The Sports Colours were back on Wednesday the 25th of April to celebrate the momentous achievements of sports teams, students, staff and coaches over the year. Replacing sweaty sports kit for black tie the awards were a fantastic opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate the success we have had at Leeds Sport this year as part of the overarching Celebrate Week.
Hosted by our amazing amazing activities officer Jess Bassett and Doug Edell the Sports Representative the evening kicked off with the presentation of the first set of awards. Called up to the stage were members from a whole range of sports for Club Colours. 64 individuals gained recognition for their hard work and commitment to their chosen sports. Full Colours were given out to 43 individuals this year, for athletes who continually perform at a high level for their teams, showcasing the talent we have in Leeds.
The Refectory swiftly moved the evening on with an excellent 3 course meal. DanceSport then treated us to a wonderful performance demonstrating the exceptional talent among our dancers. We continued to look towards our extraordinary athletes by celebrating our Sports Scholars who are supported in their sporting endeavours over their time at Leeds.
There were more congratulations to come as we welcomed 22 Gryphon and White Rose award winners to the stage. These awards are given to those who have excelled or shown outstanding commitment in their sport.
This years Gryphon Award winners were:
Christina Nick – Athletics
Cameron Austwick – Cuesports
Patrick Green – Judo
Amber Brennan – Karate
Polly Brooks – Lacrosse
Anya Wood – Netball
Amelia Hall – Netball
Bea Skingsley – Netball
Jenny Davies – Skiing
Nicolas Peters – Ultimate Frisbee
Jonah Leake – Ultimate Frisbee
The White rose winners were:
Robert Nayagam – Boxing
Emma Woods – Cricket
Emma Poole – Dancesport
Elizabeth Stanton – Football
Rachel Weaver – Football
Emily Marshall – Kickboxing & Kraav Maga
Lydia Griffiths – Lacrosse
Helena Grennan – Netball
Clare Chapman – Rugby Union
Andrew Marks – Rugby League
Jonny Bolton – Ultimate Frisbee
This built us up to our 10 big awards of the evening. With 46 different nominees there was some fierce competition particularly with the new addition of Team of the Year. Rachel Weaver took home the first award for Gryphon Leadership, which she given for all her volunteer work with the Women’s Football team. LawSoc Netball claimed Our Social League Club of the Year for the second time. Helena Grenna was awarded the Sue Jacklyn Club Coach of the Year Award, continuing Netball’s success. Joan Young, the head Netball coach, received the Mike Brook Award for Performance Coach of the Year as she lead her teams to great success this year.
Novice Women’s Rowing were crowned as our Most Improved Team of the Year was awarded to. This large team of girls who since only starting the sport in september have placed highly at indoor competition. At BUCS Head they achieved gold medal placement which is something Leeds has never done before. Their boat became the quickest university Novice Women’s quad in the country!
Rosie Blount from Rugby Union received the Most Improved Athlete Award. From never touching a rugby ball until university she became the leading try scorer for the 1st team in the 2016/17 season. Since starting the sport she had played for Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, Yorkshire Ladies and England Students 7s, an incredible achievement for someone with only three years experience in the sport.
Women’s Rugby Union took home our brand new award for Most Improved Club of the Year. After freshers fair and GIAG’s their club doubled in size! The huge influx of new members has lead to the creation of a brand new development team who hope to enter into the BUCS league next year. Starting from their varsity win – for the first time in the club’s history – the girls continued to smash their way through the BUCS league despite moving up a division and facing tougher competition.
Kim Daybell, Sports Scholar and Table Tennis pro received the accolade of Roberts Athlete of the Year. After competing at two Olympic Games and many open events Kim has had phenomenal success. Recently he gained two silver medals in the PTT US Open despite playing against some tough competition. Over the Easter break he made his debut at the Commonwealth Games. Kim managed to take away a silver medal almost beating his fellow team-mate Ross Wilson.
Men’s Cuesports 1’s took home the title of Team of the Year after some fantastic performances across the season. Managing to retain the title of BUCS 8-Ball Pool Team Champions whilst also gaining a new title of 9-Ball Pool Team Champions, something which no other club has ever achieved. Many members of the team have also performed exceptionally over the year with selection for England Student teams.
Our final winners of the evening were to take home the prestigious Club of the Year Award. There was some tough competition between four of our biggest Clubs who have all achieved some amazing things this year. However, Women’s Football were victorious! Their huge BUCS success and all their work within the local community gave them the edge. The 1st team were undefeated in their quest for retaining their position at the top of the league and as BUCS Trophy winners. It is clear that the 13 dedicated committee members all wanted the best for the club by fundraising for two charities and increasing their contact with alumni to help raise funding. The girls were ecstatic with their well deserved win and we wish them all the best for next year too!
