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Kate Mitchell
SUPER sporty Kate Mitchell has started her journey to reach the top of her sport after being selected for the England volleyball U17 squad.
Year 11 Kate was selected for a place on the Vollyeball England talent pathway after attending trials in October last year. Selection means she now attends an England training camp once a month at Volleyball England’s camp in Kettering, as well as rigorous workouts in between.
Kate has been a member of local volleyball team the Nottingham Rockets for just a year. After being selected for an inter-regional competition and then representing the East Midlands in May last year she decided to try out for England.
Alongside a demanding schedule, which sees Kate play a competition every weekend (sometimes three competitions in one weekend) the 15-year-old also practices volleyball for 12 hours a week. Add to this a schedule of gym, core and general fitness training, her schedule is relentless. But Kate stays she still has time to fit in her GCSE studies!
Chloe Murcott
Cheer leader Chloe Murcott is celebrating after securing the chance to compete with her team at the Cheerleading International Summit in Florida next year.
Chloe, has been through two rounds of evaluations to become a member of this international team Gravity, which qualified after coming third in the International Junior category of the Bournemouth Future Cheer National Championships in July 2019.
Over the last 18 months, Chloe has progressed from Level 1 to Level 3 Tumbling and Level 2 Stunting and has grown as an athlete in terms of strength, endurance and skill.
Over the past 12 months, Year 9 Chloe has also assisted in coaching a younger age group and proven her all-round ability in competing in each of the cheerleading positions - base, front, back and flyer. She has also achieved both team prizes and individual recognition during her time on the team.
Lauren McNeil
Sixth former Lauren McNeil is forging a path to athletics success after being selected to represent England in a European cross country event.
Lauren (17) was selected to run in an England vest at an event in Eigobar, Spain last month – securing a podium positon after taking third place.
And just weeks later, the Year 12 runner was selected to represent England once again, competing against athletes from across Europe, in the Belgium Cup.
Lauren’s selection for the European events comes after her success in the Cross Challenge - a series of cross country runs across the UK this season - in which she secured a top four place and the chance of selection.
Lauren trains at Mansfield Harriers twice a week and does her own runs at home, following a training plan provided by her coach.
As well as cross country, she competes in track events in the 800m and 1500m. With the national English Schools competition coming up as Le Willows Life went to press, Lauren was hopeful of a good run and now has her sights set on the next step – representing Team GB. We wish her the very best of luck!
Corey Durose
Ball hockey player Corey Durose will be playing in the international arena after being selected to play for team GB.
Year 8 Corey has been selected to play for the GB U16s – despite being just 14-years-old – ISBHF 2020 World Junior Championships in Zilina Slovakia at the end of June.
Corey has been a member of the local ball hockey team Nottingham Huskies U13s, part of Nottingham Wolves Ball Hockey Club, which he has been part of since the age of eight, but is soon to join the U16s squad.
In 2019 Corey captained the U13 team to become national champions – the first Nottingham team to event win at this level, and capped off last season as the sport’s U13 Player of the Season out of all clubs in the UK.
Corey also won a coveted Academy award for Elite Performance at the Carlton le Willows 2019 Sports Personality of the Year awards.
Reece Cave
East Midlands Judo champion Reece Cave earned himself a place on the winner’s podium at the national championships in Sheffield in March.
Year 7 Academy student Reece brought home a bronze medal after securing third place in the British Schools Judo Championships.
This was the second time 12-year-old Reece had competed in the GB competition after taking top spot in the regional tournament this year, following on from a silver medal position in the regionals last year.
Reece who has been doing Judo since the age of 4, already has a history of medal success having competed in more than 17 competitions including two at international level. Highlights from last year include securing gold medals at the Cobra Judo U12 Grade Branded Open 2018 and the Cobra Judo U12 & Cadet Open 2019.
For the last three years Reece has won Competitor of the Year at the Nottingham Judo annual awards evening and earlier this year was accepted on the Regional England Development squad for the sport.
Training three times a week – at Rycroft Judo Club and Carlton Forum Judo Club – the Cedar house student also finds time to compete in park runs and mini marathons and also achieve success with his Saturday football club Gedling Southbank.
Curtis Durose
YEAR 11 footballer Curtis Durose is forging ahead with his professional dreams after signing as a scholar for Rotherham United Football Club.
Curtis, who along with his fellow Year 11s was due to sit GCSEs this summer, has signed a two-year scholarship deal to start the 20/21 season with the soon-to-be Championship club.
The move comes after Rotherham bosses made the offer in October last year after watching Curtis, the Sports Captain for Birch House, for some time. He had also been playing with RUFC U16s and their U18 team in the months prior to lockdown.
Curtis (16), began playing football for Gedling Southbank, but was scouted for Nottingham Forest at the age of six. He trained and played with Forest, who signed him at the age of nine. He has played around the country at some top clubs representing Nottingham Forest consistently at all age levels until now age 16.
As a scholar Curtis will move to Rotherham where he will live during the week, training with the club while also continuing his further education. He says he is excited, looking forward to the challenge and working towards the ultimate goal of playing for the first team. Everyone at Carlton le Willows wishes Curtis the very best of luck!
Charlie Clarke
Year 11 student Charlie Clarke has just completed his third full season hovercraft racing – collecting a trophy and podium position for his performance.
Charlie (15) collected the Rose Bowl Trophy from the Formula Junior of the Hovercraft Club of Great Britain this season. The award is for the most improved driver over the course of the season and voted by his fellow competitors and their parents.
The reward is particularly prized as this was Charlie's first season in the highly competitive Formula Junior (14-16-year-old) after moving up from the Formula Colt where he has raced since the age of 11.
Charlie’s sporting activities have been on hold due to the pandemic but began again in June this year. The new season gave the Birch house student chance to try out his new ROTAX 447, an engine that produces twice the power of his previous racing craft, reaching speeds of more than 50MPH!!
After taking 9th and 5th place in his first two races, Charlie says he started to master his new hovercraft and finished an impressive 2nd place in his final two meetings of the season – third place overall for the season.
Charlie now intends to improve on that next season with the ultimate goal of taking first place overall. He said: “Hovercraft racing runs in my family. The sport has its own community. When you are racing you are competing but still have a lot of respect for each other and you can feel the adrenaline rush of people around you.”
Ellie Rush
Elite sailor Ellie Rush is riding on the crest of a wave after qualifying to represent Great Britain in the World Championships in summer.
Ellie (17), sailed for her country in the International 420 Class World Championships in San Remo in Italy in July. Racing took place over six days with Ellie and her sailing partner Megan finishing in the top 20 in the final day of racing.
For the Year 13 student this is part of an ongoing bid to become an Olympic hopeful. This season already, Ellie has taken part in two sailing ‘Grand Prix’ series events, taking top spot for girls in the first race and third place overall in the second event.
She has also been selected once again for the Youth Performance Squad and has her sights firmly set on improving results during her last season as a junior sailor. She also has a sponsor on board, sailboat hardware manufacturer Harken, who put their name to her rising success.
Ellie says she also has her sights set on a place at the International Youth Worlds event in Holland later this season. Run by the sport’s governing body World Sailing the event pits the top girl and top boy in each sailing class, from each nation against each other. We wish her the very best of luck!
