Ben Sneesby – the road to the Paralympics

Lucy Wood
April 12, 2016

Paralympic skier and University of Leeds Sports Scholar, Ben Sneesby, is one step closer to achieving his Paralympic dream following his recent gold medal in the men’s slalom sitting race at the IPC Alpine Skiing British National Championship at the end of March. This event is part of the wider Delancey British National Alpine Ski Championships, the biggest event of the year for the British Ski racing world, taking place in Tignes, France. Ben is currently juggling his University studies with trying to reach the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics in 2018.

“I was at Sochi, so PyeongChang is definitely on my radar as well and I want to improve and perform better than I did at Sochi.”

Ben Sneesby (Sports Scholar)

We look forward to hearing more about Ben’s journey to PyeongChang!

International Orienteering Comes to Leeds

Tilly Hall
April 1, 2016
man running on university campus

The University of Leeds played host to Day 1 of the 50th annual Jan Kjellström International Festival of Orienteering. Jan
was a young Swedish orienteer responsible for pioneering the sport in the UK and the 4 day festival of orienteering commemorates him. It has become the most prestigious event in the UK orienteering calendar.

The event was awarded World Ranking Status resulting in top class athletes competing in addition to over 2000 orienteerers taking part in age categories ranging from 8 to 85.

On the day the campus event was the culmination of 18 months of collaboration between the JK organising team and key
University of Leeds and Leeds University Union staff. Jack Wood a University Alumni also took part on the day finishing a brilliant 5th place.

“We had a huge number of positive comments about the event from competitors and these are testament to all the hard work from the University and Union staff. The University of Leeds campus is a great sprint area and the new updated map, challenging courses and excellent organisation made for a truly memorable event.”

Neil Harvatt- Day 1 Organiser

Orienteering is fast becoming a familiar sight in towns, cities and University Campuses. Participants have the opportunity to explore urban areas in a whole new way, seeking out parts they may not have visited before.

Why not try out this great activity for yourself through the Get Out, Get Active programme, perfect for complete beginners.