Netballer Cerys shoots for top
Netball ace Cerys Cairns The PA has teamed up with Live Active to shine a light on their Talented Athlete scheme and those reaping the rewards of it.
Cerys Cairns, the Perth-based netballer currently playing for the Scotland under 21 team, is one of the young athletes benefiting.
“Only a year ago I was selected for the U15s Scotland squad competing at the school games,”the 16-year-old said.“Since then I’ve been selected for the Scotland U17s squad and competed with them at Netball Europe.
“I was also selected for the Scotland A squad and then picked to be part of the World Cup long squad. From there I was asked to join the Institute of Sport and that was when I realised things could go further.”
Cerys’s main focus at the moment is to be selected for the U21s short squad playing at October’s Netball Europe.
As part of her place on the Talented Athlete scheme, Cerys is given access to all of Live Active Leisure’s facilities free of charge.
“I use the gyms at Rodney and North Inch Campus, where I can also book a court to help me practice my shooting,”she said.
“The scheme has been great as it gives me free access to all sports facilities which helps keep the cost down.”
Cerys sees her place on the performance squad as vital to her development and welcomed additional support from Gil Stevenson, the strength and conditioning coach working out of Bell’s Sports Centre who coaches all of the young athletes on the scheme.
“I’ve been lucky enough to participate in the strength and conditioning sessions with Gil,”Cerys said.
“These not only help you build strength and speed on court but also keep you positive with plenty of encouragement to work hard.
“It gave me great grounding for my training in Glasgow with the Institute of Sport.
“And also taught me more about training smart, ensuring that I take rest time to allow my body to recover and to help prevent the risk of injuries from doing too much.
“I also have U21s training which is either Saturday/Sunday or a Thursday night and do shooting practice three times a week. Then I have a rest day.”
Cerys loves the fast-paced nature of netball, which she has been playing since she attended a holiday sports camp when she was 10-years-old.
She explained:“I first started playing when I was only 10. I attended a netball camp in the holidays through Live Active so it’s great to be back where I started.
“The thing I enjoy most about my sport is the fact it is fast, competitive, challenging both physically and mentally and also because it is a team sport.
“This means everyone has to play their part, be supportive, work together and because of that I have made so many great friends.”