UTS Argentina Team up with Freemen’s School for Sports Day Event at Pareyra Park

Most Sundays are rather laid back at UTS Argentina, but not this one. Sunday 14th August 2016 marked a very special day for us and our visitors. United Though Sport joined forces with City of London Freemen’s School from Ashtead in Surrey (UK), to host a sports day event for local children from our grassroots projects. With the help of over 50 young, enthusiastic, vibrant coaches, we were able to show our local kids new and exciting ways to train, learn and play. Sessions consisted of a mixture of skill drills and strategic training but most of all; an emphasis on fun! The event was an excellent chance for cultural exchange, most of our children having never met ‘Brits’ before and our visitors working with Argentinean children for the first time, it was a great opportunity to meet, play and speak with so many people of different backgrounds and experiences. 

The day started at 9:30am. After arrivals and introductions, we split into smaller groups for brief ice-breaker activities. Our visiting coaches were students of 16-18 years old  The majority of them had started playing rugby and hockey around the ages of 8-10 years, similar ages to our kids at the park.

The Freemen’s coaches set up a range of innovative drills focusing on: technique, speed, power, strategic plays and intuition. New training methods and techniques for our local players and coaches to learn from and reuse. 

To end the day, our visitors were introduced to a taste of Buenos Aires culture! As UTS Argentina’s 8-man squad of young stars took on waves of 8-man Freemen’s teams in a Football tournament before a traditional Argentinian barbecue!   

United Through Sport would like to once again thank London Freemen’s School and its students for taking the time to join us to make the experience so enjoyable and successful; Botines Solidarios for provision of equipment and organisation of the event; Pareyra Park for use of the grounds and all the children and their families for coming out on Sunday morning to participate and support the event.

The World’s Strongest Marathon – Ross Edgley

When the clock strikes midnight on the 22nd of January I (Ross Edgley) will step foot on Silverstone race circuit ― with whey protein shake in hand ― and attempt to pull a 1,400kg MINI Countryman 26.2 miles in an event the media is calling, “The World’s Strongest Marathon”. Why? The short answer is to raise money and awareness for United Through Sport.

But the actual answer perhaps needs more elaboration on. Which is why I’ve put pen to paper to write this Blog post that begins with a brief back-story.

It was morning, Aug. 1, 2002, on the sun-bleached African plains of Namibia.

I’m 21 and have been tasked with documenting the life of the San Bushmen. A hunter-gatherer civilization who were no doubt wondering what the strange Englishmen was doing in their village. If I’m honest I don’t blame them either. I was completely out of my depth.

That’s because bright eyed and straight out of university I’d become this odd writer-athlete hybrid that had developed a reputation for accepting even the weirdest of assignments. Which is why I find myself emerging from a mud hut wearing nothing but a smile, homemade flip-flops and a traditional ‘tribal thong’ that barely covers my modesty.

Eager to earn their acceptance it worked. Never before had my bare buttocks received such rapturous applause as I was invited to sit among the men of the tribe.

However my victory was short lived. Handicapped by the language barrier it seemed once the novelty of my semi-displayed cheeks had worn off there was very little else to do. Without any means of communicating I had no way of developing rapport with my hosts.

Needless to say I wasn’t doing a great job as a writer or a San Bushmen.

What seemed like hours of silence passed until eventually I was saved by a moment of inspiration. I remembered the immortal words of Sebastian Coe ― former Olympic Gold Medallist ― that were engraved on a giant plaque in my University library.

“Sport is a universal language; building more bridges between people than anything else”

Politely excusing myself from the group I returned to the hut. Frantically searched for the semi-inflated football I’d kept in my luggage. Then returned to nervously present it to the tribe. Not a word was spoken. It didn’t need to be. We marked out some goals, picked teams and an impromptu match ensued.

Mr. Coe was right. For the rest of the week ― and for the rest of the life ― when in doubt I whipped out a ball, marked out a pitch and played sport. It’s never failed me. In the words of the Olympic Games founder Pierre Baron de Coubertin “The Olympic Spirit is neither the property of one race nor of one age.”

But it was experiences like this that taught me everyone loved sport. Everyone loved playing it. Everyone loved watching it. Everyone understood the value of it. Sport is an unwritten language understood by all.

Which is why I truly believe the work of United Through Sport is of profound importance! Which (coming back to the initial reason for this article) is why I decided to:

  1. Create a Virgin Money Fundraising Page
  2. Plan an insane stunt to capture people’s attention
  3. Use my small presence in the media to promote it

If at the end of the above ‘to do list’ myself and THE PROTEIN WORKS™ raise enough money and awareness for charity I will consider every blister, rope burn and painful step taken not in vain.

The sheer scale of the World’s Strongest Marathon has been captured in the below infographic by Watches of Wales Head Graphic Designer Shaun Preece:

World's Strongest Marathon - Infographic

Global Gathering on River Thames Boat

Last night saw the coming together of nations as United Through Sport threw its annual reunion party. Past volunteers and members of the United Through Sport family flew in from all corners of the world to mark almost 12 years of work. The evenings format took shape on board the Jewel of London, a cruise boat that rocked out some pumping tunes and took us on a four hour journey up the River Thames. Timed nicely with bonfire night, guests were additionally provided with a spectacular fireworks display near Hammersmith bridge.

The evening was an important opportunity to recognise all the work that is going on in the various countries where United Through Sport operate and the many people that have contributed to the charity in the form of volunteering abroad or through generous financial giving. Many of our volunteers had the opportunity to hook up with old friends who they have shared overseas coaching work with, reminding them that they are important ambassadors for the organisation to take our message back to their communities at work or university.

Thanks to all that came and made it a great night. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Marathon completed in 35 degree hit

There are a few things on this planet that most sensible people would never contemplate doing. However, for a minute group of others, the challenge of pushing yourself mentally and physically to the limit, seems well worth the effort.

Take the Petra Desert Marathon, a challenging adventure marathon set in the beautiful desert region of Jordan. Starting in the ancient city of Petra, the route takes runners on a remarkable journey through the area surrounding Petra. From the lunar-like mountain landscape to the arid desert, runners navigate challenging terrain in the dry, desert heat… 35 degree plus!

Mark Swaine, along with his brother, put themselves through this crueling challenge recently and also decided to support United Through Sport in the process. In Mark’s own words:

“After a groggy start at the hotel, the group met in the Petra Visitor Centre for a wondrous walk down through the narrow Siq gorge, before it cleared to reveal one of the seven wonders of the world, resplendent in the empty morning mist.

There was only a few minutes to take it all in before a controlled start through the archaeological sight then hitting some steep hills to wake up our legs. Bedouin tribes littered the desert and looked on in mild confusion at these maniacs running through their desert on sandy tracks that wove up and around the red rocks and sand. The scenery was spectacular, and due to only 50 or so runners, was also tranquil enough to really enjoy.

The enjoyment ceased at 31km where the biggest hill I’ve ever been up by my own steam, beckoned in the 35 degree heat; 450m up over about 3 kilometres. My legs couldn’t even run initially when I got to the top. I scrambled down the loose rock path before getting to a village, and hobbling my way through to the finish. A joint 7th place with my brother, and an end to an astonishing and once-in-a-lifetime experience!”

A huge thanks goes out to Mark for his mighty effort in getting to the finish line and showing us he is one tough mudder with a compassion to help others less fortunate.

If the Petra Desert Marathon interests you for next year (3rd Sep 2016) then check out their website here.

Alternatively, check out our fundraising page if you would like to take on another charity challenge in aid of United Through Sport by clicking here

London Marathon run for United Through Sport

Will Hurl and Mark Cooling have completed the London Marathon in support of United Through Sport. Both completed the run in good times. Mark ran in 3 hours and 4 minutes, with Will not far behind in 3 hours and 30, both more than respectable times.

We would like to show our sincerest gratitude to these two men for their support. Furthermore, we would like to wish Will luck on his Sports Management placement in Ghana with United Through Sport, which he will be embarking on later this year.

BIBA South Wales Regional Golf Day

United Through Sport recently became the nominated charity of the South Wales British Insurance Broker’s Association (BIBA), nominated by Chairman Sue Davidge. BIBA is an intermediary organisation representing the interests of Insurance Brokers and is the largest of it’s kind in the UK.

April 17th marked the region’s first Golf Day which included thirteen teams from across South Wales. The rain held off and the day was enjoyed by all. Not only was there an excellent turn-out, but over £700 was raised for United Through Sport.

We would like to thank Sue and everyone else at BIBA for their ongoing support.

 

Sportshack 24 Hour Radio Broadcast for United Through Sport

United Through Sport wishes to thank Tom Brown and Will Chamberlin of Royal Holloway University of London, hosts of the Sportshack on 103.2 fm. The guys recently hosted a 24 hour marathon broadcast in aid of United Through Sport.

During the show, the lads also ran a full marathon each, a truly remarkable achievement. The show was a great success, raising an incredible amount of £1379. The guys crossed the finish-line after a full day of broadcasting to the fitting tune of the Queen classic “We are the Champions”.

From everyone at United Through Sport, thank you for support.

Alex Runs the Paris Marathon

Alex Carlton-Porter, Director of PTL Sports, has completed the Paris Marathon for United Through Sport.

Alex was initially a little nervous about running such a great distance, stating on his fundraising page “bearing in mind the furthest I have ever run is 10K, this will undoubtedly be a very painful and unenjoyable event. However it is all for a good cause.”

“Painful and unenjoyable” as it may have been, Alex came up with the goods!

Completing the 26 miles 385 yard course in 4 hours and 59 minutes, he managed to raise just over £600 for United Through Sport. Alex and his company PTL Sports have supported United Through Sport for many years and it is a support that we are truly grateful to have.

We are always on the look out for people to represent us on stages such as this, raising both funds and awareness for United Through Sport. For more information about how you can get involved check out our fundraising section here.

Military Batallion raises funds for United Through Sport

£1000 was raised in memory of LCpl Oliver Thomas who was sadly killed in Afghanistan last year. United Through Sport were invited to the memorial evening which was held on the 12th of February, where Trustee David Burton was presented with a cheque.

We would like to thank the Men and Women of 3MI Battalion for raising this money for United Through Sport.

We would also like to thank Olympic Gold Medal Winning Canoeist Etienne Stott who was on hand to lend his support. We wish him all the best of luck with his preparation for competition at the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.

Dutch Volunteers Donate Kit

After ending 2014 completely satisfied with the amazing job our volunteers did in the projects in which they were coaching and training during the year, we didn’t expect anything less from 2015.

At the beginning of January we received the first group of volunteers from United Through Sport, Netherlands. Anniek, Carmen, Esmée, Lot and Marjolein on a 4 week hockey program and Remco on a 5 week football program. Their programmes were a little bit different from the ones we are used to during the year. They were about to start coaching at summer camps in different places across Buenos Aires City.

The summer camps are free for all the kids that belong to a lower class family. They spent the day at the summer camp, or as we call them “colonias” with their parents having to work hard for a better future for their kids.

So, we start 2015 with a challenging new program: a new group of volunteers working in a different area that we aren’t used to.

Week after week the volunteers from Netherlands showed how committed they were to their job as coaches. From the little kids to the youngsters, they develop a nice relation and make them enjoy every moment learning more about hockey and football.

End of January came and their projects were about to finish, but they couldn’t leave without giving United Through Sport, Argentina a big surprise. They donated more than 15 hockey sticks, balls (hockey balls and footballs), bags and sport shirts to be used by future volunteers.

United Through Sport Staff want to congratulate and thank Anniek, Carmen, Esmée, Lot, Marjolein and Remco for a great job, all the nice memories they left in the kids at the summer camps and the useful equipment they donated for the future volunteers arriving.