This year, due to COVID-19, the Penrith Ullswater Community College PE department moved its sports personality of the year awards online.
Certificates and letters were distributed in the post to the winners and runners-up of each category, and head of PE Jonathan Greenwood, along with PE teachers Katie Armstrong and Karen Castle, went out to surprise the winner of the overall award, Isabel Sanderson, currently in Year 10.
Isabel has been an outstanding student since starting in Year 7. Her talents spread across a variety of sports and there will not be many activities in which she has not represented UCC.
In netball she has been a member of the squad since Year 7, when they were county champions, and then qualified to represent Cumbria in the regional finals at the first time of asking in Year 9.
She was part of a successful trip to Shropshire where the team won their tournament. During a visit to Holland they were winners of the Year 9 section and runners-up in Year 10.
In athletics, Isabel has been part of many Eden district-winning teams, going on to qualify out of the county and into regional finals.
She has twice been part of the rounders team that won the county schools championships in Years 8 and 9.
Whenever she has been asked she has run for the cross-country team, and in gymnastics she performs to an exceptionally high standard, executing every move with precision and flair which is a credit to her determination and drive to achieve her best in everything she does.
This year she was part of the under-19 UCC gymnastics squad which won the regional gymnastics championships, and, had COVID-19 not occurred, she would have represented the north of England at the English schools gymnastics finals in Shropshire.
Katie said: “This was an unbelievable achievement and we are confident we could qualify again next year.”
Isabel has also had a key role in the UCC Wolves cheerleading squad who are the reigning national schools champions.
She can perform stunts to the highest level and can always be relied upon to perform the most complex tumbling sequences to “wow” the judges.
“Isabel dances with endless energy and gives 100 per cent to everything she does,” said Katie. She is a star in every discipline she turns her hand to and has always shown maturity beyond her years, being a fantastic role model. She always does everything with a smile on her face and has been a pleasure to teach and have as part of every single sports team we run.
“When teaching moved online Isabel completed all her work to an excellent standard and always on time. There is no-one more deserving to win sports personality of the year 2020 than Isabel.”
