Loughborough College is in sight of a 2016 World Skills UK Fitness Trainer Competition crown as three students are named national finalists – the highest number of any college.
Emma Foley, Ai Lin Leow, Terri Musson and Jack Burbank lined up against 17 other competitors from across the country for the semi final, held at the Holywell Park Fitness Centre in Loughborough.
Terri had taken the Personal Trainer top spot and Emma and Ai Lin first and second place in the Gym Instructor category in the regional head to head to reach the semi final. Meanwhile Jack, who won the 2015 national Gym Instructor title, found his high points score in the same Midlands 2016 round had secured him a semi-final place alongside his fellow students in the competition, in collaboration with Association of Colleges Sport.
Mark Thorpe, Lecturer in Exercise and Fitness at Loughborough College said: “All four of our students were focused on the Grand Final and put everything they had into the semi-final. They performed exceptionally well against strong competition from across the UK and were great ambassadors for the College and fitness profession, earning excellent feedback from the judges.
“The students worked extremely hard to reach the semi-finals. Selection was rigorous with entries up 45% on last year and only 70 Gym Instructors and Personal Trainers from the whole country chosen to compete regionally and less than a third of that number making it through to the semi-finals – with our students the region’s top scorers.
“It is outstanding that Ai Lin, Terri and Jack all went on to qualify for the finals. No other college has that many competitors. It really is a great achievement.
“There will be six Personal Trainer competitors and eight in the Gym Instructor category for the final and it will stretch our students’ skills even further with additional hidden tasks during the two-day competition.”
The Fitness Trainer finals will take place at The Skills Show 2016 at the NEC in Birmingham from 16 to 20 November
Pictured: (left to right) Loughborough College students Jack Burbank, Terri Musson, Emma Foley, Ai Lin Leow and lecturer Mark Thorpe.