Hull and East Yorkshire Sporting Heroes and Champions Awards 2009

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20th November 2009

GB sitting volleyball player 'beyond words' after being nominated for prestigious sports award

GB sitting volleyball player 'beyond words' after being nominated for prestigious sports award

A sitting volleyball player from Withernsea has been named a finalist for the Hull and East Yorkshire (HEY) Sporting Heroes and Champions Awards, due to be held at Hull City Hall later this month.

Martin Chapman, 43, who plays sitting volleyball for Great Britain, has been nominated in the Talented Amateur Disabled Performer category of the sports awards, which has been launched for the first time this year by First Hull Trains and KCFM 99.8.
Mr Chapman said: "After I was involved in an accident, I thought it was the end of everything - I had played volleyball previously and I managed to get back into the sport.
"It's a relatively new sport in the UK but I've been playing for the national squad for two years now and I really enjoy it. It's a competitive sport and I'm playing at a top level."
Mr Chapman will join the other sports awards finalists on Thursday, November 26 at the prestigious awards ceremony at Hull City Hall, which will be attended by both amateur and professional players, allowing aspiring athletes to rub shoulders with some of Hull's top sporting professionals.

"I'm literally beyond words," he added. "Rob Richardson, who nominated me, is one of the top three players of sitting volleyball in the country, so for him to recognise my effort and achievement is just unbelievable.
"I really feel incredibly lucky. My proudest moment to this day was the first time I pulled on a GB shirt and that feeling never goes away, every time you wear your shirt you know you're representing your country. It's a great feeling."
Although Mr Chapman works as a tutor for East Riding College, he is incredibly dedicated to his sitting volleyball training, travelling to Lincoln five days a week to practice and fundraises the £500 a month it costs him to train at international level.
David Townend, First Hull Trains' sales and marketing manager, said: "We had an incredible response to this year's sports awards - all of our nominees were of a very high calibre, so it was incredibly difficult for the judges to shortlist the finalists. Martin has done very well to be a finalist in the sports awards, but it goes without saying that his dedication to sitting volleyball is phenomenal.
"The ceremony itself looks set to be an evening to remember, tickets are selling fast. Table seats are already completely sold out with only balcony seats available now. We are offering the remaining tickets at a special price of four for the price of three, so that everyone can have an opportunity to meet the region's sporting heroes."

To book a balcony ticket, which is priced at £10, visit Hull City Hall Box Office or call (01482) 226655.

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