TALENTED athletes proved to be at the top of their game yesterday after securing A Level grades they needed to study abroad as their school celebrated its best ever results.
Richmond School and Sixth Form College student Katie Kitching will play football and Louise Barker hone her swimming talents in America, while Joe Shields is off to Australia to develop his cricketing skills.
Midfielder Katie has been sprinting up the rankings playing for Manchester City in matches against other premier sides in the Women’s Super League reserves.
After playing for the past nine years, the talented 18-year-old has completed another season with Manchester City’s development squad, training three times a week and playing matches at the weekend.
Katie, of Well, between Ripon and Bedale, began playing for Ripon Panthers Ladies and was spotted by scouts while at York Centre of Excellence.
Renowned for her speed, she also showed off her goal scoring prowess last season by slotting home two against Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Louise will study and train at Monmouth University, New Jersey, a division one college, the highest standard in the country and one of the best in the world.
The 18 year-old, of Richmond, is a member of the Richmond Dales Swimming Club and competes regularly in national competitions in her discipline of front crawl.
“I have been swimming since I was seven and hope to compete in the States at NCAA level. I am pleased with my results of B, C, C, and am looking forward to going to America.”
Cricketer Joe has the chance to study football in America but looks likely to develop his cricket in Australia at a club in Melbourne after gaining three D*s in Btec sport.
Straight A*s were one giant leap forward for budding astronaut Ethan Hy, 18, of Richmond. He will now read aeronautical engineering at Imperial College, London.
“I have always wanted to be an astronaut and this is a big step forward,” he said. “There is so much going on around satellite technology and asteroid mining, even the Mars Programme, that I would love to be involved with.”
Singer Evie Wright, 18, of Richmond, secured her place at Liverpool University to study popular music with an A, two Bs and a C.
Ben Rainbow, 18, of Richmond, opted for a place at Durham rather than Cambridge, to read computer science after being awarded two A*s and two A grades.
The school recorded its best ever results with more than 60 per cent of students achieving A*-B grades.
Head teacher Ian Robertson said: “Our best ever results are testament to the levels of commitment our staff and students dedicate to studies in an environment that is perfect to nurture young people’s talents, whether these are sporting, academic, creative or musical.
“The diverse range of destinations our students are able to reach, from Oxbridge and Russell Group universities, to foreign scholarships and exciting apprenticeships, shows that our ‘can-do’ culture offers students the best possible start to life.”