Saved by sponsorship

Having recently acquired a new sponsor, British judo champion Kelly Edwards, 24, from Telford, is already reaping the benefit.

Proving that sponsors really can make the difference to our country’s athletes, Kelly has just headed off to Mongolia for the Ulaanbaatar Judo Grand Prix, a journey that she would not have been able to make without the financial help recently provided by Schneider Electric of Telford.

 Kelly explained “Unlike some sports that have trials and one off qualifiers, I have to travel around the world to compete in order to gain points that go toward a total required to qualify for the World Championships and Olympic Games. At the start of the year, I was wondering how I was going to be able to travel to all the competitions I need to, then the offer of help from Schneider Electric came along and literally saved me. I was able to plan to return from the European Games in Baku and immediately get on another flight!”

The Commonwealth Games Silver medallist is an exciting prospect for the future but relies on any sponsorship that she can attract to be able to continue competing at the top international level and continue towards her dream of representing her country at the Olympics and bringing home a gold medal for Team GB.

Kelly Edwards at the 2014 European Open cr. Mike Varey

Being a full time athlete who trains 6 days a week at the British Judo Centre of Excellence in Walsall, Kelly has no opportunity to earn income other than sponsorship or speaking engagements. Competing certainly isn’t about prize money for Kelly, as that is minimal, it’s about her passion for the sport, achieving qualification points and ultimately, medals.

If you would like to support Kelly and help her along her journey, you can contact her through her website www.kellyedwardsgb.com

You can follow Kelly on Twitter and via her Facebook page too.

#judo #sponsorship #sportssponsorship 

World Taekwondo Champion Bianca Walkden signs with 17 Management

World Taekwondo Champion Bianca Walkden has signed to be represented by 17 Sports Management.

Bianca became Heavyweight Champion of the World in May, becoming only the second Briton ever to win gold at the World Taekwondo Championships.

The 23-year-old Liverpudlian secured the title in the +73kg category with victory over France's Gwladys Epangue, 31, in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Last year, Bianca won +73kg gold in the European Championships in Baku but this is her first medal at world level.

"I'm the new heavyweight champion of the world and honestly, I'm so happy," she said. "It's unbelievable." New world champion Bianca has overcome two serious knee injuries in the last four years.

"To have had my knee troubles and to come back like this, it is such an emotional win," she said. "It just shows it's all about your head and your heart as well."

Welcome to Team 17 Bianca, we look forward to working with you and sharing in your journey.

Follow us on Twitter @17_Management   @BiancaW_tkd

#taekwondo #worldchampion #sportsmanagement

Kelly heads to the European Games with support from a new sponsor

British judo champion Kelly Edwards, 24, from Telford, is delighted to have a new supporter, in the form of Telford based, Schneider Electric, the local office of the global energy management company.

Having already won a Commonwealth Games Silver medal, Kelly is an exciting prospect but she is totally reliant on sponsorship to be able to continue competing at the top level. It is only by competing internationally that Kelly gains the points required to qualify for the Olympic Games.

The management team at Schneider Electric contacted Kelly following her plea for sponsors earlier in the year and generously offered her some support. Kelly said “I really want to thank the team at Schneider Electric for their support, their generosity means that I can continue to represent my country and my dream of achieving Olympic gold. Without the support of sponsors, I wouldn’t be able to travel to compete in many events and therefore my chances of qualifying for the big tournaments would be lower.”

David Bennett, Vice President, Schneider Electric Ltd said “We were really inspired by the grit and determination when we heard Kelly’s story and wanted to offer our support to help her progress towards her Olympic dream. It’s great to be able to give something back into the local community and we wish her every success.”

Kelly is a full time athlete who trains 5 days a week at the British Judo Centre of Excellence in Walsall and is GB’s No.1 in her weight category. Kelly will shortly be competing at the European Games in Baku and is in training for the 2015 World Championships; she will then be looking ahead to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016.  

If you would like to join Schneider Electric and support Kelly, you can contact her through her website www.kellyedwardsgb.com

Follow us on Twitter @17_Management   @Kel_Edwards1

#Judo #sponsorship #sportssponsorship

An MBE for Jordanne Whiley

Massive congratulations to Jordanne who has been awarded the MBE in the Queens Birthday Honours list for her services to wheelchair tennis.

When the news was announced, Jordanne said; "It is a huge honour to receive an MBE in The Queen's Birthday Honours List, I am truly humbled and very grateful.

It is safe to say I was speechless when I found out the news, and I am rarely speechless! I would like to thank whoever nominated me along side all the people who have supported me throughout my career. A special thanks to my parents and my boyfriend who have always believed in me. 

Whilst this award recognises what I have achieved, I hope that it will give further recognition to wheelchair tennis as a whole, it is a wonderful sport and has given me a great life. I will continue to work hard and be the best that I can so that I can truly live up to this award and inspire others to believe that anything is possible"

Jordanne becomes the second member of Team 17 to be awarded an MBE by The Queen. Hannah Cockroft was awarded the MBE in 2013 for her services to wheelchair racing.

#BirthdayHonours #MBE #WheelchairTennis

Hannah on sprinting in Switzerland and breaking two World Records

Sunday saw the last day of the Swiss Nationals and the last day of competition out in Switzerland. We started with the 200m in the morning, and I was feeling pretty ready to go with more perfect racing conditions. I won the race, just off the PB time I had set just a week before.

4 hours later, we lined up for the 800m, and by this point, the sun was beating down and everyone was well past tired. The boys had all finished racing for the day, so it was lovely to see them still at track side, supporting their team! We pushed on.... Another tactical race, that I decided to try and keep clear of, so I took the pull from the start, aiming for a faster time than those we had previously recorded over the series. There was nothing to save energy for now, so I thought I may as well use up what I had left in the tank! No one really challenged me for the pull and the girls were more than happy to sit behind and let me do the work, up until the sprint finish. I managed to finish in a seasons best time, and finally take my world lead back! So we finished on a high and a race that I was very happy with!

After packing up and three hours sleep, we were back on the plane and on our way home. Big thanks to 17 Sports Management Limited for getting me to the airport in time on the way out and for picking me up on the way back, it was far easier than challenging the tubes with my luggage and on such little sleep!

Considering that I didn't feel 100% ready before we set out to Switzerland, I am SO pleased to have broken 2 world records, taken a world lead and of course, retained my unbeaten title whilst out there.

Also, a BIG well done to the British Athletics Wheelchair Racing team for such an incredibly successful series. Between us, 2 world records were broken, 3 (I think?) European Records were broken and countless PBs fell from almost every racer. A big thanks must also go to coaches Jenni Banks, Job King and Ian Mirfin and of course Dave the physio, for keeping ourselves and our chairs in one piece and for putting up with us all for the 10 days!

Now, I have four more days in the UK, before we fly out to America to compete in the US Nationals and the Fast Cow meet. So, we're hitting it hard in training to make sure I can go faster out there!

Follow me on Twitter @HCDream2012

‬#wheelchairracing #Paralympics #athletics 

Jordanne reflects on Roland Garros

With Yui and I looking to win our sixth consecutive Grand Slam doubles title, it's fair to say that the French Open at Roland Garros didn't quite go to plan....

Having won our Semi Final in straight sets, we came up against second seeds Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot, who we know well, having beaten the Dutch girls in the last four Grand slam finals.

Although we fought hard, we lost the final match 6-7, 6-3, 10-8. Of course we were gutted to lose, particularly as neither of us played as well as we could have done, it was just one of those days where both Yui and I were off our game.

In the singles, I played against World No 2 Jiske Griffioen, I was pleased with the way I played but Jiske just had the edge over me. Being so close has given me great confidence in my singles game for the rest of the season, knowing some of the things I've really been working on are paying off.

Follow me on Twitter @jordannejoyce92

#wheelchairtennis #RolandGarros #FrenchOpen

Four British records for Ben Rowlings.

Wheelchair racer Ben Rowlings (19) had an incredible weekend at the IPC Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland, breaking an astounding four T34 British records. Ben, who is coached by Job King, powered to lifetime bests over 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m. The 19 year old posted a four second personal best over 800m finishing in 1:46.50 while he shaved over half a second off in the 400m crossing the line in 54.52. There were also marginal improvements over both sprint distances for the multiple British record holder finishing the 100m and 200m in 16.74 and 29.07 respectively.

“I’m really happy to break the British records” said Ben, “I knew that I was in good shape but it’s good when it all comes together”. “I know though that I have more inside me and I look forward to going faster” he added.

Ben competes in another two race meetings in Switzerland before the IPC Grand Prix in Italy between 12 and 14 June. "These international competitions are important for me to gain further experience and give myself the best chance of being selected for Team GB in the World Championships in Doha in October and the Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016” said Ben. “Whilst I am lucky enough to have some great sponsors which help fund my racing, it would be wonderful if I could get another sponsor or two to help me meet my training, competition and travel costs, so that I can realise my full potential”.

If anyone is interested in sponsoring Ben, he can be contacted through his website www.benrowlings.com

Follow us on Twitter @17_Management   @BenRowlings

#WheelchairRacing #Athletics #BritishRecord #Paralympics #Sponsorship