Inspiring youngsters to go for gold

More than 100 youngsters from across the county have been putting their sporting and study skills to the test in an action-packed Olympic themed Summer School at the University of Sheffield. The Discover US Student Experience Summer School gave Year 10 pupils from Rotherham, Wakefield and Sheffield, the chance to go for gold in a host of enthralling events across a thrilling two-days of sport and innovative workshops. The youngsters showcased their communication and creative skills in an engineering challenge to construct their own Olympic stadium from tubes of paper, before sampling the University's sporting facilities in Olympic sports such as football, badminton, table tennis and basketball. In the final competition of the day they hit the track, with the help of Access Sport Officer Kate Rickard, to compete against each other for bronze, silver and gold, in a gruelling sporting circuit. Jack Price, a pupil from Clifton Community Arts School in Rotherham said: "This event was an excellent opportunity to learn what life is like on campus and the exciting goings-on there. It was a really enjoyable opportunity that I think everyone should experience." The second day pupils were transported back to Ancient Greece to learn about the origins of the international sporting event. Jane Rempel, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Archaeology, gave a fascinating insight into the Ancient Olympic Games which date back to eight century BC.