Nottinghamshire Volleyball Association

Ieuan Lamb (16) from Nottinghamshire is one of eight young volleyball athletes across the country chosen by the Youth Sports Trust to attend a national training camp for elite young athletes across a range of sports, at Loughborough University from 18 – 21st December. 

The four day National Talent Camp offers England’s promising young 14-18 year old stars a unique insight into the world of performance sport and prepares them for the personal, academic and vocational challenges which lie ahead. This year, young people from nine different sports have been selected to attend, including canoeing, rowing, hockey, wheelchair basketball, volleyball, netball, girl’s rugby union & football and cycling.

Olympic gold medallist, Jason Gardener will lead the camp, nurturing the next generation of sporting champions, along with a host of experienced British athletes, who will be mentors for the duration of the camp.  They include: Canoeing GB No1, Campbell Walsh, England football captain, Faye White, England, Rugby Union vice captain Maggie Alphonsi and GB Wheelchair basketball player, Gaz Choudry. 

It will be no easy ride for the young stars, as the mentors will test both their mental and physical attitudes towards their sports, through a mix of tough training sessions and classroom based workshops, which challenge their way of thinking about what it takes to be the best in sport. The youngsters will not only learn about being an elite performer, but also the factors that contribute to being successful, including working with the media. They will stick to a strict schedule, which mirrors that of an elite athlete, including everything from early morning training sessions and drills to early nights and a no frills meat and vegetable diet.

Alison Oliver, Director of Sport at the Youth Sport Trust said: “The National Talent Camp helps deliver one of the Youth Sport Trust’s key priorities of supporting young people with a talent in sport. These young athletes have the chance to be involved in a high profile training event with a number of successful sports designed to make them question if they really are focused and determined enough to succeed in their sport.”