With the Winter Olympics well under way, we take a look at the availability of winter sports in U.K. university sport as well as notable alumni who are currently competing in Beijing.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games officially got started on Friday and we are very excited to see so many U.K. university graduates taking part. With representatives from snowboarding, curling and skiing; we take a look at some of the U.K. university students competing at the Games.
Brogan Crowley (Skeleton)
Loughborough University, University of Bath
Brogan graduated in 2018 from Loughborough University, with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Sports Science. Now based at the University of Bath, she currently trains with the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association (BBSA).
The University of Bath have the UK’s only outdoor push-start track on campus. Brogan and fellow skeleton athletes also train in the high-performance gym and on the indoor and outdoor athletics tracks at the £35million Team Bath Sports Training Village, which is also home to a host of Olympic and Paralympic champions from Tokyo 2020.
Katie Ormerod (Snowboarding)
Manchester Metropolitan University
World Champion snowboarder Katie Ormerod joined Manchester Metropolitan University this year, studying on the BSc (Sport Coaching and Development degree course under the university’s elite sports scholarship scheme.
Upon returning to study, Katie said: “I’ve been wanting to get back to studying for a few years but needed to figure out what I wanted to do with my life after snowboarding. I knew I wanted to remain within the snowboarding and sport culture and build on my coaching qualifications. The course at Manchester Met is perfect for this; it covers all aspects of sport and coaching that I am interested in and want to learn about.”
Mili Smith (Curling)
University of Stirling
Mili graduated with a BA Psychology from the University of Stirling last year in 2021. As a recent graduate of the sports scholarship program at Stirling, Mili was selected to represent Team GB in curling at the Winter Olympics.
Universities such as Stirling offer Curling Scholarships that provide fantastic support such as dedicated ice all year around, training, competition, and funding support alongside academic studies.
Lloyd Wallace (Skiing)
University of Bath
University of Bath graduate Lloyd Wallace will represent Team GB at a second Winter Olympic Games in Beijing 2022.
Lloyd was supported by a Sports Scholarship while studying Sports Performance at Bath and will be Britain’s sole representative in the aerial skiing competition. Whilst attending Bath, Lloyd was able to spend a lot of his time training abroad, primarily with the Swiss national team.
Excel in sport and education!
With so many U.K. universities offering world-class sporting facilities, access to professional coaches and funding support, there are fantastic opportunities for students to pursue their sporting ambitions alongside their education.
The athletes featured above have been able to excel in their sport whilst studying towards their degrees.
U.K. Universities can be very supportive of high performing athletes, offering sport scholarship programmes to help with costs involved in competing, as well helping to monitor your academic performance, ensuring that you are on track to succeed in both your sport and education.
Register your details today!
If you have ambitions of competing at a high level but also wish to pursue a university degree, we’d be happy to help explore if you could be considered for a U.K. university sport scholarship. Register your details via the link below and member of our team will reach out to you to speak about your specific sporting ambitions and help you find a university where you can excel as both a student and an athlete.
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