A swimming star from Leeds will represent Great Britain at the European Junior Championships in Finland in July. Ciara Schlosshan, 16, a pupil at Bradford Grammar School (BGS) qualified for Team GB at the British Swimming Championships in Edinburgh.
Her success comes as two other pupils at BGS, Jonathan Milner, 16 and Rebecca Clynes, 15, both from Leeds, have been selected to represent the North division at the English Schools National Swimming Championships. Rebecca has also recently been selected to represent England Schools at the forthcoming World School Games in Morocco.
Ciara, who will be competing in her last junior competition before seniors, said: “I don’t know where I would be without swimming. I love the ethos of it, bettering myself and setting challenging goals. I also relish having the opportunity to travel the world for competitions and visit amazing countries.
“BGS really supports me with my passion. The teachers balance my games lessons so that I can do homework on time. They are extremely helpful in ensuring I balance academic studies with competitions and training camps.”
This is the third year in succession that Ciara has represented GB at the European Junior Championships. The teenager won a silver medal in Israel in the 200m butterfly race and came fifth in the World Junior Championships in Indianapolis last year.
Jonathan said: “I’m really pleased to be selected and am looking forward to swimming with my fellow athletes from the North-East Division. Swimming demands a high level of commitment, I love racing and competing against top swimmers from across the country. “
BGS Director of Sport, Oliver Rogers said: “New research from the Youth Sport Trust shows that schools are cutting time spent on PE lessons because of exam pressures. At BGS we don’t put a price on the value of physical activity – for physical and mental wellbeing, to engender a healthy lifestyle from an early age and to sharpen concentration and academic performance.”
BGS Assistant Head (Pastoral) agreed: “There’s a close relationship between our mental and physical health. At BGS, we ensure that pupils have access to regular physical education that delivers an all-round benefit from beginners to the very best. It gives you some real foundations in life, helps the pupils build relationships and ultimately boosts happiness.”
“BGS really supports me with my passion. The teachers balance my games lessons so that I can do homework on time. They are extremely helpful in ensuring I balance academic studies with competitions and training camps.”
Be Social!