In addition to helping the upcoming sporting heroes get on track to achieve their sporting ambitions, Power NI has appointed all three as ‘Power NI community sporting ambassadors’ with the aim of encouraging other young athletes to push forward and achieve their own sporting goals.
Power NI’s bursary is helping 18 year old student Erin McConnell to target this year’s European Triathlon Championships in Russia. Ranked two on the island of Ireland Erin is currently the BMW Super Series Female Irish Champion, is Triathlon Ireland’s Junior Athlete of the Year is a Junior Aquathon National champion.
Outlining her future plans and dreams Erin said, “I’m already proud of what I have achieved, but my goal is to compete in the International Triathlon ITU circuit around the world, the 2022 Commonwealth Games and ultimately an Olympic Games.
“It means so much for the Mary Peters Trust and Power NI to have recognised my potential as their support will help me to reach my goals through training wellbeing and competing. The Mary Peters Trust is such an invaluable charity for up and coming athletes that need help and recognition to achieve for the future.”
A Level student Conn Nagle (18) is using his Power NI funding to help him reach the 2020 U-22 European Wheelchair Basketball Championships which is a 2021 World Championship qualifier.
Post A levels, Conn hopes to study at Sheffield University where the GB wheelchair basketball squad is based. Selected for the GB U-23 squad at the age of only 17, Conn achieved third place in the UK Schools Games and fourth in this year’s IWBF U-22 European Championship.
Conn explains what inspires him to achieve his goals, “Watching the GB Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team win gold at last year’s World Championships was exceptional and my ultimate dream is to achieve international status at senior level.
“This funding from Power NI and the Mary Peters Trust will help with accommodation, travelling, equipment, sports clothing and membership fees allowing me to focus on excelling on the basketball court and reaching my sporting potential.”
Seventeen year old gymnast Ryan Devine specialises in the discipline of trampoline and double mat trampoline. The year 11 De La Salle College student has a wide range of sporting achievements under his belt including the top honours in, Northern Ireland Senior Men’s trampoline, Senior Men’s DMT (double mini trampoline) Senior Men’s Synchronised Trampoline and Senior Trampoline Team Champion. A Junior European Double Mini Trampoline and Senior British DMT champion, Ryan was also part of the GB Senior DMT World Championship team.
With the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo firmly in his target range, Ryan outlines his aims for future sporting success, “What inspires me every day is the five Olympic rings. I push myself as much as I can in training to reach my dream of becoming an Olympian. Mary Peters Trust and Power NI have helped me so much. With their support I am attending a competition that will place me one step closer to achieving that Olympic dream.”
Stephen McCully, Managing Director of Power NI said, supporting the Mary Peters Trust was a wonderful opportunity and represented a real synergy alongside Power NI’s existing community programmes.
“At Power NI we want to play our part in helping these three young people realise their sporting ambitions as well as supporting Lady Mary in all the work that she does for her Trust. Sport plays such an important role in any society whether at provincial or Olympic champion level.”
Lady Mary , in her new role as a Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, said, “We’re very pleased to partner with Power NI for this new community initiative to help our young people further develop and improve their training and preparations for competitions and races in their various sporting disciplines.
“Funding support to help talented and hard-working athletes reach their potential has never been more important and I’m immensely grateful to Power NI for their financial contributions.”
The new Power NI backed community athletes’ initiative is part of a portfolio support package for the Mary Peters Trust which includes financial support for ongoing Trust fundraising events such as the Sport Inspires lunch and Lady Mary’s upcoming 80th Birthday Gala Dinner at Titanic Belfast on Friday, 31st May.
Since its inception after Mary Peter’s Olympic gold medal win at the 1972 Munich games, the Mary Peters Trust has impacted hugely on the sporting lives of thousands of young sports men and women both able-bodied and disabled.
For more information on the Mary Peters Trust visit https://marypeterstrust.org/
Pictured with Lady Mary Peters are Power NI athletes and community sporting ambassadors (l-r) Ryan Devine, Conn Nagle and Erin McConnell.
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