Lasswade's Rory McAlpine is just three weeks away from competing in his biggest event after being selected to for the Scottish team bound for the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India.

The 17 year old Prone shooter is part of a 44 strong team which comprises athletes from eight sports (athletics, badminton, boxing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling) together with 16 support staff. 

“It’s fantastic to be picked for the team,” said Rory.  “In every competition this year I’ve been working towards the criteria for the Games and to be selected for the team is a huge relief.
 
Rory took up the sport after trying his hand during his first year at George Watsons College. “I put my name down for the rifle club to see what it was like and it’s been awesome ever since,” he says.
 
He has already competed for Great Britain’s junior team and is a member of the Scotland Fast Track squad, for the country’s best under 25 year olds.  Immediately prior to the Games in Pune he will represent Scotland in the Commonwealth Federation European Championships in Gibraltar.
 
The Pune-bound Scottish team, which is supported by Clydesdale Bank, contains some familiar names with strong links to Commonwealth Games success.
 
Eilish McColgan, daughter of Liz McColgan, has qualified for the 1500m.  Lynsey Sharp, daughter of Commonwealth Games gold medallist Cameron Sharp (4x100 metres relay in 1978) and Commonwealth Games representative Carol Sharp will compete in the 800m. Jennifer McIntosh, daughter of multiple Commonwealth Games medallist Shirley and father Donald, a twice Commonwealth Games competitor, has been selected for small-bore shooting
 
Pune 2008 is the first Youth Games to which all 71 Commonwealth countries have been invited to take part with 351 medals to be won across nine sports.
 
As a result of the global expansion of the Games, each country has been allocated a fixed number of places and qualification standards were set accordingly. In a number of sports more athletes met the standards than there were places available.
 
“The Commonwealth Youth Games is fundamental to our athletes going forward and competing for places in the Commonwealth Games teams,” said Sinclaire Bruce, the Scottish Team’s Shooting Manager.
 
“They can clearly shoot but it’s about doing it when it matters.  Handling the build up, the nerves, the anticipation, that’s what they need to learn to do.  It’s a skill in itself to learn and you have to go to these events to get that experience.
 
“Rory has been improving steadily through the year and has handled the pressure of competition for the one place to go to Pune exceptionally well.”
 
Rory agrees he has made significant advances in the vital area of psychology this year. “It can be a stressful sport because you’ve got to keep your concentration for so long and you’ve got to put any negative thoughts to one side, keep focussed and get on with the match,” he said.  “But I’ve got more experience this year and can cope with it a lot better now. I’ve had a lot of help from Sinclaire and past coaches at the club at Watsons.
 
As a recent inductee to the East Institute of Sport, Rory now has access to high performance expertise including sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning and career and lifestyle guidance.  He plans to make use of the support services after returning from Pune.
 
Based on previous Youth Games results, it is anticipated that many of the Scottish athletes, all of whom are under 18 years of age, who compete and win medals in Pune will go on to compete for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 and Glasgow 2014 and for Team GB in London 2012 when they should be at their competitive peak.
 
“My long term aim is to get a medal in the Commonwealth games probably Glasgow, so Pune will be a very valuable experience,” added Rory.  “It’s a multi sport event so I’ll get to see all the other sports and be in that atmosphere of other sports, just like in the Commonwealth Games.   It will be very exciting.”