Newcastle University

Warrington-born Andrew Brown will battle the Big Freeze in Europe to take part in a 10-day training camp in Palma, Mallorca.

In Mallorca he will compete for selection for the Senior World Championships in May in the category of Men’s Single Handed Sailing. Restricted by space to train by a 7.3m² piece of cloth and a sailing boat, he is forced to travel to Sunderland at the weekends to keep on top of his training.

Andrew is looking to break into the senior level Sailing, and although it is competitive he has no fear of giving it a go. At the age of 14 he was #1 in the country for his age group and is enjoying competing with the best. A Performance Scholarship from the University is vital, as Andrew must pay for equipment in order to compete. Whilst he may be coy about his achievements, he is not shy in stepping forward to share his talent. As well as competing and studying medicine (a decision which came after his ‘epiphany’ last year) he also teaches the 12-16 Age Group for North England Sailing.

It is never easy to balance competitive sport and an intense degree, and Andrew admits he could not have chosen a more difficult balance. However, with his drive to make it work, to compete and to pursue his dreams, Andrew is doing a pretty good job so far.