WARWICKSHIRE College fitness student Kate Ingles is celebrating after winning the national CYQ Gym Instructor Competition at St George’s Park – the new Football Association National Football Centre.
The competition, delivered in collaboration with British Colleges Sport (BCS) with sponsorship from Technogym, celebrates the excellence of fitness instructors and personal trainers educated by training providers across the UK.
The final took place as part of the BCS College Sport Week, which combined the annual BCS Conference with a week of sporting activity designed to showcase the best of college sport and sporting talent.
Mum of three Kate, 37, from Southam, competed in the final after winning the West Midlands regional heat. She is studying for the Level 2 Fitness Instructor and Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma at the college’s Henley-in-Arden centre.
For the final, Kate had to design and teach a 30-minute gym induction to meet a client’s needs in front of two judges and was marked on a series of criteria, receiving top marks throughout.
She said: “I was absolutely gobsmacked when I found out I had won. It was so tense waiting to hear the results but when I heard my name called I couldn’t believe it!
“I’d been a stay-at-home mum looking after my three children, but when my youngest started school last September I wanted to get back into the workplace. Previously I’d worked in insurance, but didn’t want another office job.
“I’d always enjoyed running and competed in a few races and enjoyed teaching which I’d done through Riding for the Disabled, so thought personal training would be a good move, and something which I could fit around my family life.
“I hadn’t really considered what I was going to do after completing the course, but this success has really made me think about setting up on my own and becoming self-employed.
“My lecturer Clare has been fabulous throughout, so supportive and encouraging. I didn’t think someone like me could enter the competition, but she convinced me and now look what I have achieved!”
Another student, Ross Jarvis, 26, from Stratford, also competed at the national finals and came second in the Fitness Instructor Exercise to Music competition.
Ross has recently completed his qualification in fitness and works at a local leisure centre.
Clare Everest, Technical Academy Manager for Fitness at Warwickshire College, said: “We’re so delighted for Kate. I put her forward for the competition as I knew she could do it, so for her to win is absolutely fantastic.
“Ross did brilliantly as well and they have both worked so hard. Everyone at the college is so proud of their achievements.”
As well as their trophy, each winner received a 12-month membership to the Register of Exercise Professionals and a prize pack from Central YMCA, including a selection of titles from Central YMCA Guides.
Warwickshire College offers a range of courses in sport and fitness at its Henley-in-Arden and Rugby centres. For more information go to www.warwickshire.ac.uk/coursefinder.
