August 7, 2016, by Liz Cass
Nottingham alumni go for Gold as GB face NZ
Three University of Nottingham alumni start their Olympic campaign tonight as Great Britain compete in the men’s field hockey.
Nick Catlin, who graduated in History, Harry Martin, an Economics alumnus, and George Pinner, who graduated in Management Studies all form part of the team that faces New Zealand at 9pm
They will be joined by former University of Nottingham hockey coach David Ames who led the team to success at British Universities and College Sport (BUCS) last year.
Before he set off to Brazil Harry said: “I’m really excited to get out there, from my experience in London, Olympic Villages are like nothing else on Earth and I’m sure Rio won’t disappoint. Most of all though I’m looking forward to the hockey, it’s why we’re there and so much has gone into being ready to play at our best.
“We have had a bit of a taper in the build up to flying out, which means the overall training load and intensity of a week has been lower to ensure we are fresh when the tournament starts.
“Out in Brazil we will train every day, mainly to keep sharp and maintain robustness. We also have a few practice games which will be a good opportunity to stay on top of things tactically.”
For goalkeeper George this could be his first opportunity to get out on the Olympic field.
He said: “I can’t wait to step foot on the pitch and represent Team GB at an Olympic Games. I was the reserve GK for London 2012 so experienced everything apart from getting on the pitch.
“We have worked so hard for the last 4 years and I truly believe this team has a real chance of doing something special and medal at the games.”
Harry’s Top Five Training Tips
- always warm up properly
- get protein in soon after your session
- interval training is often more effective than steady state running
- mix up your sessions to keep it fresh
- the squat is a good whole body exercise – with the right technique
The University of Nottingham recently opened a new ‘super hockey pitch’.
The £1.2m pitch, which has been funded by the University and built on land leased to the University by Nottingham City Council, was officially opened by GB Olympic Gold-medallist and Nottingham alumnus, Robert Clift (hockey, Seoul 1988).
The pitch will be used primarily by the University hockey clubs as well as the wider community.
This is one of a number of investments into the University’s sports provision. Later this year its new £40m sports village will open on University Park campus.
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