News
THE future development of weightlifting relies on creating talented young athletes NOW – and plans to do that are taking huge leaps forwards.
As part of British Weight Lifting’s 2013-17 Whole Sport plan for submission to Sport England, the England Talent Pathway has been outlined to develop a clearly defined and mapped talent development pathway between grass-roots community and the BWL Performance Program.
To ensure clarity about athletes, resources, support available and talent development activity at each level of the pathway.
BWL are working in conjunction with appointed England Talent Manger Sam Hayer to implement an effective England Talent Pathway for athletes aged 13-23 by;
- Increasing the quality and quantity of coaching
- The establishment of Regional Centres of Excellence
- Enhanced individual case-management of athletes and coaches
- Providing exposure to optimal competition and training environments
- Providing access to the key athlete support services; sport science, medicine, psychology, nutrition etc.
- Incorporating an effective TID strategy.
Regional and England squads will be commence in March 2013. These squads will be for both weightlifting and IPC Powerlifting.
ENGLAND Talent Manager Sam Hayer has been honoured for his work in promoting weightlifting by the award of the Chair’s Recognition Award at the Black Country BeActive Partnership Sports Awards 2012.
Born and brought up in Smethwick, Hayer received the award for a lifetime of dedication to making the sport accessible and helping people become the best they can be.
Hayer competed for England in two Commonwealth Games before moving into coaching, and was recently appointed England Talent Pathway Manager, a role which will see him play an important part in preparing athletes for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games, and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
He was also the Field of Play Group Leader at the London 2012 Olympics, but has still found time to work in his home area with schools, colleges and youth clubs as well as developing the gym at Oldbury Academy.
WEIGHTLIFTING coach Caroline Charles has been handed the prestigious title of Best Team Manager of the Year 2012 at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council.
Caroline is the coach for the weightlifting team in the borough. The team were tenth in weightlifting section of the London Youth Games in 2000, but following the introduction of Caroline’s coaching skills they were eighth in 2011 and sixth in 2012.
In the girls class the team just missed out on third place, coming in a respectable fourth place against heavy competition which included GB star Zoe Smith.
Caroline is now aiming for medal placing for the girls team next year, and a place in the top five overall.
* Caroline is pictured collecting her trophy from the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea Christopher Buckmaster.
All athletes, coaches, medics, parents and club staff should understand their role in keeping sport clean. Anti-doping responsibilities are part of everyday life for athletes and support staff.
UK Anti-Doping is here to support you through your journey. Here are a few reminders; click on each link to find our more from the 100% me Athlete Zone:
- It’s your body and your responsibility; you need to know about everything you put into your body.
- You should check every medication before use, no matter who provides it to you. Find out more here. Remember to check every medication yourself, regularly.
- What if you need to take medication that contains a banned substance? Check here.
- Make sure you know the risks around using supplements.
- Any athlete can be tested at anytime, anywhere. Know your rights and responsibilities and how testing procedures work. Click here for more information.
- There is a lot more information, including videos and downloadable resources available to athletes online. Register for free here.
- Coaches, parents, medics and other support staff can also visit their dedicated zones on UK Anti-Doping’s website.
- If you would like to speak to someone directly, please contact your British Weight Lifting anti-doping contact via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
AFTER finding that there was no weightlifting club in his local area, Donald Buchanan took matters into his own hands and set one up. In the latest of our Club in Focus features, Donald tells us the story of how London South Bank University Weightlifting Club was formed.
I got interested in weightlifting while participating in London South Bank University’s Academy of Sports elite sports strength and conditioning sessions during the academic year of 2009.
After taking part in them for a year, I decided I wanted to take weightlifting up as a sport, so I looked into where the local clubs where in the area. There were no clubs at all around the immediate area - the closest were Crystal Palace and Bethnal Green.
During the summer of 2010, I was chosen to assist Bacons College and Lambeth School Sports Programme in taking thirty 16-18 year old Young Ambassadors to Singapore and volunteer at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. During this amazing adventure, I was set the task of continuing the legacy from the Singapore Youth Olympic Games (SYOG).
I decided my legacy to the SYOG would be to start a weightlifting club at LSBU. Starting the club was relatively easy with backing from the student union (SU) and the existing participants of the S&C sessions. The club was promoted heavily at the Fresher’s Fair to gauge interest. Participant numbers were high and remained so throughout the academic year.
Over the winter holidays we recruited our current coach Maria Papazoglou, an Olympian and Greek National Champion. Under Coach Papazoglou’s tutelage, the level and intensity of training increased and the club became more serious.
LSBU’s Yvaana Reid won the London South East Open in December 2011 in the +75kg category, and her technique was especially praised. It was the first showcase of our club in public, and was a resounding success and had made a lasting impression.
The club continued to develop and got involved in the Gold Challenge scheme, and several participants in the scheme completed their session with us.
However, an issue arose regarding participants: LSBU’s Student Union are only supportive of clubs that have an attendance of 20 people per session. In relation to weightlifting, five per session is an adequate and satisfactory number; but also we didn’t have enough equipment to support 20 more members.
The Student Union indicated that they would withdraw their support, so it was up to me to tender for funding to secure the club’s future.
I had heard about Sport England’s small grant funding as our American Football Club at LSBU had been awarded funding a year or so before, so I decided to apply for this same funding.
In April 2012 Sport England awarded London South Bank University Weightlifting Club £10,000 for the continued development and sustainability of the club. This gave us the means to make the club fully operational again. Without the backing of the SU, I approached LSBU’s Academy of Sport, and it was decided that the Sports Centre would host the LSBU Weightlifting Club. The club resides happily within the Sports Centre, and we look forward to great longevity and success under the direction of the Academy of Sport.
This club was started as part of the SYOG legacy and will continue Singapore’s legacy, along with that of the London 2012 Olympic Games. LSBU’s weightlifting club has proven that it is a genuine successful endeavour, and we hope to grow and become part of the community to find, nurture and inspire future Olympians!
LSBU Weightlifting Club is not just for its students. It is for everyone: staff and members of the community are also welcome. We cater to all levels and welcome beginners!
As the nights draw in and the temperatures drop, it’s good to have things to look forward to!
Why not get your chance to lift at the last few competitions of the year. Competitions range from regional school championships and opens, to the European Junior & U23 Championships held in Israel.
Remember that for some competitions will need to have met the qualifying totals in previous competitions. If you’re not planning on lifting, why not come along and support the competitors, and even watch our Olympians from the 2012 Games!
For a list of competitions:
http://www.britishweightlifting.org/competitions/competition-calendar
As well as competition opportunities, BWL’s coach education is growing rapidly with many courses now fully booked!
Don’t miss out on gaining your coaching certificate this year; places remain on Weightlifting Level 1 Assistant Club Coach courses in Reading, Cheshire Oaks and Plymouth, and Brunel University for places on the Introduction to Resistance Training course. For more information and to book, please see our course calendar:
http://www.britishweightlifting.org/courses-a-coaching/course-calendar
The BWL membership is vital for anyone wishing to participate in BWL competitions as this includes your insurance fee for the year. You cannot compete without this; from the u11 Development Cups to the British Seniors, you must be a member of BWL to take part in our competitions.
If you are a member of the club committee, coaching team or a recreational weight lifter you can take out the less expensive associate membership. All competitors must take out the membership which applies to their age group (see age categories below).
Your BWL membership also gives you access to discounts on BWL coach education courses and information and offers passed to us by partners and supporters! All members will receive regular issues of the BWL newsletter and a host of other benefits:
http://www.britishweightlifting.org/membership/member-benefits
- Senior £30 Born before 1993
- Junior £25 Born in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
- School £15 Born in 1997
- Associate £10 Non-competing members
- Life Members £12 Available to existing life members only
If you are a current member looking to renew, you will need your membership login and password. BWL will be emailing these out to all current members as part of our renewal campaign which starts on November 1st 2012. Renewing your membership after this date will make you a member for the whole of 2013 so please hang on until we notify you that it’s time to renew!
New memberships will also be available online, here:
https://secure.memberdesq.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=5395
You can join for the first time or renew your current membership.
You will also receive an email with the information and a link to the renewals page; please keep your personal information up to date so that we can contact you with BWL offers and services over the course of the year
The purpose of the BWL Coaches and Officials License is to help ensure that those operating in BWL clubs and events are CRB checked and insured for their activities. All coaches and officials at BWL competitions must have a license so that they can enter the ‘field of play’ this includes, weigh in rooms and the competition and warm up areas.
The license is there to protect athletes, coaches and officials of all ages and is a requirement of BWL’s insurance. Policing of BWL competitions will become much tighter over the course of 2013. All coaches and officials in possession of a license should wear it at competitions so that it can be easily seen and checked in the lanyard provided.
In order to obtain a BWL Coach and/or Officials License you must complete and uphold the following documentation:
- BWL Membership 2013
- BWL CRB check (CRB checks from other agencies cannot be accepted)
- BWL Qualification
- BWL Codes of Conduct
- £10 administration fee
In order to obtain a license you must please download the application form for the BWL Coaches and Officials:
http://www.britishweightlifting.org/courses-a-coaching
Please follow the application and guidance notes carefully particularly when it comes to your CRB application as this process can be severely delayed if the form is not completed accurately in the first instance.
If you hold coaching AND officiating awards you can be licensed for both activities on one license provided you pass all criteria. Please submit both coaching and officiating awards in the same application.
Thank you to those of you who have already completed the Coaches and Officials License, please ensure you keep your membership up to date to ensure that your license and insurance are valid for 2013.
Applications are currently processed off site by the BWL child protection officer; please send all information to the address detailed on the application form.
BWL Club Affiliations for 2013 are open! Thanks to those clubs who have been quick off the mark and have affiliated for 2013! Affiliations are open to new and renewing clubs and a full list of club affiliation benefits can be found here:
- Licensed Clubs £29
- Unlicensed Clubs £50
- School and College Affiliation £40
In order to affiliate as a licensed club you must have a BWL licensed coach operating in all of your club sessions (see details of the coach license procedure above). If you have not completed this process you should affiliate as an unlicensed club. Full details are available on the front page of the online affiliation form:
https://eventdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=RegisterAdd1&EventDesqID=832&OrgID=5395
On behalf of British Weight Lifting (BWL), Perkins Slade arranges bespoke civil liability insurance for individual members, clubs and coaches directly affiliated to the association.
This cover protects you whilst taking part in all weightlifting-related activities within BWL clubs, events and competitions.
In addition, professional indemnity cover can be provided for named instructors who are coaching weight lifting away from British Weigh Lifting environments. This is a significantly reduced fee for BWL Licensed Coaches.
Full details of BWL insurance cover is available here:
http://www.britishweightlifting.org/courses-a-coaching/insurance
