Sixteen year-old Lewis Hepburn from Lawrence Weston has just sat his GCSE examinations and is looking forward to studying Higher Level BTEC Sport at Filton College in September. However, he will still be a familiar face around his old secondary school Oasis Academy Brightstowe.
Every Tuesday from 3.30pm – 5pm, Lewis and his father run a Judo Club for 8-16 year-olds in the Sports Hall, which has proved very popular in the two years since the Academy opened.
Lewis has been doing Judo since he was six and is the current IBC Judo Champion. He is a member of two national Judo associations and has travelled up and down the country to attend competitions, winning a number of medals.
His most recent achievement was in a national competition in November 2009, when he won a gold medal in his weight class, and a silver medal in the Intermediate Open in Birmingham.
He says: “I really enjoy the sport. It helps me keep up a level of fitness and it has a lot of action compared to some other sports. I am quite good at grappling and throwing, and try to use a range of different techniques to beat my opponents.
“It has definitely opened up a lot of doors for me. I really enjoying travelling to competitions and seeing different places around the country. There’s a group of us who attend the competitions and we’re all quite good friends, although we get pretty competitive when we’re on the mat!
“Me and my dad have worked hard to develop the club at the Academy. I think it’s important for young people to get involved in sport and take it seriously, and Judo can help teach them discipline and listening skills.
“We want to encourage more young people to come down and get involved. It’s a lot of fun, and we always have an annual BBQ. It could help a lot of young people in their lives.”
In view of his unwavering commitment, Lewis was nominated for an ‘Outstanding Sporting Achievement’ award in a recent awards ceremony organised by Academy sponsor Oasis Community Learning.
The teacher who nominated him said: “Lewis has given freely of his own time to make Judo a sport at Brightstowe. He is absolutely dedicated to achieving this, yet he has never slipped behind in his school work or missed any deadlines. This is to be commended.”
Lewis said: “I am still going to be coming back to Brightstowe and running the club – as long as it fits around my college lessons – as I really enjoy working with the younger students. I am hoping that the Higher Level BTEC course will help me develop my coaching skills even further in the future.”
-ENDS-
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