for the evening are absolutely free. Everyone in the town wi- th an interest in local sport is encouraged to go along. The nominees will be listed

in the Post as soon as they are announced so keep your eyes peeled.

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