As the baton is about to be passed to this year’s team, we speak to three of last year’s Nike Selects about why they were chosen, what they’ve been up to and what they will take from their experience as ambassadors for sport.

Liu Batchelor Age: 23 University: Loughborough Sport: Wakeboarding	Sara Luck Age: 23 University: Kings College London Sport: Athletics	Sian Bentley Age: 23 University: Brunel Sport: Fitness and Rowing

Why do you think you were chosen to be Nike Selects?

Liu: I think the selection process was all about showing your determination; that you could stick at it. I think Nike wanted people who would give it a go, it was never about being the best, it was about being the most passionate, committed and excited.

All of us were involved in either university or other sports clubs anyway and we all wanted to get more women involved. I think that’s why they picked us, because we all had our own ideas. We’d do it off our own backs anyway, even if we weren’t Nike Selects.

What has been the highlight of your year as a Nike Select?

Sara: Mine was during the summer when Remel, another Nike Select, and I were presenters for the Nike Women website reporting from Nike Training Club events. I was a bit scared at first being in front of the camera but Remel was a natural so I got into the swing of it. It was cool interviewing people and was an amazing experience.

Sian: I went to the Nike Training Club event at the V&A museum in London. There was so much buzz about it, just getting off the tube and walking there the girls were so excited. I really enjoyed that. But I guess my overall highlight would have to be the Hard Corp Training Programme. Five of us Selects went through three weeks of intense training and competed for a secret prize.

What was it like to compete against each other during the Hard Corp Training?

Liu: We were really competing against ourselves; we wanted to beat our original times from the fitness test at the beginning. When you’ve put all that work in, you want to have something at the end that says yeah, it paid off.

How did it feel when you won, Liu?

Liu: It was awesome. I was quite surprised as well because I wasn’t expecting to do that well. The other girls were at such a high level anyway so it was so hard for them to improve.

Would you encourage other girls to be Nike Selects?

Sara: We’ve had such an amazing experience I’ve got 13 new friends from it too. It’s wicked to be around such enthusiastic sporty girls.

Sian: Being a Nike Select kind of makes you proud that you’ve got the passion and the drive to do sport. Any time you feel a bit low or whatever, it’s good to remember why you’ve been picked.

Liu: We’ve had so much fun and whenever we get together it’s really exciting.

Sian: Yeah especially when we get our kit, we’re just like “Aaaaaah.” [squeals]

What have you learned about yourselves from your experience as Nike Selects?

Sara: I found it really helped my focus with training. I had my best season last summer and I’m sure it’s to do with Nike. Well, the kit helped as well! [laughs] But yeah, I found it inspiring and motivating for my running.

Liu: At first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fit everything in around my studies but I surprised myself by how well I coped, it made me much better at time management. Also, getting respect for the work you’ve done in your local area to take sport out to a wider audience is really good.

Sian: I always knew I had a passion for sport but I thought everyone was like that so being a Nike Select kind of confirmed for me that this is want I want to do with my life. Through my job as a fitness instructor I’ve had the chance to work with loads of women and encourage them into sport. It comes naturally to me so it’s great that I’ve been able to motivate a lot of women to achieve their goals.

What is a Nike Select?
Could you do a Nike Select workout?