Looking ahead to 2012
As the world of sport descends on London this summer, the Jaguar Academy takes a look at what not to miss in the big sporting year that is 2012.
Rugby
The rugby Six Nations Championships kicks off in February where England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales face each in other in one of Rugby's biggest international competitions of the year.
Look out for the Six Nations preview piece, which features Jaguar Academy rugby legends, Gareth Edwards, Shane Williams, Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Catt and Jonathan Davies giving their views and predictions on the upcoming Six Nations.
Jaguar Academy of Sport Ambassadors Jonny Wilkinson and Shane Williams
Football
Euro 2012 is soon upon us as England prepares to face Europe's best this summer. Jaguar Academy Ambassador Rio Ferdinand and the rest of England team will be ready to face France in the first of the group stages on 11 June.
Tennis
Wimbledon is considered to be one of the world's most prestigious tennis tournaments and it's back at the end of June for two weeks only! As the nation's tennis fans flock to Murray mountain to watch all the action this year, we're looking forward to seeing Jaguar Academy tennis stars Anne Keothavong and Josh Ward-Hibbert take their place on the grass courts.
Golf
It's been 16 years since an Englishman won a major. So, is this the year for Jaguar Academy golfers Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter to strive? Both Lee and Ian have the qualities to win any one of the four but will they do it. The Master's, the first of the four, takes place from 5-8 April, so stay tuned to see how their conquest to win a major prevails.
Jaguar Academy of Sport Ambassador Lee Westwood
Olympics
27 July. The stadium's have been built, the athletes have been training hard and finally after years of preparation and endless hours of hard work, it is time for the Olympic Games to return to home soil for the first time since 1948.
It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for Jaguar Academy athletes, as the likes of Jessica Ennis, Chris Hoy, Dave Roberts, Dai Greene, Mo Farah, Louise Hazel and Jade Jones, will battle it out and go for gold in London this summer. And with just under 200 days to go, they're stepping up their preparation with hopes that in the end, they'll experience what it's like to win an Olympic and Paralympic medal in front of a home crowd, whilst enjoying every aspect of competing in an Olympic Games.
Jaguar Academy of Sport
And if that itsn't enough to wet your appetites, the Jaguar Academy have lots of events and activities to come. Notably, the 2012 Bursary Awards where we celebrate and recongise the next generation of British sporting talent and present them with their bursaries awards.
Also to come are a selection of Masterclasses where Rising Stars
will be able to get up, close and personal with Jaguar Academy
Patrons, Ambassadors and Members of the Academy. The first of these
will be at the end of February with Ambassador Barry McGuigan and
Special Recognition Award winner Patrick McCann.
Boxing legend Barry McGuigan and Rising Star Patrick McCann
Jaguar Academy of Sport looks back on 2011
2011 was a great year for the Jaguar Academy of Sport and we are very grateful for the invaluable support from all our Patrons, Ambassadors, Members as well as the media we have worked with over the year.
In January, the Jaguar Academy of Sport kicked off 2011 with the 'Legends of Welsh Rugby Interview' with Gareth Edwards, Shane Williams & Jonathan Davies.
January - Legends of Welsh Rugb Interview
As we moved into February, we hosted a Talent Day for the 2010 Rising Stars at the Manchester Velodrome with hosts Dave Brailsford and Dr. Steve Peters. ITV Daybreak also popped along to interview Academy Patron Dame Kelly Holmes with Rising Stars Jade Jones and Sophie Lewis.
February - ITV Daybreak filming
March saw the start of a new relationship as the Jaguar Academy of Sport partnered with Sporting Equals, an organisation who promote ethnic diversity across sport. We also held a lifestyle event, hosted by TalkSPORT sensation Des Kelly and footballing stars Rio Ferdinand and Sam Allardyce.
March - Lifestlye Event with Sam Allardyce, Des Kelly & Rio Ferdinand
At the start of April, the 2010 Rising Stars took part in a Workshop with Anna Hemmings at Loughborough Uni, which focused on 'looking after your body for life'. Later that month, as we celebrated 2010 Bursary success, we announced the names of the new and upcoming 2011 Rising Stars to be awarded with the Bursary Fund.
April - Celebrating success from the 2010 Rising Stars
A new generation of sporting talent emerged in May as we presented the 2011 Rising Stars with their Bursary Awards at the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames. The athletes then participated in their first Talent Day with Patrons & Ambassadors Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Kelly Holmes, Gareth Edwards, Denise Lewis, Tim Henman, Colin Jackson and Jamie Baulch. And just before the month was out, Jaguar became the first ever official partner of The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing.
May - 2011 Bursary Awards
As the summer stepped in and the month of June got underway, Jaguar Academy Ambassadors Jess Ennis and Martin Brundle attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed where they were able to test drive the new XKR-S. Meanwhile, the Rising Stars headed to Loughborough Uni to take part in one of their Workshops, and Jaguar reaffirmed its commitment to Team Sky Pro-Cycling by extending its partnership for the 2011 season. The Jaguar Academy of Sport also hosted its first ever fundraising Golf Day with World No.2 golfer Lee Westwood.
June - FundraisingGolf Day with Lee Westwood
In July, the Academy announced its partnership with esteemed British jeweller Garrard and Rising Star Toby Tree competed in the Ian Poulter Junior Invitational at Woburn Golf Club, receiving key coaching and advice from golfing star Ian Poulter. England cricketers also appeared in action this month, but this time it was in the Jaguar driving seat as they got to grips and were put to the test in the XKR-S.
July - Ian Poulter coaches Rising Star Toby Tree
August. As the Summer of Sport continued and the athletes were busy prepping themselves for World Champion success, golfer Ian Poulter went Jaguar mad as he took to the tracks in Gaydon with the XKR-S. We also caught up with all the Rising Stars to see how they were getting on in all their latest competitions. We must also not forget about the England Cricket team who became the World's Number One Test Team!
August - England's Number 1 Test Team
In September, we interviewed World Champions Dai Greene and Mo Farah following their outstanding performances at the World Championships in Daegu. Dame Kelly Holmes and SportsAid attended a Shooting Day, which was hosted by Rising Star Sheree Cox and Jessica Ennis took part in a Workshop with the Rising Stars, where she discussed 'how to cope with injury'. Kelly Holmes also wrote a blog for the Academy, focusing on the Rising Stars following her trip to the Isle of Man for the Commonwealth Youth Games.
September - Jess Ennis hosts a Workshop for the Rising Stars
It was a busy month in October as the Jaguar Academy of Sport team attended an 'Evening with Dai Greene', where we were able to celebrate Dai's success in Daegu. Dai then travelled to Germany with Jamie Baulch where they test-drove the XKR-s at the Nurburgring. Colin Jackson wrote an exclusive blog for the Academy, wrapping up the super year of Athletics and Dave Brailsford mentored the 2011 Rising Stars at Manchester City Stadium. It was Masterclasses galore as Tim Henman provided a tennis session for up and coming tennis stars, whilst Dai Greene, Colin Jackson and Marlon Devonish provided young athletes with an athletics Masterclass in Birmingham. And if you thought that wasn't enough, Boxing legend Barry McGuigan visited Stratstone Jaguar in Plymouth to take part in a sporting Q&A and horse racing legend Sir Henry Cecil collected his new Jaguar XJ Supersport.
October - Workshop with Dave Brailsford
October - Athletics Masterclass with Dai Greene, Jamie Baulch, Marlon Devonish, Sally Gunnell and Colin Jackson
And then came the month of November. The Jaguar Academy of Sport's showcase event of the year was upon us. The star-studded 2011 Annual Awards took London by storm as we celebrated the very best of British sporting achievements at The Savoy. And if that wasn't enough, the Academy attended SportsAid's annual SportsBall where 3 of the Rising Stars were nominated for the One-to-Watch Award. November also went cricket mad as Jimmy Anderson and Tim Bresnan hosted a cricket Masterclass for local sports enthusiasts at Lancashire County Cricket ground, and 2011 Rising Star Raveena Lakhtaria received a Masterclass from female cricketer Isa Guha.
November - 2011 Annual Awards
From cricket to rugby, December saw two of the nation's greatest rugby players, Jonny Wilkinson and Shane Williams, hang up their boots and retire from International Rugby. Upon retiring, Jonny Wilkinson joined the prestigious list of Jaguar Academy of Sport Ambassadors and wing wizard, Shane Williams caught up with the Academy to give his insight into the Welsh performance at the Rugby World Cup and his recent retirement from International rugby.
December - Rugby Interviews with Jonny Wilkinson & Shane Williams
