Team Bath Futures Academy duo earn GB call for Junior European Canoe Sprint Champs
Team Bath Futures Academy athletes Ed Nightingale and Spencer Armstrong have been selected to represent Great Britain at the Junior European Canoe Sprint Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, later this month.
Nightingale, aged 15, and 18-year-old Armstrong will contest the K2 500m after winning the selection race at the National Canoe Sprint Regatta in Nottingham recently.
Both are members of the British Canoeing England National Training Squad and are coached by British Canoeing Coaches Kevin Bowerbank and Trevor Hunter in Melksham and Devizes respectively.
They are also long-standing members of the Team Bath Futures Academy, formerly known as the Talent Development Centre, whose objective is to maximise the potential of athletes aged 11-18 from the South West to progress to elite levels in sport.
As well as receiving lifestyle and psychology support, Futures athletes also have access to training sessions in the Team Bath Elite Gym and jumps & throws hall aimed at developing their speed, agility, strength and power.
Corinne Yorston, Strength & Conditioning Coach with Team Bath Futures Academy, said: “Ed and Spencer are excellent athletes who train extremely hard.
“They have been part of the Futures Academy for a number of years now and it is great to have seen them develop and progress along their pathway to the level they are at now.
“Their attitude and commitment, both within their athletic development sessions and away from the gym, is exceptional. They are great boys to coach and I’m extremely happy for them, they deserve all of the opportunities and success they get.”
The Junior European Championships will take place from June 22-25.
From September, training at the Team Bath Futures Academy will move to a three-term structure and include more workshops in areas such as nutrition and physiotherapy. There will also be regular testing days to track progress more closely and a ‘niggle clinic’ will be introduced to advise on the treatment of injuries.
