News

Daniel Climbs his way into Great Britain Team

Personal Excellence

Daniel Smith of S1 has been selected for the Great Britain Junior Climbing Team following two successful years representing Scotland and two high-profile second place finishes at the British Bouldering and Climbing Championships.

Now in S1 at the College, Daniel has been a member of the St Aloysius’ College climbing squad since he was in P5, and has impressed national coaches over the past two years as part of the Scotland climbing set-up.

Mr Bagshaw, the Head of Outdoor Education at the College, was extremely pleased for Daniel and feels it’s a victory to be enjoyed by everyone involved.

“It’s always a delight to have another St. Aloysius' College Climbing squad member selected to represent Great Britain.

It has been a path Daniel was destined to take from a very early age and credit must go to the College's coaching team along with the tireless family support, his external coaches and of course Daniel's own infectious enthusiasm, energy and commitment for all things vertical!”

Photo: Daniel by Sandy Carr

Daniel is one of only 4 Scottish climbers to be selected for the Great Britain team after a series of strong performances in British level competitions where he achieved top 5 finishes in his past three events.

The Aloysian is also the only Scottish climber under the age of 14 to be selected, and although that means he’s not yet old enough to compete on the international stage, being a member of the GB team will see him travel to competitions in Europe and gain valuable experience for when he can compete following his 14th birthday.

Being younger than his fellow climbers is not a new experience for the S1 pupil who became the youngest person ever to climb all of Scotland’s 282 Munro Mountains back in 2013.

His ability as a climber has steadily improved as a member of the St Aloysius’ College Climbing Squad, and Mr Bagshaw thinks there much more to come from Daniel and all others involved sports and activities with the Outdoor Education department.

“I certainly see this milestone as the very start of what will be an exciting and highly rewarding journey for Daniel.  I look forward to new boundaries being set and the many new accomplishments a talented climber such as Daniel will undoubtedly achieve in the future.”

“It is gratifying to see a relatively new and alternative sport to the College produce a team of talented and determined individuals. The introduction of weekly after school Climbing and Kayaking has encouraged pupils who have a genuine passion for their sports, which is always fantastic to see.”

Daniel’s sister, Hannah of S2, is one of the other pupils with a passion for climbing and although 2015 has undoubtedly been a very successful year for Daniel, one thing he will be looking to change in 2016 is attempting to take the title of Smith Family Climbing Champion away from Hannah who earned that accolade this year and who is also on the radar for GB Team Coaches.