channel 7/2012

A change from the Norm

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JUNE | JULY 12

LONDON 2012Paving the road to Olympic and

Paralympic success

02 Channel Magazine June | July 2012

EditorRebecca HaroutunianCommunications manager

Assistant editorPhil MillsCommunications officer

Channel magazine is published every two months by Marketing and Communications.

Channel is available online at www.brighton.ac.uk/channel.Alongside this publication our online newsletter eChannel is produced monthly at http://community.brighton.ac.uk/echannel.

For the latest news about the university, please see www.brighton.ac.uk/news.

For an insight into research conducted at the university, see www.brighton.ac.uk/research.

Contact details Channel Marketing and Communications Mithras House Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4AT +44 (0)1273 643022 [email protected] your news to [email protected].

Front page image Olympic Stadium, London 2012 © PopulousBack page image London 2012 Paralympic medals © LOCOG, see page 15.

Print and reproduction By L&S Printing Company Limited registered to environmental standard, ISO 14001, This magazine was printed using inks made from vegetable-based oils and without the use of industrial alcohol. 100 per cent of waste material used in production will be recycled.

June | July 2012 Channel Magazine 03

Features

10 Special feature Flying the Olympic flag

11 Special feature An Olympic honour

18–19 Special feature Inspirational individuals

20 Research feature Warming up research

21 Sustainability feature Medal winners

22–23 On campus Investment in sports facilities

Contents

12–15

16–17

22–23

11

News

04 Comment Professor Jo Doust

04–09 London 2012 round-up News from across the university

Lead features

12–15 Designing for the Olympics

16–17 Olympian creativity

18–19

LONDON 2012 ROUND-UP


OLYMPIC SPECIALPaving the road to Olympic success

Professor Jonathan Doust, head of the university’s Chelsea School of Sport in Eastbourne, is a non-executive director of the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and was chosen to help Britain’s athletes to Olympic success in London in July. The EIS works to improve performances of elite athletes through high-quality sport science and medical support.

Jo, who is also chair of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, explained: “I am helping provide strategic direction to the organisation in the build-up to the 2012 Olympic Games and beyond.

“The University of Brighton is a leading professional and applied university and works hard to link academic research with relevant people and organisations. Contemporary sport is so competitive that every edge counts and I hope I can contribute to the science and medical support that can help achieve medal success on the world stage.”

The EIS provides support to the Olympic and Commonwealth athletes delivering an average of 4,000 hours of elite athlete services to over 1,500 athletes a week from 15 high-performance centres around the country. It offers support services including: physiotherapy, medicine, strength and conditioning, performance nutrition, sports psychology, physiology, biomechanics, performance analysis, performance lifestyle, soft tissue therapy and talent identification.

CommentProfessor Jo Doust, head of Chelsea School of Sport

With 26 sports, over 10,000 athletes, millions of spectators and billions of television viewers the Olympic and Paralympic Games are not just a grand sporting competition but probably the biggest event on earth. The games reach far beyond sport.

They generate extensive cultural, political and economic impact, and much public debate. This special edition of Channel presents examples of how students and staff at the University of Brighton are taking the games to heart. The essence of sport is to win. The British Olympic and Paralympic team has high aspirations for places on the podium. Contemporary sport is highly sophisticated as athletes’ natural talents are honed by training, technical analysis and coaching support.

Medals are won or lost by tiny margins. Citius, Altius, Fortius – Swifter, Higher, Stronger – the Olympic motto reflects the pursuit of physical excellence. The articles on our research, coaching and student athletes all demonstrate the significant role the university has played in Olympic success.

A more informal Olympic motto was introduced at the 1908 London Olympics by the founder of the modern Olympic movement Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Taken from a sermon by the Bishop of Pennsylvania, the motto evokes the broader participatory and emotional side of the games: The most important thing is not to win but to take part. The cultural Olympics run parallel to the sporting games and Brighton’s international reputation in design and creativity shines through. After the final finishing tape is broken and the games come to an end, the University of Brighton is assured of a lasting legacy. From original blue skies research and knowledge translation to creativity and personal involvement, our staff and students are helping to make the 2012 games a success. I hope you enjoy reading these examples of outstanding work and outstanding people.

OLYMPIC SPECIALParalympics lead for Dr Nick Webborn

Dr Nick Webborn, principal research fellow at the University of Brighton, has been appointed chief medical officer to Paralympics GB for the London 2012 games. During the games in August and September 2012, Dr Webborn will be based at the Paralympic Village in Stratford, London. Together with his medical team, he will deliver support and treatment to British athletes competing in the twenty different sports.

Commenting on his appointment Nick said it is a great privilege to be offered the role. “I am really happy to be leading the care of our athletes in London. A home games will be very special.”

Dr Webborn has worked with elite Olympic and Paralympic sportsmen since 1992 and previously held the post of medical officer for the GB team at Atlanta, Nagano and Sydney and is a member of the International Paralympic Committee’s Medical Commission. He will be overseeing the core medical support team and preparation camps, the first of which were held at Bath University in January 2010.

These preparation camps enables medical staff to get to know the athletes and begin planning the medical services necessary throughout the games.

OLYMPIC SPECIALCoaching for success

Dr Gary Brickley is a senior lecturer in exercise physiology at Chelsea School of Sport and coaches GB Paralympic cyclists. He applies the latest scientific understanding to the training of athletes.

His cyclists won eight gold medals and one silver medal in Beijing and two gold and one silver in Athens. Gary also worked at the Sydney Paralympics.



Above: Senior sport and exercise science lecturer, Dr Gary Brickley, coached three Paralympic cyclists to eight golds in Beijing, including Brighton graduate and double gold medal winner David Stone.

For London 2012 he is working with three cyclists – Sarah Storey OBE, Darren Kenny OBE and David Stone MBE. Sarah Storey was already a successful athlete when she took up cycling in 2005 having won five Paralympic gold medals, eight silver and three bronze for swimming. She also competes in able-bodied competitions and despite winning a gold medal in the World Cup, looks likely to narrowly miss out on the Olympic and Paralympic double at London 2012.

Darren Kenny is a multiple world and Paralympic champion and world record holder and by far the most successful member of the GB Paracycling team. David Stone – a double Paralympic gold medallist – regularly keeps adding to his collection of gold medals at Paracycling road world Cups and his ambition is to win two gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Gary said: “The cyclists I work with have the potential for 12 gold medals at this stage so London is quite exciting.”

OLYMPIC SPECIALAdvantage Eastbourne

The University of Brighton will be playing its part in the Olympics this summer when the Swedish tennis team gets match ready for the games at our hi–tech sports facilities. The Swedish team is based in Eastbourne at the Devonshire Park international tennis centre. The team will have access to the university’s Eastbourne campus sports facilities, including £1m worth of specialist physiology and biomechanics equipment based at the university’s Chelsea School of Sport.

As well as training at the university’s state-of-the-art gym, the Swedish Olympic team, which includes two time French Open finalist Robin Söderling, will also be able to get advice from our sports and exercise experts.

The Swedish tennis team visited Eastbourne campus in January 2012 to view the training facilities, including the cutting edge fitness suite.

They will train in Eastbourne for four days in late July leading up to the 2012 Games Opening Ceremony, staying in the town in late July.

OLYMPIC SPECIAL The psychology of sport

Dr Chris Shambrook completed a sport science degree in 1991 and a PhD in psychology at the University of Brighton in 1995. He is now the sport psychologist for the GB rowing team, a role he has held since 1997, meaning London is his fourth Olympic Games.

Psychologists are now an essential part of almost every Olympic team. Athletes’ mental attitude can make the difference between winning a medal and losing a career, especially in endurance sports like rowing.

“Being an Olympian is about being obsessed with performance,” said Chris, who has coached GB rowing teams to medal success at the Sydney, Athens and Beijing games. “Winning is critical, being constantly on top of things, being on top of your competitors, that obsession comes to life in different ways.

“An Olympian training for London 2012 will know what the goals are, it’s what needs to be done to achieve them which will be their focus,” he said. “Performance is all about doing the things you need to do in order to get the things you want.”

In the build-up to the Olympics, it is Dr Shambrook’s role to keep the athletes focused and to maintain a tried-and-tested routine. In the past, psychologists weren’t even considered. But in a rowing team, coordination is essential because everyone has pull together as though they are one. That’s physically and mentally and the role of a psychologist has become commonplace. Chris says the right frame of mind is essential.



Lorraine explained: “I went to the Excel Centre In London. It was so exciting. First there was the identification check, followed by a video, then Sebastian Coe and Eddie Izzard welcoming us and congratulating us on being shortlisted.” Two weeks later Lorraine received an email congratulating her on her appointment.

Gemma originally applied when working for the national governing body of badminton – Badminton England. She too went through a selection process, and was then allocated a role by the LOCOG volunteer and sport-specific teams.

Gemma said: “With badminton being my main sport (I play for a local team and county) and working in sports development for nearly five years I am very excited to have the privilege to be part of the Olympics and especially the badminton competition.”

Above: Physiotherapy student Faye McClelland will be a strong gold medal contender for the paratriathlon at Rio 2016.Right: Gemma Finlay, sports development manager, will be a field of play attendant for the badminton at Wembley arena during the first week of the Olympic Games.

OLYMPIC SPECIALGames makers

Two members of the university staff have been selected as games makers for London 2012. Lorraine Roberts, student support and guidance tutor at the University of Brighton in Hastings, has been selected to support the volleyball competition. Gemma Finlay, sports development manager for Active Sussex based at the Sports Centre at Falmer, is a field of play attendant for the badminton at Wembley arena during the first week of the Olympic Games.

When Lorraine heard the Olympics were coming to London she just had to apply. She had always had an interest in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. She was a sprinter herself and attended various events – not at Olympic level but good enough for county trials.

OLYMPIC SPECIALFlying down to Rio?

Student Faye McClelland has only been competing in paratriathlon events for three years, but already she is a world, European and national champion.

Faye, who was born without her left hand, says her best achievements are being crowned World Paratriathlon Champion in Budapest in 2010 and then again in Beijing 2011. In December 2011 the sport gained paralympic status but, unfortunately, not in time for London 2012. Faye said: “I would absolutely love the opportunity to take part in the Rio Paralympics in 2016. That is the ultimate goal!”

Faye, who is studying physiotherapy at the university, has been competing in regular triathlons and other sports events for several years. She did kickboxing as a teenager, has taken part in the London to Brighton bike ride and was a fitness instructor for several years.

She says her disability mostly affects the swimming element of the triathlon because it limits her ability to pull herself through the water. She rides a normal bike, but it has dual access components to control the brakes and gears. She only started competing in the paratriathlon in 2009 after joining a triathlon club to get fit.

Faye began her physiotherapy course in September 2010 and hopes eventually to work in the NHS. She is particularly interested in amputees and neural rehabilitation.



OLYMPIC SPECIALOlympic stadium opening

On Saturday 5 May, head of sport and recreation, Sarah Hogg and outgoing SU President Terry Preston were honoured to be invited as guests of LOCOG to the official opening of the Olympic stadium. Terry, as a student director of BUCS and Sarah, as a member of the Sport England Higher Education Stakeholder Committee were thrilled to be invited guests at this historic event.

Saturday night’s official opening was the culmination of many years of planning and building. Throughout the weekend hundreds of students took part in the first competitive event to be held at the Olympic stadium, as the British Universities and Colleges (BUCS) athletics championships was used as the test event for the facility.

Joining Lord Sebastian Coe and many previous Olympians such as Dame Kelly Holmes, the evening started with a reception in what will be the hospitality area for visiting heads of state and IOC members during the games. Following this, seats were taken in the royal box to join 40,000 people watching an evening of athletics and then the official opening event. In keeping with the pledge to inspire the younger generation, one lucky teenager was randomly selected to officially open the stadium.

Sarah commented: “It was absolutely fantastic to be at the official opening of the stadium and especially to be invited by LOCOG and mingle with so many inspirational Olympians and the organisers of the games. The Olympic stadium was amazing and there was a real sense of pride in seeing what has risen out of what was in effect a wasteland. I really can’t wait for the start of the games especially as I will be going back to the stadium to watch some athletics although definitely not from the same seats!”

OLYMPIC SPECIALSarah at the forefront of Olympic legacy

Sarah Hogg, head of sport and recreation at the University of Brighton is on the board of trustees of Active Sussex. Active Sussex is one of 49 County sports partnerships in England, and is largely funded by the government to coordinate and facilitate the delivery of sport and physical activity initiatives in Brighton & Hove and across East and West Sussex.

Sarah said: “Active Sussex plays a key role in disseminating national policy and funding opportunities to a local level which is crucial for continual development. The University of Brighton works closely with Active Sussex as part of its hosting arrangement.”

On 29 February this year, Active Sussex launched its Sussex Legacy project, promoting a range of exciting sporting opportunities for Sussex.

Commissioned by Sport England to deliver a number of programmes in Olympic year, the Sussex Legacy initiative – which consists of Sportivate, Sport Makers, Sussex Sports Awards, School Games, Sussex Coaching Bursary and Active & Healthy Workplaces – aims to capture the thrill of the London 2012 games and to increase the numbers of people taking part in coaching and running sport in Sussex. The aim is to leave a positive and lasting legacy for sport in Sussex.

Above: Sarah Hogg and outgoing Students’ Union President Terry Preston with Dame Kelly Holmes (centre) at the opening of the Olympic stadium in May 2012.



OLYMPIC SPECIALActive universities

Along with 40 other projects, Project Active8 at the University of Brighton is being backed by Sport England’s £10 million Active Universities fund to get more university students playing sport, as part of the mass participation legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Project Active8 is a loyalty card programme that rewards students attending sport sessions. The programme covers eight different sports, including netball, squash, table tennis and volleyball. Students will get a loyalty card when they sign up for one of the eight sports; once they’ve attended the targeted number of sessions, they will get discounts to the university’s other sports facilities, such as the swimming pool or fitness suite.

Chosen by students themselves, the eight sports delivered at different times and in different venues across the university’s five campuses to encourage more fun and sociable participation in sport. The project is also linking into existing student clubs and helping to establish new clubs, allowing students the chance to progress from a social to a competitive level.

Hugh Robertson MP, minister for sport and the Olympics said: “This funding for 41 different sport projects across the country is exactly what our Olympic legacy promise is about – offering more opportunities for people to get involved. This will boost university sport and encourage students to continue playing once their studies are over.”

OLYMPIC SPECIAL Plain sailing for Alan

Alan Baser of the university’s residential and catering services, has been appointed as one of the national technical officials (NTO) for the London 2012 Olympic sailing competition.

As the LOCOG-appointed NTO, Alan’s role is to work with the chief umpire to coordinate the activities of the umpire team. Alan is the only NTO for the Umpire team and will also deputise for the NTO for the international jury. The NTO role is to ensure (in partnership with chief umpire) the technical aspects and rules of procedure of the competition are adhered to.

Alan is an international race official for the worldwide governing body for the sport of sailing – the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) – hence he was the obvious choice for this important Olympic role.

Nine out of the ten Olympic sailing events are fleet racing. Fleet racing is, as its name suggests, everyone against everyone. The first across the line wins. During the Olympics the largest fleet will be about 40, however there can be hundreds on one race course.

“The Olympic Games is considered the pinnacle for fleet racing of small boats. I am very excited and proud to be part of the London Olympics” said Alan.

Above: Alan Baser is an international judge and umpire regularly officiating at top-level sailing events around the world.



University of Brighton alumni have a proud history of Olympic achievements. We are looking forward to adding to this list after the London 2012 Games.

STUDENTS WHO HAVE COMPETED AT THE OLYMPICS

• Diane Coates Javelin, Helsinki 1952

• Pat Lowe 800m, Tokyo 1964, Munich 1972

• Linda Knowles High Jump, Tokyo 1964

• Penny Yule 1500m, Montreal 1976

• Gillian Treers Swimming, Mexico 1968

• Gill Clarke MBE Hockey umpire, Barcelona 1990, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000

• Sarah Rowell Marathon, Los Angeles 1984

• Tracy Killingley Basketball, Seoul 1988 (now a member of academic staff)

• David Luckes MBE Hockey, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Games

• Kate Allenby Modern pentathlon, Sydney 2000

HONORARY GRADUATES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON

• Dr David Bedford Olympic middle distance runner and director of the London marathon

• Dr Peter Keen Ex-Chelsea lecturer and director of performance for UK Sport

• Dr Darren Kenny MBE Multi-gold medal winning paralympian

• Dr Chris Boardman MBE Cycling gold medallist and coach

Above: Chelsea School reunion 2010. Dr Stephen Ingham (head of physiology at English Institute of Sport), Gill Clarke MBE, Kate Allenby MBE, Dr Gary Brickley, Professor Jo Doust and Darren Kenny OBE.Top left: Diane Coates departing for the Olympics in Helsinki 1952.Right: Linda Knowles competing in a high jump competition. Linda represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.Bottom left: Penny Yule represented Great Britain in the 1500m at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

SPECIAL FEATURE


ALEX’S OLYMPIC DREAM

Alexandra Botting, currently in the third year of the Sport and Leisure Management degree, was offered a three-month placement in 2011 with LOCOG (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games). The application process was very rigorous and Alex was ecstatic when she was eventually offered the placement.

She was an intern with the government relations department, attending parliament regularly, coordinating and managing the dignitaries for test events. Alex also attended the official completion of the mountain bike venue at Hadleigh farm where she managed the filming with the in-house film crew.

During the placement, her office was based at Canary Wharf which meant travelling four hours every day. Alex said: “Being tired for three months was nothing compared with the honour of being involved with the Olympics. At the risk of name-dropping, I met numerous MPs and London Assembly members, including Lord Coe, Sir Keith Mills, Paul Deighton and HRH Princess Anne.

“Being a student on the Sport and Leisure Management course has given me access to great opportunities” continued Alex “having this experience on my CV will certainly stand me in great stead when applying for a job when I graduate.”

SPORT JOURNALISM STUDENTS TO REPORT ON OLYMPICS

Three Sport Journalism students will celebrate graduation by being in the thick of it at the Olympics, reporting on the games and the Paralympics for London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

Sunni Upal and Jon Vale, who will graduate in July, have been hired to supply news stories and interviews for the Olympic and Paralympic news service during the sporting fiesta.

Alex Botting with press and media executive, Aleksandra Girling outside Seb Coe’s office.

Another student Giuseppe Muro has a role with LOCOG as beach volleyball correspondent.

Sunni said: “To be able to work on the biggest sporting event our country has ever seen is a fantastic feeling.

Securing the job also presents the students with a prickly dilemma – graduation day falls on the eve of the Olympics, by when they’ll be full steam ahead in their new roles. Such is the price of success!


SPECIAL FEATURE

An Olympic honourTwo students and two members of staff from the University of Brighton have been chosen to be four of the 8,000 torchbearers in the 2012 Olympics.

Ben Feist, who is studying for a nursing degree in Eastbourne, was surprised by the news that he will carry the torch through Lewes on 17 July. Unbeknown to Ben, he was nominated by his mother for his work as a volunteer first aider for St John Ambulance and South East Coast Ambulance Service.

Joining Ben in Lewes will be Dr Nick Webborn, principal research fellow at the Chelsea School of Sport, who was nominated for devoting most of his professional life to helping others achieve their goals in sport.

Stephen Brooks, a resource assistant in the library at our Falmer campus, has been chosen to carry the Olympic torch through Lancing on its way to the London 2012 Games. Stephen was chosen after being nominated by his wife who wrote about his resilience and good humour in the face of ill health. Stephen will carry the torch on 16 July.

On the following day, Ben Stevens, a second-year Applied Psychology and Criminology student, will carry it through his home town of Crowborough, East Sussex.

Ben is a fully qualified club coach at Beacon Swimming Club and has built up his own lifesaving club (The Freedom Rescuers) that teaches children how to save lives both in the water and on land. His club now has around 50 members and is still growing.

Above: Resource assistant Stephen Brooks (right) will carry the torch in Lancing on 16 July with nursing student Ben Feist (left) doing the honours in Lewes. Right: Ben Stevens was nominated to carry the torch through his home town of Crowborough, East Sussex.Far right: Dr Nick Webborn will carry the torch through Lewes on 17 July.


LEAD FEATURE

IS IT A BIRD? IS IT A PLANE?

The new livery for British Airways planes flying in teams for the Olympics this summer, has been designed by University of Brighton visiting lecturer Pascal Anson. Pascal was chosen by British Airways as part of its Great Britons Olympic programme – a competition with the aim of promoting British talent in the run up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Turner prize-nominated artist Tracey Emin was on the judging panel which picked Mr Anson’s design from hundreds of entries last July and she has mentored Pascal throughout the project. Tracey was on hand at the unveiling.

Inspired by planes he saw flying in and out of Gatwick, Anson said that as a three-dimensional designer, he wanted to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary, while playing with people’s perceptions of flying objects. The design of the plane, which will be in service for six years, involves using the cockpit for a beak, fuselage and wings for the main body, and the tailfin as a tail. The aircraft has been painted white with gold strokes of paint to represent the feathers.

Unveiling the first Dove, an Airbus A319, at BA’s engineering bay at Heathrow airport, Emin said: “The first time I saw Pascal’s design, it made me smile. The plane is universal. Everyone will understand it.

“I like the way it brings back the excitement of travel too. I will constantly be looking up every time I hear a plane fly over. You never know, maybe I will turn into a plane-spotter.”

Brighton-based Pascal chose the dove because as well as being a symbol of peace and social unity, it was used in ancient Olympics as a messenger to send games reports to outlying villages, and the bird also played a role in Olympics ceremonies such as that at the last London Games in 1948.

He wanted to use a metallic colour but metallic paints are not allowed on aircraft as they interfere with radar signal so a new mica resin was mixed to give the bright gold finish – a colour that the team have dubbed dove gold.

This project created both design and artistic challenges, in terms of scale – as an A319 is 500 times larger than a dove – and surface and in terms of trying to get the soft lines of the dove’s feathers onto the hard metallic surface of the plane.

BA’s operations manager for external appearance, David Barnes, said the job was the most complex his team had undertaken – both because of the intricacy of the design, and the fact that it encompassed the whole plane. Pascal said: “To create something like that which is going to last so long, that will be seen by so many people, is something I could only dream about.”

Visit Pascal’s blog for more information including a time-lapse video of the new design being applied. http://ordinarymadeextraordinary.wordpress.com/

Brighton’s visiting lecturer Pascal Anson with his mentor Tracey Emin at the unveiling of his Olympic plane design for British Airways.

Courtesy of N. Morrish, British Airways


LEAD FEATURE

OLYMPIC POSTER DESIGN

Rachel Whiteread, who graduated from the University of Brighton in 1985, has been chosen as one of the artists of the official posters for the London 2012 Olympics. While Rachel is best known for her sculptural work, drawing has always remained a critical part of her practice. Rachel’s poster will join those by some of the UK’s leading artists to be displayed at Tate Britain as part of the London 2012 festival.

For her print, Rachel has composed a pattern of overlapping rings in the Olympic colours. The rings explore the emblem of the Olympic Games, and also represent marks left by drinking bottles or glasses. They act as memories of a social gathering, such as the athletes in the stadium during the opening ceremony or the spectators of the Olympic Games.

Since 1912 every city hosting the Olympics has commissioned a series of posters by the leading artists of the day. Andy Warhol, RB Kitaj, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Josef Albers, Oskar Kokoschka, Allen Jones and Max Bill are among those who’ve created posters in the past.

LOCOG (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games) worked with the Tate and the Plus Tate Group (a group of 19 regional galleries across the UK), who together compiled a long list of over 100 artists for consideration.

This long list was then reduced to a final list of 12 by a panel comprising Nicholas Serota (Tate director), Tamsin Dillon (head of Art on the Underground), Judith Nesbitt (Tate – Head of national/international initiatives), Carl

Freedman (Counter Editions) Ruth Mackenzie director, Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival) and Greg Nugent (LOCOG director of brand and marketing).

The images are available to buy as both posters and limited edition prints. Full details on the posters, limited edition prints and free exhibition at Tate Britain can be found on the London 2012 Festival website. festival.london2012.com

Rachel Whiteread’s winning poster design explores the Olympic rings emblem while suggesting the social gathering aspect through marks left by bottles or glasses.


LEAD FEATURE

BODY CASTING OLYMPIANS

In 2011 five top athletes were body cast by Louise Giblin for her Olympian Series.

Louise studied Sculpture at Brighton Polytechnic where she was taught by Antony Gormley. She went on to complete an MA in History and Theory of Modern Art at Chelsea College of Art and is an Associate of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (ARBS).

Her aim for the series is to produce sculptures focusing on physical power and personal triumph. Louise said: “I think we wear achievements and things we value as armour to avoid personal scrutiny. Hence my sculptures often appear to be wearing armour. I’m impressed by people who commit to goals with determination as this makes them powerful; these Olympians are awe-inspiring both physically and mentally. London 2012 is an opportunity for me to work with extraordinary people, celebrate British success and to help raise money for a great cause.”

For the Body Casting Olympians series she has made timeless sculptures of Kriss Akabusi, Dame Kelly Holmes, Sally Gunnell, Darren Leach and London 2012 contender, Beth Tweddle. In each case, she used a special technique for body casting subjects and applied designs to the surface of the resulting clay torso.

The designs feature a combination of stripped, stylised musculature on the back and detailed relief imagery of the Union Flag on the front. For an added twist of individuality, Louise integrates the design with imagery relating to the city that gave way to each athlete’s greatest achievement.

For Paralympian swimmer Darren Leach, this meant Sydney – where he won four medals – and for Dame Kelly Holmes, Athens; in celebration of her double gold triumph in the birthplace of the ancient Olympics.

Each of the five designs may be reproduced up to 12 times in cold cast metals or bronze, for the limited edition series. The sport stars are set to receive one of their £9960 cold cast sculptures to keep or sell to raise money for brain injury charity Headfirst. Others from the series will be sold with a proportion of the profit going to the charity.

The body casts will be exhibited twice, in Mall Galleries, London 21–26 May 2012 and later in Saffron Gallery in Battle, from 27 July to 11 August 2012.

Above: The finished cast of Dame Kelly Holmes. Right: The body cast process for London 2012 contender Beth Tweddle. Beth chose her London 2009 World Gold as her greatest achievement which is represented in her body cast.


LEAD FEATURE

A WINNING MEDAL DESIGN

Winning athletes at the 2012 Paralymic Games will wear medals designed by University of Brighton graduate, Lin Cheung.

The 11-times British Paralympic gold medal winner Tanni Grey-Thompson and Ade Adepitan, British wheelchair basketball player, attended the launch of the winning design at the British Museum.

Dame Tanni said: “Having competed at five sets of games, the medal was the most important thing. It’s what people want to touch afterwards”. She praised Lin’s design, adding: “To have something that looks so beautiful is amazing. You want to win that medal – winning is the most amazing experience. Records come and go but no one can take that medal from you”.

Lin graduated in 1994 with a 3D Materials Practice BA(Hons) and was one of 100 designers invited by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to submit their ideas for the new medals.

The design is based on the wings of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, and represents Spirit in motion, forward flight, power and lightness. Lin said she was inspired by “the endurance, focus and achievement of elite Paralympic athletes”. The back of the medal depicts the heart of victory, showing the area “close to the heart of the goddess”, which was chosen to reflect “inclusion and togetherness”.

Lin, who is now senior lecturer in jewellery design at Central Saint Martins, explained: “It was important that the medal has layers of meaning”, adding that her design was taken from a cast of a sculpture of the goddess Nike at the British Museum.

Paralympian Ade Adepitan, Designer Lin Cheung, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE with the London 2012 Paralympic Games medals at the opening of a new display at the British Museum for the Cultural Olympiad. © LOCOG

The independent judging panel chose Lin’s design from a six-strong shortlist because her design “held a narrative that befitted the athletes’ achievements”.

London 2012 Paralympic medals © LOCOG

LEAD FEATURE


The 1908 London Olympics brought to life using circus skills and innovative media techniques.

CREATIVE CAMPUS INITIATIVE WINS GOLD

A cultural collaboration between 13 universities in the south-east, which includes the Universities of Brighton and Sussex, has won gold at the Podium London 2012 awards. It won the best creative cultural project at the awards, which celebrate the vital role played by colleges and universities across the UK in delivering the London 2012 Games.

Creative Campus Initiative Universities of Brighton and Sussex is led by Professor Anne Boddington, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Dr Sally Jane Norman, director of the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts.

The universities joined forces under the banner of the Creative Campus Initiative to create a programme of innovative and dynamic cultural events inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

The programme invites leading artists and performers to collaborate with students, academics, schools and communities to create new works and events which embrace, challenge and reinvent the Olympic spirit.

Creative Campus Initiative is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council of England and is an initiative of the HE Cultural Forum – Creative Campus is recognised by the London 2012 Inspire programme.

1908 AND THE FIRST LONDON GAMES

1908: Body & Soul is a research project bringing the University of Brighton’s expertise in sports history and analysis alongside its leading reputation in experimental media production.

It is one of four flagship projects commissioned by the Creative Campus Initiative (CCI), part of the Cultural Olympiad, and awarded an Inspire Mark project as endorsed by The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

Professor Alan Tomlinson (Chelsea School of Sport), Dr. Sarah Atkinson, principal lecturer, and Marley Cole, technician demonstrator with the School of Art, Design and Media, join the Lightning Ensemble Production Company and Jacksons Lane (a multi-arts venue in Highgate, North London) to investigate the event and the personalities of the first London Olympic Games in 1908.

Lightning Ensemble was commissioned to pull together this production. It is a contemporary reimagining of stories and characters from the London’s first Games in 1908 in a show inspired by circus. It is a cross art-form production integrating circus skills and dialogue to tell the story that celebrates the idiosyncrasies of the first Olympians and is aimed to fuse sport and circus.

Ten students from across Creative Campus Initiative consortia universities have been offered funded placements on the 1908 project and development work extends into the summer.

LEAD FEATURE


The Be a Champion initiative has reached over 800 participants across all five campuses.

The university’s Be a Champion project has been awarded an Inspire Mark.

AUDITORYUM

As part of the Creative Campus Initiative, Auditoryum is an installation that moves into new forms of interactive storytelling by allowing visitors to create their own unique experience each time that they visit. When entering the installation the visitor is directly placed into the sonic environment of an Olympic sporting arena.

The ambient sounds of the arena will be audible as visitors enter and then specific audio sounds will be triggered through motion sensing by each visitor’s movement – the sound of a starter pistol, of a javelin pole rushing through the air overhead, of a diver’s body cutting through the water of a swimming pool.

Visitors experience an immersive, three-dimensional environment which uses both hypersonic and 7.1 surround sound design techniques and artistry. For example, periodically 360-degree sonic instances occur within the space; the sound of runners’ feet, swimmers bodies, cyclists and horses traverse through the surrounding speakers.

Dr Sarah Atkinson, principal lecturer, and Marley Cole, technician demonstrator with the School of Art, Design and Media, worked with 2012 athletes as they trained for the games and the work exhibited at public sites in Brighton and Hastings in June.

SEA OF VOICES

Digital Media Art MA students at the university have helped to develop Sea of Voices, an interactive sound walk along Brighton seafront which examines our fascination with the stories and histories of the sea.

The Sea of Voices walk was open in May and was created by artist group Invisible Flock in partnership with the University of Brighton’s Faculty of Arts as well as other Brighton arts organisations.

Guided by an audio tour which began at the Fabrica Gallery, those taking part in the sound walk peered through telescopes and explored the imagery, mythology and history of the Brighton coast. The work is part of RELAY, a contemporary arts programme which celebrates the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by taking sport, art and location as starting points for a series of artistic commissions.

INSPIRED TO ‘BE A CHAMPION’

The university’s Be a Champion project has been awarded an Inspire Mark.

The Inspire programme officially recognises projects that have been inspired by London 2012 and have created opportunities for millions of people to feel part of the games and get involved in activities spanning sport, education, culture, volunteering and sustainability. Projects that are awarded the Inspire mark are allowed to officially link themselves to the games in a way that no previous Olympic or Paralympic Games has made possible.

Be a Champion project has been running since October 2011 and each month has seen a different Olympic challenge for University of Brighton students. The focus for each activity has been about taking the challenge to the students in non-conventional sports environments to try and engage students that are not already involved with the university’s sport and recreational programme.

To date the campaign has reached over 800 participants across all five campuses. The highlight of the programme so far has been a small-sided football tournament with 19 teams taking part. The tournament was given an international feel with students choosing a country to represent – reflecting the true community engagement qualities of the Olympics.

SPECIAL FEATURE


Boccia captured the imagination of many of the students, and the after-school club that she introduced rapidly became a burgeoning squad competing at the regional championships.

Sandra continues: “In the first year we got four players through to the national championships, but I think they lost every match! We saw a head-pointer used for the first time, and got one made for Cecilia Turk, who had previously been almost unable to play due to her disability; now Cecilia is part of the GB boccia squad and one of its longest serving players. In the third year we got our first national champion.

One of Sandra’s life mottoes has been ‘Never let an opportunity pass’. Your life is what you make it – you can choose to have an impact on the lives of others, and you can choose what that impact is.

NEVER LET AN OPPORTUNITY PASS

Having graduated from Chelsea School of Sport in 1978 with a BEd in Human Movement and Education, with drama as her related study and children with special needs as her further study, Sandra King’s sights were firmly set on a career in PE teaching.

Fast forward to 2012, and Sandra is at the heart of preparations for the London Paralympics. How did she progress from PE teacher to competition manager for boccia at the 2012 Paralympics?

Sandra chose Chelsea School of Sport because of its reputation. As she explains: “I have always been proud of being a Chelsea girl. Chelsea equipped me for the paralympic role in respect of the standards and organisational skills that it instilled in me.

Sandra is responsible for running the boccia competition at the 2012 Paralympics. This is an event management role on a large scale, providing the service that the international federation requests and the International Paralympic Committee approves. Sandra’s association with boccia began when she was working as a PE teacher. It was a game she knew nothing about but she quickly enrolled on a boccia leaders’ course.

When she became head of PE and Sport at Lord Mayor Treloar School and College in Alton, Hampshire – one of the biggest independent special schools in the country catering primarily for students with high levels of physical disability – one of the first things she realised was that there was a large pool of prospective Paralympic-pathway boccia players.

DELIVERING A VISION

David Luckes, who studied for his masters degree at the University of Brighton, was one of the original team behind London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic games.

He worked with Simon Clegg on the Olympic bid project for five years. David, a logistics expert, produced the document in 2000 which assessed London’s feasibility as a host city. The feasibility study ran to 395 pages, 167,000 words.

A former British Olympic hockey player, who represented Great Britain in hockey in three consecutive games, in 1992, 1996 and 2000, David is now head of sport competition at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and has received an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in recognition of his services to the London 2012 Games.

Luckes said: “I feel greatly honoured to receive this MBE. The success of London’s bid was the result of a whole team of people and I thank them for their hard work and support.

“We are now working to make sure we deliver everything we promised in Singapore, to stage the best-ever games, capturing the imagination of young people around the world and leaving a lasting legacy.”

In recent weeks, David has been busy organising the test events in preparation for the games as part of the London Prepares series. This has included beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade, hockey at the Riverbank Arena, Lee Valley White Water Centre, gymnastic, archery, mountain biking and the list goes on…

SPECIAL FEATURE


Opposite page: Sandra King with Sam Cox at the National Junior Games at Stoke Mandeville.

Left: Simon Clegg b.1959 and David Luckes b.1969

By Brian Griffin, 5 February 2010, Wembley Stadium, London© Brian Griffin – National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project

ROAD TO 2012

The National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 project is capturing the journey towards the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and, working with internationally renowned photographers, is creating a lasting record of the people who are contributing to these exciting events.

From world-class athletes and those working behind the scenes, to people living and working in the host boroughs for the 2012 games, the project celebrates stories of inspirational achievement.

Photographer Brian Griffin captured athletes and inspirational figures involved at the start of the journey towards London 2012. His work includes a photograph of David Luckes with Simon Clegg.

Simon Clegg explained that he and David had worked closely together for the last 10 to 12 years so there was no problem in the interaction between them. “There were a couple of comments on the pose that Brian wanted us to adopt which was not the most natural of poses for either of us. There was quite a lot of banter which lightened the whole experience. It was good fun and I am delighted with the outcome.”


RESEARCH FEATURE

Dr Mark Burnley and researchers from the universities of Brighton and Exeter have been studying how high intensity exercise – known as priming – can increase concentration of lactate in the blood, making it more acidic and performance-enhancing.

The work is proven to improve performance in any event lasting between two and 30 minutes. Dr Burnley, who has been studying the priming exercise for a decade, said: “In collaboration with Professor Andy Jones from the University of Exeter and Professor Jonathan Doust, from the University of Brighton, we have provided clear evidence of the effectiveness of high-intensity exercise in the preparation for sports performance.

“We have also shown that athletes need not be too concerned about having to wait for a long time between warming up and competition, because the priming effect can last for up to 45 minutes.”

This research has been highlighted in a report showing the impact of universities’ research and sport development on the Olympic and Paralympic Games and UK sports industry.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive, Universities UK, said: “It is sometimes easy to forget when you watch an athlete or team compete just how much preparation has gone into their performance. This isn’t simply a question of training schedules and practice.

“These days, cutting-edge university research is used to support every aspect of Olympic sports – from nutrition and health to equipment, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and, of course, performance.”


SUSTAINABILITY FEATURE

We are delighted to achieve the EcoCampus bronze. Brighton has a good reputation in higher education on environmental issues and we are committed to making further progress.Mike Clark, director of Estate and Facilities Management

The University of Brighton has won a bronze EcoCampus award in recognition of our work to improve sustainability across the estate, and we hope to reach silver by the end of the year. EcoCampus is a national scheme for the HE sector which assesses how universities are addressing key environmental issues. Universities gain recognition for improved environmental performance through a series of awards; bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

The newly formed environmental team, based in Estate and Facilities Management, has been busy in the first few months of 2012. The university’s annual Green Week in March saw a flurry of activity, including free film screenings, an inter-libraries energy challenge, free bike maintenance on all campuses, and a sponsored cycle ride from Brighton to Hastings for the Southern Africa Scholarship Fund. A Sustainability and Enterprise event BeeGreen showcased local eco-entrepreneurs, including a number of university graduates. The event was a collaboration between beepurple (the university’s entrepreneurship network), the environmental team and the Sustainable Development Coordination Unit. Green Week culminated in the official opening of the university’s new low carbon data centre at the Watts building in Moulsecoomb. The new, state-of-the-art, water-cooled data centre, will save over 820 tonnes of carbon a year, cutting the university’s carbon footprint by seven per cent. This will contribute hugely to the university’s ambitious target to cut its carbon footprint by 50 per cent in five years (2011–2016). Further significant savings will be made by centralising server equipment.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed on the roof of Cockcroft on the Moulsecoomb campus. With 132 individual panels, the array is the largest generator of renewable power in the city, generating 34,000kWh of electricity a year, and saving 18 tonnes of carbon in the process. The installation was delivered by the Estate and Facilities Management’s capital projects team, and was project managed by Joe Capps-Jenner, an undergraduate placement project assistant.

The PV panels were fitted on a new insulated roof achieving further carbon savings for the university. A display screen in Cockcroft foyer shows how much electricity has been generated by the panels. The capital projects team are now investigating the use of the aquifer below Cockcroft as a thermal energy source – results should be known by summer this year.

In March, 54 enthusiastic staff and students braved unsettled weather to plant three hundred shrubs and trees at Falmer. The event marked the launch of a programme of participatory events set to improve biodiversity across campus, as part of the university’s revitalised Biodiversity Action Plan. The Plan, which has been updated by undergraduate placement project assistant Adam Keeves, aims to build a more abundant, connected and resilient landscape inviting wildlife into the heart of the two pilot sites at Moulsecoomb and Falmer.

TOP THREE POSITION IN THE GREEN LEAGUE

The University of Brighton has been ranked third out of 145 universities and higher education institutions in the People & Planet’s annual Green League, published on 29 May 2012. The university’s position has improved 18 places on last year. People & Planet, a student network campaigning to protect the environment, awarded the university a first class honour which was presented at a ceremony in Westminster on 21 June. People & Planet organises the UK’s only independent ranking of universities for their environmental and ethical performance.

The university scored a total of 54 points out of a maximum 70 to achieve its first class honour, a higher score than that recorded by the top institution in last year’s table. The university achieved maximum points in several categories including curriculum, student and staff engagement, ethical investment, and environmental policy and it scored highly for environmental staff, environmental auditing, carbon management, sustainable food and renewable energy sources.


ON CAMPUS

The Falmer campus has a new sports centre with a six-court, sprung-floored sports hall, two activity studios (with a do-jo), and a large fitness facility with world class strength and conditioning equipment including Olympic bars and free weights. There is a new 3G artificial pitch, and new floodlit tennis and netball courts.

Eastbourne facilities also has a six-court sports hall, two activity gymnasiums, a swimming pool and a 3G artificial pitch. The facility is a satellite centre for the English Institute of Sport (EIS), with strength and conditioning support to lottery-funded local athletes being provided in the state-of-the-art fitness facilities by Dan Temple.

The university has an external talented sports performers scheme and allows free access to local elite athletes. There are also 2,000 local community members of the sports facilities and numerous local community sports clubs and organisations are either based at the university or use us for festivals and events.

Chelsea School of Sport in Eastbourne has a range of specialist equipment in six laboratories for physiology and biomechanics. These include an environmental chamber, a water tank for underwater weighing, Vicon motion analysis system to analyse sporting technique, a hypoxic chamber to simulate altitude, force platforms embedded in a 30m running track, a range of treadmills and ergometers to assess exercise performance and a biochemistry laboratory with facilities for analysis of human blood and tissue samples.

A £750,000 investment has brought stunning state-of-the-art strength and fitness equipment to Eastbourne students. The new facility is packed with treadmills, rowers, cross trainers, weights machines, six lifting platforms, a plyometrics track, a punchbag rail and a full television and sound system.

The University of Brighton has invested over £12m into sports facility development in the last decade.

As well as helping students keep fit or reach peak sports performance, the facility is also used for teaching, particularly on the popular strength and conditioning modules.

Above: Alex Bliss applying biomechanical joint identification markers to a professional golfer. The reflective markers are picked up by our high-speed camera system (VICON) which allows for complex and intricate analysis of human movement and performance.Left: Members of the commercial activity department assessing the strength of two athletes using CON-TREX isokinetic dynamometers.Right: The university’s environmental chamber.Opposite page: Falmer sports centre’s main hall and gym.


ON CAMPUS

SPORT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THE OLYMPIC LEGACY

An important part of the British Olympic bid was the pledge to use the games to inspire more people to take up sport and physical activity: the University of Brighton is playing its part in contributing to this.

Our new and enhanced sports facilities and equipment have had a positive impact on the local community with many sporting groups using our facilities for their club training and competition time, and for their sporting events.

Sport is a great catalyst for community engagement, and we are encouraging local people to become more active by increasing the ways in which they can access university sports facilities. The community membership scheme has nearly 1,000 local members, and we have had contact with over 540 different community sports clubs since opening up our facilities to the general public.

Community users use the facilities in many ways from individual swimming and fitness facility memberships to a wide range of local sports clubs and groups now being based at the university. At Eastbourne the TOFFs club (The Over Fifty Fives) has developed into a specific activity programme combined with a social club. The members range in age from 55 to 92, with 44 members over the age of 80!

The university is playing a valuable role in developing a sporting legacy locally and there have been many benefits gained from using sport in this way. We have increased awareness of, and enhanced our role in local communities, we have developed a very positive relationship between the university and the communities in which we are based, and the important position that the university has in encouraging more people to be more active, more often has been highlighted.

One of the lifting platforms is equipped with a force plate and a three-camera system to analyse weight-lifting actions. A side room houses scientific isokinetic dynamometers to allow precise measurement of muscle strength.

The university’s human movement laboratories host facilities including a video-based motion analysis system, ultrasound scanning system, multiple image grabber, and electrogoniometers.

channel 7/2012

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