Hatt Clinic in Frome sponsor young athlete

We’re currently sponsoring a young boy, Jacob Lines from Frome who is an aspiring Olympic athlete for Kayaking.

Jacob and his family had been coming to Hatt’s for a while so he reached out to us and told us about his goal to be part of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Jacob’s story was incredibly inspiring and linked so well to our company mission so we decided to support him.

Since then, Jacob has benefited from a range of our services including Massage, Strength and Conditioning and Physiotherapy. We’ve been following his journey to success and are thrilled to be part of it.

Here’s a review of how Jacob’s been getting on so far:

What progress have you made over the past 3 months?

The last 3 months have been difficult for me as I injured my back three months ago. I have had to take nearly two months out of racing, some of which could have

been my best results.

The team at Hatts have helped me get back to strength. Since coming back into racing, I have had two of my best results so far (see below) and I feel more confident that I can get the good results. I have progressed from 23rd in the division to 6th, and even though I’ve missed some races I still have a shot at getting to Premier Division this year. My coaches at British Canoeing are very pleased with how I have managed my recovery. I think I have come back stronger, and I am up for it!

What competitions have you taken part in over the past 3 months?

The last 3 months have been hard. I raced at Grandtully in the Scottish Highlands where I got some great results, which started my season well in both Canoe and Kayak. Then I got injured, and had to take some time off for recovery, with the help of the Hatt’s team.

I raced at Chapel Falls (North Wales) but I came back too soon, had a poor result on day one and had to pull out on day two because of the pain. That was a really low point.

Since then I raced in North Yorkshire where I came 2nd, and then this weekend racing at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham I came 6th, which has pushed me way up the rankings. On day two, I judged at the Pan-Celtic races and raced in Officials against the Russian Senior team and beat two of them!

What competitions does Jacob have lined up over the next 3 months?

I don’t have any races for the next 6 weeks because of a summer break and we are missing a couple of weekends due to a long-standing family holiday in Canada. After that though, I have a week-long BC training camp in France and have arranged a couple of 1-1 coaching sessions before then with a U23 GB Paddler in Nottingham to keep me in shape.

After that though, I have a Division 1 race in Nottingham (HPP), a paddle-up in a Premier race at HPP, and a double race weekend at the Tryweryn (Premier paddle-up in North Wales) and I am looking very likely to get an entry to the British Open at the Olympic course. I will also train and practice with the Frome Canoe Club.

How are you getting on in the GB pathway?

My coaches are very pleased with my progress and my recovery. They think I have a very good chance of promotion to the Premier Division and have asked me to work towards Junior Selection for the GB team next year. This is not with the expectation of getting selected but they want me to be ready and used to the pressure of selection for coming years.

How has attending the clinic helped with your progress?

The clinic has been invaluable to me since getting injured. Without Hatt’s input, I would not have recovered so well and would not be as strong as I am now. I would have missed more races.
I feel I am more aware of my body, mainly my posture and how I feel when something isn’t right. I am looking after my body more, training better and have noticed improvement in my posture and my general physique. My coaches have also noticed this. I am much more aware of my exercise technique.

I am grateful to the team at Hatt’s for the help they have given me, not just in helping me to get over my injury, but also in improving my training and making me stronger, and also to Steph for all the help she has given me in being more aware of my social media profile.

Keep an eye out for more updates on Jacob’s progress. If you are or know someone who lives our mission and deserves to be recognised, please get in touch on 01380 730473.