Mhairi Nurthen, a 17 year old member of Westcroft Leisure Centre – operated by Everyone Active in partnership with Sutton Council – has been playing water polo since she was 10 years old. Despite funding cuts from UK Sport, this year Mhairi and her squad were selected to represent Great Britain at the European Games.
A few months after the London 2012 Olympics it was announced that the first ever European Games would take place in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2015. Mhairi was 14 years old at the time and had been on the GB talent programme for a year. She trains between 12 to 16 hours a week and does all her strength and conditioning work at Westcroft Leisure Centre.
In February of 2014, UK Sport withdrew funding from women’s water polo, a heart-breaking announcement for Mhiairi and her team who are so passionate about their sport. Determined to keep the sport going, Mhairi and her squad set about raising £8.5k through cake sales and raffles to fund the European qualification round and training camps. The qualification round was held in Nice, France and the squad came second to the host country, qualifying for Baku.
“London 2012 definitely inspired me. The Team GB kitting out was an amazing experience and representing GB at a multi-sport event at the first ever European Games was a great honour,” says Mhairi of the experience. “My long term goal is to represent GB as a senior and also gain experience playing for a European club. I hope that myself and others will get the opportunity to represent GB at future Olympics, but to do this we need UK Sport to support water polo and women’s team sport.”
Mhairi would not have been able to juggle all of her training and school commitments if it weren’t for the convenience of her membership at Westcroft Leisure Centre. “I can’t thank Everyone Active enough for offering me a place in their Talented Athlete Scheme,” says Mhairi. “The free membership allowed me to put in the training I needed to qualify for the GB squad.” The Talented Athlete Scheme aims to assist young athletes to reach their goals.
“We are very excited by Mhairi’s achievements,” says Jenny Kingston, Community Development Officer for Everyone Active at Westcroft Leisure Centre. Jenny is in charge of the Talented Athlete Scheme and is proud of the programme’s ability to give back to the community. “We can see how hard Mhairi has worked and the outcome she has achieved been outstanding, Everyone Active have been delighted to be able to assist her on her journey.”
Applications for the Talented Athlete Scheme open in February and places are awarded at the end of March. When applying, applicants must detail their major sporting achievements to date as well as sharing their goals for the future, including potential upcoming tournaments and competitions.
To find out more about the Talented Athlete Scheme contact The Phoenix or Westcroft Leisure Centres or visit www.everyoneactive.com.