Tag Archives: sport

Great Yorkshire Run: special travel offers for runners

It’s the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run this Sunday – and with around 6,000 people taking part, Travel South Yorkshire is reminding local participants to leave the car at home and take advantage of the special public transport offers available to get there.

Travel South Yorkshire and Supertram have partnered with the event again to offer entrants all day travel on the Sheffield tram for £3. The offer is available through a voucher on all race numbers provided to the runners.

Entrants traveling from further afield can take advantage of free parking at  all SYPTE Park & Ride sites in Sheffield for a 12-hour period (0800 until 2000) on Sunday. The offer is available at the Park & Ride locations at Middlewood, Halfway, Nunnery Square and Malin Bridge. As always, free parking continues to be offered at Park & Ride sites at Meadowhall and Valley Centertainment.

Starting on Arundel Gate, the run heads along Penistone Road to Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium, before finally returning to the city centre.

Youngsters can also get involved in the fun with the Bupa Junior & Mini Great Yorkshire Run taking place on the same day, with 1.5k and 2.5k distances to choose from.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive’s Deputy Interim Director General, David Young, said: “We are proud to support this year’s Bupa Great Yorkshire Run and help offer entrants the opportunity to travel around the city as cheaply as possible.

“We hope this will make it easier for runners and their families to get in and out of the city centre by using Park & Ride or leaving the car at home.”

Supertram Managing Director Margaret Kay said: “We hope lots of participants and spectators will use our tram services to get to the race. With road closures affecting traffic, and parking charges now applying on a Sunday, public transport really is the best way to travel. We wish all participants the best of luck for the race.”

Due to essential rail works, buses will replace trams on a section of the Supertram Blue route at Park Grange Road. This will also affect passengers using the Park & Ride site at Halfway. Please allow extra time for your journey if arriving from this side of the city.

  • For more information or to plan your journey visit www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/gyr
  • For more information about the Great Yorkshire Run visit www.greatrun.org/yorkshire

Medal haul for Sheffield’s Special Olympians

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The Sheffield Otters Special Olympic team

The Sheffield Otters Special Olympic team

A team of 30 athletes from Sheffield came home from this year’s Special Olympics National Games in Bath with 44 medals.

The Sheffield Otters, a competitive sports club for people with learning disabilities, formed part of the Yorkshire and Humberside team (alongside the region’s athletics and football teams) which took part in the country’s largest sports event for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

This year’s edition of the games, the ninth in its history, saw more than 1,700 athletes from across the country compete in 12 sports.

The Sheffield Otters swimming team, who compete regularly throughout the region and nationally in the Special Olympics every four years, won five gold, 15 silver and eight bronze medals.

The athletics team came home with five gold, five silver and five bronze medals and the Sheffield Spartans football team won bronze in the 5-a-side competition.

Jayne Thompson, club secretary, said: “We are delighted to return to Sheffield with 44 medals. It was a great effort from the whole team and it makes all the training at Ponds Forge and Hillsborough Leisure Centre worthwhile.

“The Special Olympics is a unique event that provides a life changing and inspirational opportunity for children and adults with learning disabilities to compete in sport at a national level.”

The team held a special event at the Millennium Hall Polish Club in Ecclesall, where The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Vickie Priestley, was in attendance to celebrate the athletes’ achievements.

Taster sessions could unearth talented athletes

Youngsters will be given the chance to try out gymnastics and trampolining for free this Sunday with a trio of taster sessions being held at Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre.

The sessions, which are open to anyone aged 5-18, will take place at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm and feature displays from Senior British Champion Bryony Page, as well as trampoline stars from the gymnastics club.

Paul Greaves, head coach for trampolining at Sheffield International Venues (SIV), said: “I’m passionate about expanding the sport across Sheffield and I hope that the free taster sessions get many youngsters hooked.

“Anyone that is identified as talented will be given the chance to continue their development, placed into our elite squads, and become closely monitored by me and our other trampolining coaches.

“This creates an avenue to the elite tier of the sport for all, even if they have never tried the sport before. I would encourage all youngsters to just give it a go, you never know where it may lead you.

“Sheffield could even produce another Olympic gold medallist.”

Paul has recently been appointed as head coach for trampolining at SIV, and he has aided in the development of some of the country’s finest competitors including Bryony Page, who was crowned Senior British Champion last month at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena.

  • To book a place, or for more information on the free taster sessions, call Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre on 01142839900.
  • For more information about trampolining at SIV visit www.sivltd.com/trampolining.

Trampolining springs into action in Sheffield

A new programme designed for young trampoline gymnasts and potential Olympic athletes has been launched in Sheffield.

A group of budding gymnasts who have taken part in SIV’s new trampolining programme

A group of budding gymnasts who have taken part in SIV’s new trampolining programme

Sheffield International Venues (SIV) has introduced a new trampolining programme to attract hundreds of youngsters to the sport with discounted ‘try to’ sessions and expert coaching.

The ‘try to’ sessions will take place at Concord Sports Centre and Springs Leisure Centre. People of all abilities are encouraged to give trampolining a go at just £2 per session.

Paul Greaves, head coach for trampolining at SIV, said: “We are looking to expand the sport across Sheffield, and I hope that the ‘try to’ sessions get many youngsters hooked on the sport.”

Following on from the discounted sessions, SIV will launch a proficiency scheme which will be dedicated to children’s sporting development.

Paul added: “Anyone that is identified as talented will be placed into our elite squads, and this new scheme will ensure that children’s development is monitored closely by me and our other trampolining coaches.

“This creates an avenue to the elite tier of the sport for all, even if they have never tried the sport before. I would encourage all youngsters to just give it a go, you never know where it may lead you.

“Sheffield could even produce another Olympic gold medallist.”

Paul has recently been appointed as head coach for trampolining at SIV, and he has aided in the development of some of the country’s finest competitors including Bryony Page, who was crowned 2013 Senior British Champion last month at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena.

Trampolining is currently offered across a number of SIV venues, including Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Hillsborough Leisure Centre and Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre.

Existing facilities at Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre are due to be fully revamped within the next two years.

What next?

  • For more information about trampolining at SIV visit www.sivltd.com/trampolining

Crowds treated to exciting finish for cycle race

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Cyclists take to the streets in the Claremont Sheffield Grand Prix. Image: velouk.net

Cyclists take to the streets in the Claremont Sheffield Grand Prix. Image: velouk.net

Sheffield played host to the “best professional cycle race in the country” after the Claremont Sheffield Grand Prix – a major professional cycling event – returned to the city centre on Wednesday night.

The free event saw the final round of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Race Series and also incorporated the Browns British Cycling Women’s National Road Race Series.

Rotherham’s Dean Downing, a professional cyclist with the Madison Genesis team, took the men’s title after a thrilling sprint finish, with Graham Briggs second. Third was British champion (and Dean’s brother), Russell Downing.

Dean Downing commented “I’m a bit stunned that I’ve won…I’ve dreamed of winning the Sheffield Grand Prix since being 14 or 15…to win here in front of my family and friends is a great honour.” Listen to Dean, here:

Kona's Helen Wyman (Image: Andy Jones)

Kona's Helen Wyman (Image: Andy Jones)

In the women’s race, Helen Wyman, Kona won by 17 seconds after breaking free from the peloton in the closing stages. Newly crowned national Circuit Race champion, Hannah Barnes, MG Maxifuel won the bunch sprint for second with Eileen Roe claiming third for her Breast Cancer Care team.

The race took place on a fast 1.4 kilometre city centre circuit, featuring tight corners and a cobbled climb up Norfolk street.

Claremont Hospital Director Andy Davey said, “We were thrilled to lend our support once again as the city played host to world class cycling for the watching public.

“We have treated Dean at Claremont previously when he broke his collar bone and he was back on his cycle within weeks.

“So it was great to see him back at peak fitness and demonstrating that strength of determination and spirit – not to mention for a local lad to take the title at this fantastic event.”

The Claremont Sheffield Grand Prix is run by the organisational team of Sheffrec Cycling Club headed by Marc Etches and Mark Barry and was supported by other local organisations including Sheffield City Council; Harrison Cameras; Browns Bar and Brasserie; Bickerton Skoda and Bikebox.

Event organiser Marc Etches said: “This event is now regarded as the best professional cycle race in the country – and after this week’s event it’s not hard to see why!”

Marc told Sheffield Live, “I was blown away by the support from the people of Sheffield who came to cheer on the competitors – it makes the months of hard work beforehand so worthwhile.”

John Higgins Talks to Sheffield Live!

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This year, John Higgins won his third ‘World Snooker Championship’ in front of an excited audience at the Sheffield Crucible. A few days later he spoke to Paul Gregory and Kevin Resley from our flagship news program ‘Communities Live’ and discussed the challenge of winning a third world title and why Sheffield is so important to the sport of snooker.

You can listen back to the full recording now by visiting our brand new interview section.