HSFC Elite Athlete Support Programme

Update from Jas

On 7th March I competed in the Under 18 (Mounted Games) Welsh individuals on my novice pony who I am currently training. We finished as reserve champions. The following day me and my partner competed in the Under 18 Welsh Pairs competition where I rode my main pony, coming home Champions.
Next was the British Showjumping Winter Championships on the 21st/22nd March. I qualified for the Bronze league finals by accumulating points over the winter period. We jumped clear in the first round 105cm and a fast clear in the 110cm jump-off landed us 5th place.
Onto the first team Mounted Games show of the season, STRUK League Starter. My team Monmouthshire finished 2nd in a highly competitive Under 18 competition. I then guest rode in the Open age group with Leicester Yellow on my novice pony finishing in third spot.
During the following week, I attended the Senior Blue Chip National Showjumping Championships which I qualified for over winter. I had to jump two fast clear rounds in the qualifying rounds at 110cm to score points to get into the top 30 out of 105 competitors. This meant I could progress into the WB Equiline Star Championship Final. A double clear in the 115cm/120cm final meant we finished in 5th place against some professional showjumpers.
The next week, I jumped my first 120cm class and won it. Gaining points and moving me into the British Showjumping Silver League to possibly jump the finals later on this summer.
That weekend we attended the Mounted Games Xzony Championships (the first England selection show of the season) placing third in Under 18s riding for Monmouthshire. I also guest rode in Open, this time for Royal Berkshire, competing in another A final on my novice pony gaining valuable experience in the ring.
Last weekend we attended The MGA Spring Championships and another England selection show coming home Champions in the under 18 competition with Monmouthshire in a very competitive A final. I rode in Opens once again on the pony I’m training, practicing all the new games for this season. Hes progressing with every show.

Update from Sofie

Sofie Glinos played for her county (Herefordshire & Worcestershire) at 18&U in the tennis county cup competition at Nottingham Tennis Centre. The competition saw Sofie and her teammates compete against Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Wiltshire in both singles and doubles over three days. Wins for the team against Nottinghamshire and Somerset helped our team secure runners-up spot but miss out on promotion to Wiltshire. Sofie picked up two wins during the three days, in the singles against Nottinghamshire and the doubles against Somerset.

Sofie continues to train with Tennis Hereford at Hereford Squash, Tennis and Racketball Centre

Great work Sofie.

Update from Jas

Yesterday I competed at an NSEA competition representing the college. I won the 105cm class. I then went on to jump the 110cm Hickstead Elite Qualifier. I won this class meaning that I have qualified to jump the finals in the Hickstead International Arena in June.

Great work Jas!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/badminton/articles/cj3vgyp171go

Badminton has 'given me everything' after kidney transplant Welsh teenager Archie Morton says badminton has given him everything after winning gold at the World Transplant Games

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Hi, I’m Isaak.
For the last 2 years I’ve been a cyclist on the elite athlete support programme at Hereford Sixth Form College and completed the British Cycling Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE). During this time I’ve been racing regional, national, and international races for a local team, Halesowen Academy. For next year I’ve been offered a place on an elite under 23 team in Spain. To make this opportunity possible I need to raise £5000 to help cover the cost of travel to and from Spain and accommodation for the 8 months I will be living there. I’m keen to inspire the more young people to take up competitive cycle racing. Any help that you can offer would be very much appreciated.

Welcome Jas to HSFC Elite Athlete Support.

My name is Jas Willis and I’ve been riding horses since I was 4 years old. I compete in Showjumping and Mounted Games. Over the past few years in Mounted Games I have won the Prince Philip Cup The Horse of the Year Show three times, represented England and won at the Royal Windsor Horse Show and recently taken part in an International Exchange representing Great Britain. Last year I rode on the under 15 England European Team in France where we won the silver medal. Last month I rode with the under 18 England Team at the World Championships in Belgium, where the team won gold and I also won the gold medal in the Individual Championship. Also this year I became the under 18 Reserve Champion at the British Individuals, and last week with my partner we became the under 18 British Pairs Champions.
I’ve had many successes pony show jumping over the last few years including winning at the British Showjumping National Championships, representing my school and winning at the NSEA National Championships and riding for my Pony Club. Last year I also qualified and rode in the main International Arena at Hickstead. I now compete my horse in senior British Showjumping, I placed first in the West Midlands which qualified me to jump in the Bronze League Semifinals.
Next year I hope to again be selected to represent England in Mounted Games at the Championships and to continue Show jumping my horse to qualify for Nationals.

Welcome Rafi to HSFC Elite Athlete Support.

Hello, my name is Rafi Wilkinson, and I have been competing in athletics for the last 3 years. In year 9 I first got involved with throwing the discus, and after 2 months of watching YouTube videos and competing in various school competitions, I qualified for the English Schools national finals where I finished 9th in the country. Over the past year, I have joined a club and taken my athletics much more seriously, recently achieving my first national medal and coming 3rd in England for discus, as well as reaching the national final for combined events having only competed once before and achieving top 10 in the country.

Welcome Izzy to HSFC Elite Athlete Support.

My name is Izzy, and I am an equestrian event rider currently part of the British Eventing Youth Programme. I primarily compete in the Under-18 categories and have proudly represented the Wales and West Midlands region at National competitions.
I have been riding from a young age and have competitively been eventing for the past five years. During this time, I have achieved some successes, including representing Wales and West Midlands at the National Youth Championships and winning regional titles with Pony Club.
I am delighted to be part of the HSFC Elite Athlete Support Programme, as I believe it will provide me with the guidance and opportunities to continue progressing and achieving my goals.

Welcome Lloyd to HSFC Elite Athlete Support.

Hi, my name is Lloyd Sharp and I am an all-rounder who bats RH and bowls Right Arm Off-spin. I started playing senior cricket in 2021 as an 11-year-old with Abergavenny 4ths and quickly progressed to the 2nds and then to the 1st team and made my debut for the 1st team when I was 13 years old. I currently play for Abergavenny 1st team in the South Wales Premier League Division 1. In Pathway cricket, I started in Gwent U10s and progressed through the Cricket Wales East setup to gain selection for the Wales (now Glamorgan) County Age Group team in 2023 as an U14. Last season I played for Glamorgan U16s - we had a successful year and reached the Quarter Finals of the ECB Cup. My best bowling figures last season were 4 for 37 from 10 overs against Somerset and my top score was 51. I am looking to excel in the coming years.

Welcome Evan to HSFC Elite Athlete Support.

My name is Evan Pugh. I started swimming competitively with City of Hereford swimming club but moved into water polo at 11 and have now played at regional talent centres in Bristol and Newport. I have also played for Hereford and Worcester and have been lucky to represent Wales for 15s and under. I am currently training to be selected to represent Wales at the next Commonwealth Youth Games in Malta in 2027.