Life is going swimmingly for lower sixth student Aderyn Lane. Not only has she been awarded the inaugural Notre Dame Sports Scholarship, and been successful in gaining a place on the Diploma in Sporting Excellence through Swim England Water Polo, but she’s also recently become part of the GB Water Polo training squad for the 2021 European Championships in Croatia.
Aderyn started playing junior water polo at the age of 7, but it was when she joined the local league at City of Leeds club aged 12 that her competitive ability really began to show itself. By the age of 13 Aderyn was playing under 14s, under 16s, and had begun to represent Leeds in the adult British Water Polo League women’s competitions around the country. She has won gold, silver and bronze medals at regional and national championships.
While studying for her GCSE’s at Garforth Academy, and balancing other interests such as volunteering at Hope Pastures and as a junior leader with a local brownie pack, Aderyn maintained the six day a week intensive training regime necessary to succeed in adult water polo.
While continuing this training, and in addition to her studies with us, Aderyn will be working towards the Diploma in Sporting Excellence. This programme aims to support athlete development by enhancing knowledge, skills, behaviours and attributes in their sport through the delivery of a series of sport-specific modules designed by Swim England’s staff, culminating in a prestigious, recognised qualification. The programme is being run in partnership with Loughborough College and is fully integrated into the Swim England Talent Pathway. On completion, Aderyn will be awarded 64 UCAS points.
When she became part of Notre Dame’s community - studying A levels in Maths, Physics and Product Design - Aderyn became the first recipient of Notre Dame’s Sports Scholarship. The Scholarship was developed by our Head of PE Mr. Scott Broadley, in partnership with Leeds Trinity University. College Principal Mrs. Justine Barlow said, “The Scholarship is for all students performing at an exceptional sporting level and I am therefore delighted to offer Aderyn a Notre Dame Sports Scholarship. It would be a privilege to have Aderyn represent the College at the ESSA Annual National Water Polo Championships. We would also like to congratulate her on her recent successful trial with the Great British team, and look forward to watching her perform at the 2021 European Championships.”