The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
United to tour US
Manchester United have confirmed they will tour the United States this summer.
The Premier League club will play in five cities across the country including Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Santa Clara and Washington DC.
No details of dates or opponents have yet been confirmed but it is expected that some of the games will be part of the American leg of the International Champions Cup.
Hannah Miley is no stranger to putting the miles in for her sporting career but the three-time Olympian is ready to travel the country in the hope of inspiring the future generation of Scottish swimmers.
Miley was back in the pool on Saturday as she put 27 youngsters through their paces at Aberdeen Sports Village’s aquatics centre in the first of five masterclasses she has planned with her sponsor Watermans.
The 27-yearold shared her experience with the youngsters from five swimming clubs – Bon Accord Thistle, Dyce, Aberdeen, Bridge of Don and Bucksburn – before passing on training and swimming tips to the group.
She even found time to join them in a two-team relay at the end of the session, joining one of the teams to make sure there was an even number of participants.
The smiles and requests for autographs and photos showed the lure of Miley remains strong and the she hopes to use her sporting celebrity status positively.
Miley said: “I’ve been with Watermans for the past 18 months and we’ve been working together on setting up masterclasses with aspiring swimmers of which the one in Aberdeen is the first.
“I want to try to give back to the Scottish swimming community because I’ve had a lot of support over the years and it’s nice to see the next generation coming through.
“I’m coming towards the end of my career and while I’m not at the point where I’m stating when I’m going to finish I am aware of the next generation coming through and it’s youngsters like the nine to 13-year-olds we worked with who are looking to make the progression now.
“I started in exactly the same position as these youngsters but, if anything, they have something more than I had which is a 50m pool on their doorstep. They have an amazing opportunity and I would love for them to see that and grasp it. I want them to enjoy swimming and that’s one of the key messages I’m trying to get out there. Swimming is a complicated sport but you have to love it. If you don’t enjoy it then there’s no point doing it which is why I was so pleased to see so many smiling faces in our first class.”
Saturday’s session is the first of what Miley believes will be many as she begins to make plans for life after competitive swimming.
She gained a degree in sports and exercise science from Robert Gordon University in July 2013 and hopes she can combine
“I want to try to give back to the Scottish swimming community because I’ve had a lot of support”