'Living the Dream' - Our National Champions
Barking and Dagenham are proud to have a number of athletes competing at international level. Their outstanding profiles are highlighted on this page, all have the potential to get to the top. Since the trusts formation these and other athletes have been awarded grants. This has enabled vital equipment to be purchased as well as providing opportunities for several to attend specialised training camps to enhance their talent.
Frankie is 19 years old and currently studying a BA Hons in P.E and Sport at the University of Greenwich.
He is a member of the Junior Under 20 Men's Great Britain Team and competes in the under 90kg category and currently ranked 3rd in the country.
After spending majority of the 2007 year out with injury, it was not until mid 2008 where he was back to full competitive fitness.
Frankie's first major competition back was the UK School Games held in Bath and Bristol where he represented England gaining a bronze medal at this event.?
Other events he competed at include:
- October 2008: Flanders Cup, Senior Comp (Belgium) - Bronze
- October 2008: National Age Banded Championships - Bronze
- January 2009: Under 20 Junior Great Britain Team Trials - Bronze
- February 2009: Midland Under 20 Ranking Event - Bronze
Bonne is 20 years of age and started throwing the javelin at the age of 14 after being introduced to the event at school and it soon became a very passionate hobby.?
Bonne trains at Enfield and Haringey Athletics Club and also Havering Mayesbrook Athletic Club.?
What he enjoys most about his sport is the sense of freedom throwing the javelin gives him, also the physical aspect because of it being very complex. The challenge of learning new techniques is also another enjoyment for him.?
Listed below are some of the titles and accolades Bonne has held:
- Amateur Athletic Association of England's Champion 2004, 2005 and 2008
- Essex Champion 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
- English Schools Senior Champion 2007 and 2008
- South of England Under 17 champion 2005, Under 20 Champion 2007
- South of England Under 17 champion 2008 (championship record of 67.14m)
- Won the UK School Games in 2006
- Ranked number 1 in the UK in 2008 as a second year in the U20 Age Group
Even though Bonne had injuries he still managed to finish 2009 ranked third in the under 23 age group.?
His dream and ambition is to walk into the Olympic Stadium in 2012 wearing a Great Britain track suit. He also dreams of representing England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
A typical day for Bonne is training 2 times in the gym and 3 times on the track.
Lucy Sargent is a 21 year old athlete and competes in the 100m and 200m. She is ranked equal 1st in under 23 women 200m in Britain. Plus she is 3rd in under 23 women 100m in Britain.?
Lucy trains at Havering Mayesbrook Athletics Club and is coached by Trevor Marsay and Ann Sargent.
Lucy got into her athletics through her sister who belonged to the club and her mum has competed twice in the Olympic Games!
Recent results include:?
14 February 2010 (World Trials and UK Championships)
Lucy competed in her first National Senior Championships in Sheffield. She was 3rd in her heat, missing the final by 7/100ths! This was her fastest time of 2010 so far (24.40). At the same championships Lucy also achieved a time of 24.60 coming 1st.
7 February 2010
Birmingham Games - 200m
2nd - 24.61, 24.45 - 1st 25.10?
31 January 2010
London Games - 60m 6th (7.74), 60m 4th (7.76)?
30 January 2010
London Games - 200m 1st (24.81), Long Jump 2nd (5.66m)?
18-19 July 2009
At the championships she qualified for the 200m final which was very tough competition, but she managed to smash her personal best and ran 23.57 in the semis.
Lucy also ran faster than any other British athlete there and she is now ranked equal 1st for under 23's in Britain for 200m. In the final Lucy was put in the very tough lane 1 however she was pleased and surprised to even make the final and was placed 8th.?
The day after the 200m was the 4x100m relay, where Lucy ran leg 3 and the team were ranked 6th going into the championships and in the heat we placed 2nd with 44.37 seconds. The final was delayed for 2 hours as there was a dispute over the French team.?
But in the final their changeovers were perfect and they were thrilled to win. The team gained a time of 43.89 which is the 2nd fasted time ever for an under 23 British team. It is also under the qualifying standard for the World Senior Championships. Lucy and the team were a little surprised but extremely pleased!?
The week after the championships Lucy was asked to race in the 4x100 Great Britain Senior Relay Team at the Crystal Palace Grand Prix (24 July 2009).?
This is her first international as a senior and the whole event was a great experience.?
27-28 June 2009
Competed at the England under 23 championships where she was placed 2nd in both the 100m and 200m gaining another season's best time in the 100m of 11.71. In the 200m Lucy gained a new personal best 23.76 (previous personal best was achieved back in 2005).?
The day after the England Championships Lucy got a phone call to inform her she had been selected to represent Great Britain in the European Under 23 Championships in Lithuania for the 200m and the 4x100m.?
20-21 May 2009
Competed in the south of England senior championships in Watford. She was placed 2nd in both the 100m and 200m and ran the fastest times she has run for 4 years (11.78 and 23.99).?
Lucy has to fit in training with university studies and she also has a part time job in London to help pay for all her expenses, like travelling, competing and training etc. She has to watch her weight but still loves all sort of chocolate!?
Lucy ultimate goal is to compete in London 2012 and also in the Olympics in 2016 and compete for Great Britain as a senior.
Rebecca?is 16 years old from the borough and competes in archery.
Rebecca trains at Abbey Bowmen and got into archery through a have a god archery session at a Living History Day organised by the National Trust.
Rebecca loves competition, preferably winning. She loves archery as is a great way to meet new people when competing across the country.?
Rebecca is ranked 7th in Great Britain, 1st in Essex in the under 18 recurve discipline.?
Recent competitions and achievements include:
A typical day in the life of Rebecca consists of school followed by 1 hour of television. Its then time to tackle the homework followed by shooting either at the club or in the garden.?
Friday is Rebecca's only night off. She shoots every Sunday and most Saturdays in competitions or at the club. She attends the gym usually at school during lunchtime but occasionally goes to the Romford YMCA after school when bad weather prevents her from shooting outdoors.?
She is entering her final GCSE year and has a fully booked competition diary.?
Rebecca true goal is to represent Great Britain at the Olympics and England in the Common Wealth Games.
Craig is now 24 years old and has been an elite swimmer for many years and is a valuable member of the Great Britain Learning Disability swim team.?
He trains 10 times a week with the London Borough of Redbridge swim team and goes to the gym at least 4 times.?
Craig has an impressive portfolio of medals and titles:
He has travelled to Hong Kong, Sweden, Hungary and the Czech Republic to compete.?
At the learning disability national short course swimming championships held at Ponds Forge Sheffield in August, Craig had 8 races winning gold in the 200m and 400m freestyle also gold in the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly. Plus silver in the 50m and 100m freestyle as well as the 200m Individual medley.?
Craig has recently competed at the Slovakian cup, he came home with an array of medals including:
To top a good weekend Craig was also awarded the trophy for top male performance following this great performance and his 6 gold and 4 silver medals at the Learning Disability Nationals.?
Short course (25 metre pool) titles
Long Course (50 metre pool) titles
Reece is now 20 years of age and has been competing in Karate events since the age of 9.?
He trains at the Hanko-Ryu Karate Do and got into the sport through watching the film 'The Karate Kid'.?
The enjoyment that Reece gets from his sport is to travel, compete in International events and improve his performances and position/profile on the world stage.
Below are Reece's competition results for 2010:
2009 Competitions:
Reece's dreams and ambitions are to become European and World Champion.?
A normal week for Reece is:
Anthony is currently training very hard for the forthcoming competitions. He trains 32 hours a week at South Essex Gymnastics Club in Basildon.?
His recent competitions have been tough as he has been competing in the adult age category. In the last competition there was no under 18's therefore Anthony was competing in the open section along with Lewis Smith the Pommel Bronze Medal Winner at the 2008 Olympics Games.?
Anthony was thrilled to receive confirmation of inclusion into the British national squad.?
As from January 2009, we have been informed that due to Anthony's success over the last year and his continued commitment towards gymnastics he is being considered for national top junior squad, depending on his scores from the London Open.?
The top junior squad consists of the top 7 elite gymnasts from Great Britain Junior.
Kike is 16 years old and started throwing at the age of 13 as a first year U15, which she only achieved 30.57m and ranked 21st in the UK.?
She is now ranked 2nd as an Under 17, 5th as an Under 20, 18th overall and 5th all time Under 17.
Recent Competitions
Kike got into athletics and her discipline javelin through her school and she trains at Havering Mayesbrook Athletics Club.?
Kike enjoys the success that comes with competing and the whole experience of training and getting good results from it.?
She also likes travelling to different places and being able to socialise with other athletes from around the UK and world.?
A typical week for Kike includes going to school and lots of homework for her A Levels plus 4 hard training sessions at Havering Mayesbrook Athletics Club.?
As well as having a successful year with her chosen Kike also achieved fantastic results in her GCSE's including 8 A*'s and 3 A's.?
It is Kike's dream and ambition to represent Great Britain one day and to win an Olympic and World Champion medals.
Kelsey is 15 years old and has been swimming competitively for 5 years to National Standard. Kelsey trains between 16 - 18 hrs per week.?
Currently Kelsey is the overall 15 year old girl Essex County Amateur Swimming Association Champion, having won 8 individual gold medals, 1 silver and 5 bronze at the 2009 Championships. She also holds the Essex Age Group Event Best Time in the 800m Freestyle for 14 year old girls.
In November 2008 she competed in the London Region Winter Championships and is the current Junior (16 and under) and Senior (17+) champion in the 200m Butterfly and 800m Freestyle and the Junior champion in the 400m Freestyle.?
Kelsey achieved 2 National Qualifying times last season. She is currently ranked 13th in the UK for the 100m individual medley, 14th for 800m and 1500m front crawl and 18th for 200m front crawl.?
She has also won numerous top girl trophies throughout the season for overall performances at galas.?
Kelsey is currently one of the athletes selected for the Level 2 England Talent Development Program due to her performance in this year's National Championships. She has also been selected for a new squad 'Ortus Londinium' which has been made up of all the top 20 nationally ranked athletes in east London and Essex.?
She continues to train hard and is looking forward to the National Championships later on this season. Kelsey currently supports her local borough in both swimming and aquathlon at the London Youth Games.?
Her long term ambition is to be selected for the 2012 Great Britain Olympic squad.
Leanne is 22 years of age and graduated from London South Bank University last year.
Leanne is now the under 23 national marathon champion and was invite to be part of the GB squad.
Her results have improved consistently over the season:?
2010
April, Nottingham Results:
Other results:
2009
September, Nottingham Results:
June, Nottingham Results:
May, Nottingham Results:
April, Nottingham Results:
Leanne has represented the borough on numerous occasions at the London Youth Games, at National Level and England and Great Britain at International level winning numerous medals and trophies along the way.?
When she was 8 she started sailing at Mayesbrook Park and saw people kayaking and decided to give it a go. She took a liking to it and was told she was a natural and since then has perused this discipline as a major part of her life.?
Leanne really enjoys her sport as she loves being outdoors and keeping fit. She is a competitive person and likes to win so competing in her sport enables her to do this.?
Her ambition is to compete at the London 2012 Games.
Ben is 21 and competes in flat water canoe racing. He trains in Barking and Norwich and got into the sport during his school holidays when he attended the Mayesbrook Lake summer sessions.
Ben is currently ranked 2nd nationally in the under 23 men's marathon K1 discipline.?
Ben loves to compete as much as possible and his sport gives him the opportunity to travel.
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Recent achievements include:
Ben's main ambition is to compete at the Marathon World Championships next year and to be wearing GB kit at the Olympic Games.
Jake is 17 years old and a member of Romford Town Swimming Club. He became really interested in swimming when his parents took him for lessons.
What he loves most about swimming is the sheer excitement of racing at galas and competitions.?
Jake is ranked 1st in 100m breast stroke in Essex and ranked 139 nationally in 200m breast stroke.?
Recently Jake has won 3 cups in the Essex Senior and Junior Swimming Gala and won a gold medal in the 100m breast stroke.?
Jake was proud to have been selected to swim with the clubs relay team at nationals.?
He is a dedicated sportsman and trains 8 to 9 sessions a week, but days are long with swimming and college to juggle.?
Jake's ambition is to make the nationals for 100m and 200m breast stroke.
Chris is a 17 year old swimmer who is nationally ranked 6th in 200m butterfly and 11th in 100m butterfly.?
Chris got into swimming through his dad and was then recognised by a swimming teacher who suggested a swimming club!?
Chris is a member of the London Borough of Redbridge Club.
He loves swimming and in particular likes the sense of achievement it brings plus he has great friends though his sport.?
Recent competitions and result are as follows:?
Nationals
UK School Games
Regions
County
A typical day for Chris involves an early morning wake up 4.45am. He has a quick bite to eat and a drink and leaves the house by 5.15am and then it's straight to the swimming pool for 5.45am.
He trains for 1hour 30 minutes and gets out at 7.15am just in time for a quick breakfast before school.?
After school Chris gets home for a light pre-training snack and fits in as much coursework/homework possible before he leaves to go back to the swimming pool for 5pm to do 1 hour's worth of gym training, followed by a 2 hour swim.?
He goes back home for dinner and then goes to bed ready for the next day.?
Chris ambition?is to make the GB development team, also to improve on his placing at national events, and to do well at the British Championships.?
His ultimate dream is to make the GB swimming team and to go and compete internationally with the GB team to represent his country and hopefully make the Olympics.
Bobbie-Ann Morgan is a 17 year old rower from the borough and is trained by Gary Annis at the Royal Docks Rowing Club.?
Bobbie-Ann got involved in rowing by chance, she was lucky enough to be walking her dog along the Dockside when the club were boating.?
She thought it looked fun and would be interesting in trying something new, so she asked about trying it and that's how it all began.
Bobbie-Ann loves everything about rowing and she is so glad to be involved in this exhilarating sport, because the feeling she gets from just taking part is great but winning is amazing!?
Each session leaves her happy that she has worked hard and feeling good physically and mentally.?
Recent achievements include:
Typical day in the life of Bobbie-Ann involves school, she attends Jo Richardson 6th form where she is studying 4 A-Levels.?
After school she gets home to get as much school work done as possible and has a meal. She then goes training from 6pm - 8pm and after that completes her school work.?
She tries to keep weekends free from school work so she can spend more time training which is usually 8am - 12 noon. In the afternoon she relaxes with the family and watches the Daggers! Or she plays oboe or her keyboard as Bobbie-Ann is not only a keen sportswoman she is also a musician.?
Her ambition is to achieve the best and take herself to the highest level possible. She aims to do well in all the races this season such as the Ball Cup at Dorney Lake where the 2012 Olympic rowing is going to be held.?
This is a fantastic regatta and Bobbie-Ann aims to get a podium finish!
Hayley is a 15 year old judo player who is ranked GB number one in both cadet (under?17's) and juniors (under 20's).
Hayley Willis is a 15 year old girl who lives in Dagenham where she is a pupil at the Jo Richardson Community school. She belongs to three local clubs, Ford Judo Club, Redbridge Judo Club and Stratford Judo Club.
Hayley works extremely hard at both judo and school work and has a lot of success over the year. Not only does she continue to achieve outstanding results throughout her judo career, Hayley is also an excellent student expecting all A/B's in her GCSE's. She is also a gifted and talented student at the school.
She has a devotion to the sport and dedicates 6 days a week to training both judo specific and fitness training. After starting judo at the age of 5, Hayley has exceeded most expectations and become a serious fighter and a likely candidate for many future GB representations and even future Olympic Games.
Her achievements this year alone have made her number one in both cadet (under 17's) and juniors (under 20's) at the age of 15!
Hayley's recent achievements include:
Hayley has also been selected for the cadet European Championships and The Youth Olympics which was her main goal after last year. She will represent Great Britain once again after defeating her rival opponents in the British trials.
Results in 2011
Results in 2010
Hayley's hard work and dedication is often noticed by many of the GB squad managers and she has impressed big names this year on the circuit with her vast and consistent medal tally for the year so far.
With a full training programme Hayley still manages to find time to help and support other younger children at the club.
Hayley's ambition and dream is to become an Olympian representing Great Britain.
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Chloe is a 21 year old who competes in Olympic freestyle wrestling. She is currently English Senior Champion.?
She started when she was scouted at a multi-sports event in London in August 2007. She was asked to try out the sport and found that she was talented at it and decided to train hard and get to 2012 and win gold!
What Chloe most loves about her sport is winning! She loves to see hard work and training pay off and likes to meet lots of people!
Her recent rankings and titles are detailed below:
Chloe currently trains 2 times a day, in the mornings she does 1 hour of training mainly cardio exercises and then in the evening she mainly does intense cardio and technique exercises.?
An example of a typical week is:
Monday -?Weight lifting session (morning), 1 hour gym, 1.5 hours wrestling, 1 hour swimming (evening) Tuesday - Sprints (morning), shot put training, sprints and weights (evening)? Wednesday - Wrestling training or competition Thursday - Plyometrics training (morning), 1 hour gym, 1.5 hours wrestling, 1 hour swimming (evening) Friday - Weight training session and wrestling (morning or evening) Saturday - 4 hour wrestling session Sunday - Rest or competition
(This will vary depending on which coaches are available and competitions)?
Chloe has recently studied sports and science at Brunel University.?
Chloe's dream is to compete in the London 2012 Olympics and be world champion and a gold medalist!
Lindsey is 20 years old and from the borough. She is 3 times National Champion and once British Champion.?
Lindsey is just coming back after an injury so has not been competing recently.?
She got into judo through friends and trains at Camberly Judo Club in Surrey. She like fighting, but in a controlled environment, and finds this disciplined sport helps keep her focused and fit.?
A typical day for Lindsey when in the peak of her training is to get up early for a run then an hour's break for breakfast. Its then time for go to the gym for 2 hours followed by a break for lunch.?
For the next 2-3 hours she then goes back on the judo mat to work on her postures and throws, then another break till about 8pm then back on the judo mat for fighting until 10.30pm.?
Her ultimate dream is to go to 2012 Olympics to represent her country and be an Olympic champion!
Dean is an 18 year old swimmer who is trained by Paul Robbins with the London Borough of Redbridge Swimming Club.?
Dean is ranked within the top 10 nationally and within the time he has been swimming competitively he has gained over a thousand titles. He has recently competed internationally in Luxembourg and will compete later in the year in France.
Dean started swimming through borough learn-to-swim sessions at Dagenham Swimming Pool, he was told he had a natural gift and encouraged to join a competitive swimming club.?
He enjoys everything about swimming but especially racing at top class events like the British Gas National Championships, which is where he is able to race the best swimmers in Great Britain and justify his national ranking in his best events. Dean fully enjoys winning races and being named the fastest as it's an amazing feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction.?
In 2009 Dean set a new county record in the Mens 100m Individual Medley, in a time of 59.61 seconds which ranks him 6th nationally.
Dean's recently competed at the Cambridge Open Meet on 16-17 January 2010 his results included:
A day in the life starts early at 4.50am when Dean gets up and eats a light snack and packs his bag before training at Fullwell Cross Swimming Pool at 5.30am until 7.30am. He eats breakfast at 8.15am before leaving for college where he studies an Association of Accounting Technicians Accounting course.
After college it's back to the pool (either Fullwell Cross or Caterham School) for a further 2-2? hour session then home for dinner, college work and bed.?
This routine is repeated every week day, except Tuesday evening and Saturday morning when he swims at Crystal Palace for the England Talent Beacon Training Programme for 2-2? hour session with the best swimmers in the London region.?
Dean's goal is to compete with and be the best in the world. A specific ambition is to represent Great Britain and the GB team in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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Kelly is 15 years old and is a competitive judo player who is a member of Ford Judo Club. She is ranked 2nd in Great Britain in the under 52kg weight category.
Kelly loves judo as it's fun and sociable, she enjoys this discipline of self defence and likes traveling abroad for competitions and training.? She began judo early at just 5 years old.?
Kelly fought in the British National Championships in October 2010 where she gained a silver medal in the under 52kg weight category.?
Kelly's 2010 results after returning from injury late in 2009 are as follows:
2009
A typical schedule for Kelly is a busy one, she goes to school, trains hard and competes!?
Her ambition and goal is to win the Europeans and hopefully go to the Olympics.
Ranked in the top 40 in her age group in the UK and number?one in Essex.?
Brooke plays in the?county team u14 and is training?five days a week at Redbridge Academy.
She played in?her 1st European tournament in December 2010.
Athletics Javelin
David is 17 years old and plays for Lee Valley Ice Hockey Team and Liberators Roller Hockey Team.?
David got into hockey when he use to go to the ice rink with his friends and enjoyed watching the sport.?
What he loves about hockey is being part of a team, and experiencing the highs and lows, fitness and adrenaline are what keeps him going in this sport which he has come to love.
David is currently ranked at junior national level and is currently training with the senior men's team preparing to enter into a semi professional level.?
He is currently captain for Lee Valley Lions under 18s ice hockey team and has been nominated the man of the match award in 2 consecutive league ice hockey games.
David was given dream team player for 2008-09 season at roller hockey and his roller team finished 2nd in the league and took a place in the national tournament.?
David's dream would be to play hockey at a professional level, and to hopefully gain his coaching levels and go on to coach a team of his own.?
A typical day for David involves studying to become a plumber, and he also has a part time job, which takes up most of the days during the week. He trains at the gym a few evenings each week, and trains on the ice for a few hours either 2 or 3 evenings each week. He plays in games most weekends.?
When our hockey player does get some time to himself he usually goes out to restaurants or has friends round for movies or X Box evenings.?
David has a healthy diet of vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates, and makes sure that each week he has a treat which is usually chocolate!
Collette is 11 years old comes from the borough and competes at squash. She got into squash by attending an after school club.?
What she enjoys most about playing squash is gaining match experience. She is currently ranked 14 in the UK.
Her recent achievements include:
Her dream is to play for England.
Collette is training 3 times a week.
Stevie is 15 years old and a member of Chelmsford Ice Hockey Club and is currently ranked 4th at under 14s national defenseman level.
Stevie got into hockey through watching his brother and decided he wanted to be like him. What he loves about hockey is being part of a team, learning new things and being pushed to his limits.
His dream is to play for the NHL in America and his ambition is to play professional ice hockey in the UK for an elite league team (British NHL).
Listed below are some of Stevie's recent achievements:
2009/2010
2008/2009
An example of a typical day for Stevie is:
He gets up and has a shower, then eats breakfast (normally cereal and a glass of pure orange juice) and then goes to school, where he takes part in many sports activities including running.
After school he then goes to the gym for an hour and then onto the ice for team training.
This is his schedule for three nights a week and his weekends are taken up with games and tournaments. Stevie also does regional and national training late on Friday evenings.