Let's meet Coleraine College's sporting stars

Here we meet the young people making a name for themselves in a range of disciplines.

Max

Inspired by his hero Mo Salah, Year 9 pupil Max is an attacking midfielder who is at his happiest when scoring goals and making assists. The Ballymoney FC striker made it through stiff competition at trials to gain a place at the Rangers Soccer Academy and is off to Dubai in early April to play in a tournament against the likes of Manchester City and Barcelona!

While there will be time for sightseeing and excursions, Max’s focus is most definitely on the football and his dream is to play for Liverpool FC and Northern Ireland.

Travis

Move over Carl Frampton – Year 9 student Travis is L’Derry, North-West and Ulster Champion in the 48kgs (Boys 4) category. Boxing is in the blood as his father and grandfather boxed and so does his younger sister.

The talented counterpuncher has been boxing for seven years and fights out of the Churchlands Golden Gloves club in Coleraine. Travis trains twice during the week and spars or competes at weekends. He has his sights set on competing at the Commonwealth Games.

Rebecca

Rebecca is a Free Ride Junior snowboarder. Skiing since the age of four, she credits her father as the inspiration for her involvement in the sport.

It has taken her to places like France and Switzerland to compete in, what is effectively, a junior version of the professional world circuit where she dreams of one day performing and competing.

Rebecca, a year 12 student, enjoys the thrill of freestyling down a piste without practice as her sport demands but also says she has met a fantastic range of interesting people and visited some wonderful places through her involvement in snowboarding.

Eva

Eva in Year 12 balances her GCSE studies with a love of hockey. She captains the Coleraine College Senior Team and has led them to junior cup and league success in the past. This form took her to Ulster Under-16 trials.

Playing on the left hand-side of midfield, Eva is now also assisting and scoring goals for the inaugural Senior Coleraine Ladies Hockey Club despite her young years.

Rianna

Rianna is another who has to juggle her GCSE studies with her love of sport - in this case gymnastics - which she has been doing since the age of four. She attends the local SIKA Club which she credits with not only developing her potential but also being like a second family.

Her training consists of three nights a week and has certainly paid off with a trip in 2021 to London where she represented Northern Ireland in the Classic Cup Challenge.

Rianna is just back from Newcastle where she competed in the British Qualifiers and she hopes to participate in the British Championships in the future.

Well done to all of the Coleraine College sporting stars!