Lincoln backing young sports talent

Lincoln has backed the Canterbury Sport and Recreation Awards for nearly 20 years and is sponsoring the Outstanding Youth category in 2023 to recognise young talent, which fits well with the university's Sports Scholarship Programme and Sport and Recreation specialisation.

This year's nominees include a top beach volleyball duo, a Commonwealth Games gymnast, a champion amateur golfer, a world class para swimmer, and a young race-walker who is just hitting his stride.

Taylah Holdem and Rosa Vesty qualified for the U19 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Turkey after placing fifth at the Asian Champs, Paris Chin made the trip to Birmingham for the Games, Kazuma Kobori claimed the Australian Amateur title, Gabrielle Smith went to the world para-swimming champs, and Jonah Cropp came third in the Oceania champs in the 5km walk.

Helping to support the start of young people's sporting journeys is important for Lincoln.

As students move into tertiary study and seek to pursue their sporting dreams while growing their futures with Lincoln qualifications, they are supported by the university's Sports Scholarships.

As well as financial assistance, they offer top coaching through partnerships with the province's sports codes in rugby, netball, hockey, cricket, basketball and rowing, while athletes from a range of individual sports, including curling and lacrosse, are nurtured with mental coaching and conditioning and diet advice.

There's no kicking for touch, as Lincoln is committed to producing elite athletes capable of scoring their life goals, on and off the field.

Lincoln also shares the values of Sport Canterbury in its Balance is Better philosophy, "to ensure the sport system provides opportunities for all tamariki and rangatahi (young people aged 5-18) to positively experience the benefits of sport participation and to realise their potential".

While Lincoln nurtures high performance sport, it also emphasises social sport and participation, with organised events such as volleyball on campus, support for lower grade teams in competitions, inter-university games, and extolling the value students can gain from forging friendships through sport, as well as the physical benefits.

The annual Canterbury Sport and Recreation Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our proud sporting and recreation community, of which Lincoln is an integral part, with its history of competing at the top level in local competitions.

Lincoln also has a track record of producing All Blacks, Black Ferns, Black Sticks, Black Caps, White Ferns, Tall Ferns and many other national and provincial representatives. The university's Sport and Recreation Management graduates also fill invaluable sports management roles throughout the sector.

This year, 128 nominations have been received across 55 organisations and codes for the awards, which will be celebrated at the Wigram Air Force Museum on Friday 28 April.