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Olympics Countdown: 200 Days to Go to London 2012
Posted 10th January 2012
There are only 200 days to go until the Olympic and Paralympic Games!
To mark the milestone, Hackney Community College welcomed a group of local primary school children to have a shot at a “200 days to go” basketball challenge, in its official London 2012 training facility.
Pupils from St John the Baptist School visited SPACe, the College’s sport and leisure centre, on Monday, where they enjoyed a morning of fun, sporting activity.
The youngsters had a go at shooting 200 hoops on the playing courts, which will be used by athletes and volunteers preparing for the 2012 Games in the upcoming months.
Ex-HCC student and former professional basketball player, Jeff Danchie was on hand to help the children meet their target, along with the College’s Level 3 Sports students.
The pupils were presented with certificates and a special customised trophy for their tremendous effort and achievement.
The activity was co-ordinated as part of the Personal Best initiative, a 2012-inspired primary school athletics programme, run by Hackney Council, to encourage more children to partake in sport.
Jeff, who played for the Plymouth Raiders and is a graduate of HCC’s highly successful Basketball Academy, said: “With the Olympics coming up, there is a huge buzz within the community and it’s great to see the youngsters really excited about it all. The children today had the right attitude and worked well at motivating themselves and each other to achieve their goal. A bit of teamwork really does make the dream work.”
Eight year old Jodie-Mai Davis said: “I really enjoyed doing the basketball challenge. It was lots of fun. I’m also very excited about the Olympics coming to London. I can’t wait to watch the gymnastics.”
HCC Principal Ian Ashman added: “Hackney Community College is absolutely delighted to be playing such an instrumental role in preparing volunteers for the Olympics. Being selected as an official training provider for London 2012 is a strong testament to the excellent facilities we have here at the College. With just 200 days to go, we’re looking forward to helping make this the best Games ever.”
HCC was announced as the official training venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Games last year.
The College will accommodate over 70,000 Games Makers; plus hundreds of athletes, including basketballers, who will train in the professional standard facilities also used by HCC’s renowned Basketball Academy.
The Academy consists of both men and women’s teams, who have won numerous trophies and national titles over the years.
It maintains its phenomenal success by instilling drive and discipline in the players to consistently perform at exceptional standards.
Students train hard alongside their main course of study and are motivated to excel both on and off the court.
Many graduates of the Academy, such as Jeff, go on to play professionally at national and international level.
As well as the Basketball Academy, the College runs sports academies in football, athletics and cricket.
For more information about HCC’s Sport Academies please email academis@hackney.ac.uk or call 020 7613 9586.
