Age:  18

Subject:  Computer Science (BSc)

Year of Study:  First

Sport:  Archery: Primarily Recurve Target

Where are you from?:  Llandrindod Wells

School:  Llandrindod High School

How long have you been participating in your sport?

I've been doing Archery since January 2005, though I've only been competing seriously since December 2005 when I entered the Welsh Championships and finished first in the U18 division

What facilities/kit do you use?

At the moment, I use the same facilities as the rest of the university's archery team use,  but i also regularly shoot with Bowman of Gower, who shoot indoors at Townhill. I also am lucky enough to have standing invites at multiple clubs across South Wales (and even some parts of Scotland) if i am ever in that area of Britain.

At the moment, I shoot using my own equipment, which consists of :
Hoyt Axis Riser
40lb Win and Win Winnex Bow limbs
Sure-loc FITA Quest X sight
Cartel X-Pert Stabilisers
16 Strand Dyneema String (indoors)
16 Strand Fast-Flyte String (outdoors
Easton X7 2312- 29½ inch arrows (indoors)
Easton ACE 570= 29½ inch arrows (outdoors)

Do you have funding or a scholarship for playing your sport?

At the moment, the only funding I receive is the scholarship from the university. This helps me as it goes towards competition entry fees, transport and equipment costs. I am also hoping to apply for sponsorship within the next few years when I reach a high enough standard.

What is your highest achievement in sport?

So far, my highest achievement has been representing Wales in the Junior Indoor Home nations match last December, and then again in July of this year at the Junior Euronations match. I have also set numerous club and county records including a 592/600 Portsmouth round.

Why did you choose to come to Swansea?

I chose Swansea over a number of different universities because of the reputation of the Computer Science department, as well as the sporting facilities here.

What makes Swansea a good place to train/practice?

Swansea is a good place to train and practise because of the huge amount of competition there is in such a small area. In Swansea itself there are two clubs, the uni's own one, and Bowman of Gower, and within and a few hours travel there is Castle Bowman in Cardiff, Llantarnam Archers in Cwmbran, Cymric Archers in Penbray and Neath archers in Neath. It is also a good place because it is relatively easy to get to the different archery competitions that make up the Welsh FITA circuit.

What is your ambition for the future?

At the moment, I am very much focused on the British Recurve Championships that are being held in Lillieshall Sporting centre on the 16th of February. After that, I will be focusing more on my outdoors shooting, and hope to attain the level of Master Bowman within the next few years.

What support do you get from the university to combine study and
training?

At the moment, my training and competition schedule hasn't interfered with my studies. However, when it does, I have been assured that the Computer Science department will do its best to consider  those particular issues as and when they occur.

Which sporting figures do you most admire?

One of the few Archery figures that I admire is Tapani Kalmaru. He shot Barebow for a number of years, but switched to Compound at the beginning of the 2006-2007 indoor season, and after a few months he was ranked 6th U18 in the world, and another is Rebecca Dawson, who is ranked 11th in Britain, despite not having access to “top level” coaching facilities.