DUNSTABLE COLLEGE STUDENT PICKED FOR ICE HOCKEY TEAM AT NOTRE DAME, USA
Daniel Chaplen a student who studied on the National Diploma in Sports at Dunstable College in 2006 and left the programme part way through to follow his ambition of becoming a world class Ice Hockey player has since returned to continue his studies. Tutors at Dunstable College are confident that he will achieve the highest standard in his assessments in June and are excited about the great future that lies ahead for him.
Daniel writes: "At the end of my 1st year as an under 19 in 2006 I decided that if I wanted to further my opportunities in ice hockey that I needed to spend time in Canada playing and training. I looked into a few colleges across North America but the best one by far was Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a college devoted to ice hockey in the province of Saskatchewan.
Soon after I applied I received a letter saying that I had been accepted into the college, so after the summer, I would be leaving for 9 months. This was definitely one of the biggest opportunities I have had and everyone was very supportive and happy for me.
"When I arrived at the college in September I found that I was going to be spending the best part of a year in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere! It looked like something from the Wild West, with dirt roads and a population of about 400, most of which was the students. The land was so flat; you could look out the window and see for miles. During the year I was to experience different climates, with temperatures ranging from 30 degrees in the summer, down to -30 with -40 wind chill in the winter, which is very cold.
"At the beginning of the year I went through about 4 weeks of trials which decided which team I would be playing with for the season. The team I was put on was made up of players from all across the world: Canada, America, Belgium and even Japan. I was also very lucky and honoured to be given the role of assistant captain, which would usually go to a player who has been at the college for a few years.
"My team had a great season, we played the first 10 or so games unbeaten and we were not defeated at home all year. I got to travel to different places across Canada and America, playing teams from all over, this was a great experience as I was playing a completely different type of game than I was back in the UK.
"Overall our team had a great year, just missing out on the league title, we where knocked out of the play offs in the last round. I was very happy at the end of season awards to receive the MVP award and also to be top point scorer for my team.
"Although I went to Canada to play hockey I learnt so much more, gaining the experience of living away from home in a different country with people I had never met before. It was difficult at first, and didn’t seem like a place that I wanted to stay at, but by the time it came around to leaving in June 07, I had made so many new friends who I will have for the rest of my life, and it was very hard to leave."
The National Diploma in Sports is the equivalent to three A-Levels and will see that Daniel is on track to continuing his outstanding achievements in his sporting career. Colin Sharpe, tutor at the College commented: “We are always very proud of students who excel in their chosen sports and encourage them to aim for the top. The qualifications that they receive will give them a well-rounded knowledge of health, fitness and the sports industry and provide all the skills needed for them to go on to higher education or straight into their career”. Dunstable College is enrolling now for this year’s programme. Please visit: www.dunstable.ac.uk/football for more information.
