Further places available: Bespoke Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE)

Don’t miss out! British Weight Lifting has today announced further places are now available for the bespoke Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) for 2019 onwards.

The DiSE programme has been designed to meet the needs of young athletes aged between 16-18 who have the potential to progress within or want to learn more about the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. The programme is FREE to all students wishing to enrol. 

DiSE will run within the Talent Pathway Programme and is designed to run over a maximum of a two year period and will include camps, regional days and 1:1 days with programme specialists. The programme sessions will be held at Loughborough for the National Camp days and your Regional Hub for the regional days, on suitable dates to avoid competition clashes, in school holidays and at weekends. DiSE will run alongside your further education studies and support your journey towards higher education offering 64 UCAS points.

British Weight Lifting CEO Ashley Metcalfe commented, “Our DiSE partnership with Loughborough College is a fantastic opportunity for our next generation of talented young lifters to improve their skills and develop their potential both on and off the platform. Designed to fit with existing academic studies and covering all areas of weight lifting, the Diploma is a great opportunity for 16-18 year olds to develop as athletes and lifters and gain a recognised qualification on completion of the course.”

Across the two years, athletes will cover the following topics as well as learning how to make the most of their training:

• Technical and Tactical
• Physical skills / Injury Prevention
• Mental / Psychological Skills
• Nutrition
• Lifestyle
• Career and Finance Planning
• Communication and Media
• Lift Clean Awareness
• Health and Safety
• Culture, values and behaviours

 Why choose DiSE?

Benefits

• Mentoring and support
• A programme which aims to equip athletes with the necessary skills, behaviours and abilities to progress on the pathway and develop specific skills to support the athlete
• Opportunity to attend camps and train in a high-performance setting
• Objective feedback on technical and physical development
• Opportunities for 1:1 sessions with specialist support staff
• Upon completion 64 UCAS points are available (Currently equivalent to BTEC extended Dip at Merit, Pass, Pass and 2 x A levels at C’s)

Eligibility

• Aged 16 -18 (aged 16 on 1^stSeptember 2019)
• Be entering Year 12 in September 2019 (or equivalent) in full time education (or approved part time study), but not an apprenticeship
• Have some experience of Weightlifting
• Be prepared to sign up to a 2-year programme
• Commitment to complete the learning programme
• Be a current resident in England

Who delivers the DiSE Programme?

The DiSE programme is run in partnership between British Weight Lifting and Loughborough College. Loughborough College already work with several other National Governing Bodies, developing a range of bespoke delivery models across those sports. 

What level of commitment is required from selected DiSE athletes?

Athletes will be expected to attend the national and regional camps and complete a small amount of portfolio work outside of camps, as well as recording their training and competition throughout the period.  Athletes will also have a progress review every 8 weeks with their dedicated Loughborough College tutor.

Are all the camps residential?

All the National camps are residential with lifters generally allocated twin rooms with en-suite facilities. Regional days are designed to travel to and from on the same day.

Applications will close on 9 September 2019.

How to apply

The first step to apply for DiSE is to complete the expression of interest form below:

DiSE Expression of Interest

The selection policy can also be viewed below:

DiSE selection policy