Community Stories April 2011

Tennis Season

It’s that time of year again when the tennis courts go back up at Atlantis leisure and the Oban tennis and squash club’s tennis season is back.

This year is a very special year for the club as there will be a number of exciting events and opportunities for all tennis players. It is also an important year as the club is faced with the task of fundraising for an upgrade to the tennis and squash facilities. Both tennis and squash areas have been in use for many years now and have served the club well. But as most facilities do, they have reached the end of their lifespan and are in desperate need of an upgrade. The tennis courts have held up excellently well over the years and have actually seen the club as far as almost 10 years past their lifespan. The club are looking for as much support as possible in order to keep tennis in oban going and offer great opportunities for children and adults alike to play and enjoy the game on as good a surface as possible.

The club will offer a massive programme of coaching, social and competitive play this season starting with a fantastic open day on the 8th of May. The open day will consist of coaching, fun games, a barbecue and much more. The highlight of the day will be Jordan Gray a top 10 Scottish player and past winner of our own West Highland Tennis Tournament. Jordan will be taking samples of tennis clothing and equipment from his very popular PWP tennis store in Glasgow. Everyone is welcome to this open day so get yourself along to Atlantis leisure and join in the tennis fun! (Players of all age and abilities welcome).

This year’s tennis season kicks off on the 1st of April and the first event on our calendar is an opening day’s social play and fun on Sunday the 3rd of April. All players are welcome to come along to join in the tennis fun or just get back into the swing of things!!

Stephanie Dunstaffnage

Sports Performance & Weight Loss Specialist
Master Trainer
Fitness Consultant for the Women's International Shinty Squad

Shinty

Stephanie started playing Shinty at 12 years old. Within her Shinty career Stephanie has gained 3 International Caps for Scotland. She has also gained winners medals in various cups with her teams including: Womens Cammanachd Cup - Winners Medal 2010 team Glengarry , North of Scotland Select team Winners medals - 2006 & 2007, The Macquiston Cup Winners medal – Team Glenorchy. Stephanie is also currently the International Fitness Coach for the Scottish Women’s Shinty Comogie Squad 2011 working alongside International Coaches Andrew Mathie and Sarah Corrigal – former International Scotland Player/team mate.

Within Stephanie’s first year at 12 years old she played for Glenorchy U 14’s and Oban Lorne Ladies, Stephanie was also selected for the Senior Women’s International Shinty Squad for the Development tour of Ireland. One year later her first International Cap for Scotland was gained and the following year 2006 her second International Cap was gained along with a North of Scotland Select Winners medal and The Macquiston Cup Winners medal with her team Glenorchy. After a break her 3rd International Cap was gained in 2009. One year later her team Glengarry won the Women’s Cammanachd Cup.

The International Trials for the Scotland Women’s Shinty/Comogie International Squad 2011 are currently underway and the Squad will be announced later on in the season for the Shinty/Comogie International against Ireland 2011.

Stephanie is Qualified as a Master Personal Trainer who specialises in Weight Loss & Sports Performance operating out of Atlantis Lesuire offering all members and non-members Personal Training, Nutritional Advice, Posture Assessments, Boot Camps plus much more. To find out more on Personal Training and how it can benefit you please visit www.boost-pt.com.

David Buchanan - Oban Saints secretary

David receiving his award from Celtic and Liverpool legend Kenny Dalgliesh and Scotland manager Craig Levein

David has been the driving force behind the Oban Saints for more than 40 years. He has devoted years to developing Oban Saints into the club they are today, winning many awards along the way. These awards include Sunday Mail local club of the year 2009, Scottish Football Association community quality mark and Oban and Lorn sports festival team of the year 2010. The results on the pitch have also gained awards with Oban Saints senior team winning last seasons Scottish Amateur Football league premier division title.

David has received a huge amount of recognition for his personal contribution to Oban Saints, amateur football and local football. His most recent and possibly most prestigious award came on the 3rd of February this year when David was named Macdonald's/Sunday mail best volunteer in Adult football. Winning awards like these has paid testament to David's hard work and dedication to football in Oban. David finds satisfaction in being able to see what the club has become with numerous teams from primary level to senior level.

David is widely admired and respected in Scottish football and it is very seldom the team visits a place where David is not well known and very well liked.

Oban Saints senior team player Willie Gemmell said "David has been a massive part of making football in Oban what it is today. The hard work and effort he puts in is hugely appreciated by all players and coaches. It would be hard to find a more respected guy in Amateur football than David."



The champagne corks pop as Saints celebrate winning the Scottish Amateur League Premier Division championship on Saturday 15th May, 2010.

Photographs by Kevin McGlynn and Peter Darling

Mark Welsh - Scottish champion - Kyokushin Karate

Getting started

Mark started karate when he was seven years old. It wasn't until he was around thirteen that he started cross-training in other styles of karate and martial arts. He gained his first blackbelt when he was 14 in freestyle karate, followed by a first dan in shukokai karate at the age of 15 and a first danin both kickboxing and kyokushinkai karate at 16 years of age.

The main style he trains and competes in is Kyokushin Karate under Sensei Ian Rogers; this is a full contact form of Karate. He trains hard on a daily basis covering all technical aspects of Kyokushinas well as his strength and conditioning based training/fitness work. He also trains regularly in boxing, kickboxing and mma.

He really enjoys working at Atlantis as he gets along really well with all his colleagues. The gym facilities here also allow him to train regularly and his shifts are altered around his training schedule.

Becoming Scottish champion at the National titles

Mark said "In the months running up to the competition I had been training very hard every day, I also had to remain very strictly with my diet in order to make the weigh-in. As this was my first proper tournament i wasn't participating with any intentions of winning; I was focusing more on gaining some experience from the event so the success still hasn't quite sunk in yet. None of my fights went the distance - I won my first fight in the first round via technical knockout (body punches), my secondfight in the first round via knockout (headkick) and my final opponent pulled out in the second round due to a foot injury mid-fight. Having now won the Scottish open, i have my goals set on continuing to train even harder and gaining more experience competing in the British opens and European tournaments. I accredit much of my success to my coach Ian Rodger who takes Kyokushin classes in the hall above Stoddarts Motorcycle Shop on Thursdays :- Juniors = 6 - 7pm and Seniors = 7 - 8.30pm."

Evolve -Permanent Weight Loss

If it's permanent weight loss you're after, then Atlantis is the place to come, our Evolve programme has run twice in the last 6 months and has enjoyed great and lasting results. The Evolve programme was created by our staff member Anthony Sircar who is a Personal Trainer and Life Coach who specialises in weight loss.

"Having spent years getting people slim only to see them put the weight back on I decided a different approach was needed" says Anthony, "and to achieve permanent results you have to work on the mind as well as the body. Basically changing peoples relationship with food including their relationship with themselves! So with my years of experience the knowledge I have gained and hours of study on the subject I came up with the Evolve programme!"

Have you spent many years on and off diets slowly getting fatter and fatter and feeling like a failure, are you ready for a change ? Then its literally time to change your mind, at the Evolve programme you will be slimming from the head down, learning how to use your head to get the results you want. The Evolve programme covers all aspects of weight loss;-

. Why we get fat.
. How to balance blood sugar and control insulin for weight loss.
. Food lists and recipes to help you on your way.
. How to improve your metabolism.
. Setting and achieving goals.
. How your self image stops successful weight loss and how to change it.
. How your limiting beliefs stop you achieving your goals.
. What to focus on to get the results you want.
. Your relationship with food.
. The importance of choice.
. How to combat stress eating.
. What causes emotional eating and how to combat it.
. Why activity is a must, and how to incorporate it into your lifestyle.
. An education in nutrition.
. How to stay slim for life.

Every single person who attended and stayed the course at evolve has lost plenty of weight but most importantly kept it off, below are some testimonials which speak for themselves

"I have always been on a diet of one kid or another. I was 16 when I first started dieting and have tried them all, including Cambridge,Acupuncture and even slimming tablets, my heaviest weight was 18st. I attended Ant's class as I had been trying to follow a low GI on my own. It was a revelation, not just learning about eating low GL foods but learning about my body ,how food is processed and about blood sugar, it was very interesting."

"Guilt has gone, this was the worst part for me because I felt guilty when I didn't follow diets, and then thought in for a penny in for a pound and ate even more. Evolve changed my life, I think about everything I eat and never feel like I'm on a diet or I can't eat certain foods . I don't want to eat them now, as I am conscious of my body health, and always remember that your the one that has the choice."
Milica Macneil

"This was a changing point in my life. I have spent years worrying about my weight, starving myself then pigging out. Since going to Evolve reality has hit home its a marathon not a sprint."
Susan Maclean

"On the programme I never went hungry or felt deprived, I have now got alot more energy, with the added bonus of losing 6.5 inches off waist and 2.5 inches off hips!"
Mary Laird

"When I enrolled on the Evolve programme my agenda was to improve my health, weight loss would be an added bonus. However for me, it was the main focus I could feel a failure before I even began."

" The Evolve programme identified the main issues I had with myself image and learnt behaviours. In fact most of the time, I felt Anthony had plucked my lifestyle profile straight out of my head. This allowed me to address my demons and myths that I had collected throughout my life, giving me the opportunity to break the cycle and move forward on a more positive path."

" Did the programme deliver Improved nutrition? yes!, higher self esteem? yes , Sugar addiction gone? yes!, better relationship with food? yes! Increased energy levels? yes! . Also the added bonus, lost 3.5 inches off waist, 2 inches off hips and nearly a stone in weight!"
Lyndsay Wilson

"After the Evolve programme I now lead a healthier lifestyle, have a lot more energy and am more active. "
"Never really thought of it as a slimming programme although lost 6 inches all over. I'm more self aware around food now, have started exercising more and am generally healthier."
Hazel

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