John Merricks Golf Day

After a fantastic evening in London at the National Hostory Museum for the Gold Ball, the British Olympic Associations anual fund raiser it was an early start to catch the first train to Southampton.

A bright and sunny morning greeted the 96 golfers who turned out for the 13th North Sails Golf Day last Friday at Cams Hall in Fareham. John Merricks worked at North Sails and the first Golf Day, organised as it is today with the help of the Seahorse Golf Society, was set up to raise money for a Trust to be started in John’s name.
I had a great day joined and helped to raise funds for Johns Trust, I was in a four ball with Ed Wright, Paul Hobson and Rob Wilson. We all played pretty well scoring just over 30 stableford points each. Unfortunately not quite enough to win though.

I graduated again this week ten years on from my last one,

Former student and Olympic Gold medallist, Paul Goodison, received an Honorary Doctorate of Sport in recognition of his outstanding achievements in his chosen sport on Tuesday, November 3.

Paul is currently ranked as the world’s number one Laser sailor, an Olympic Gold Medallist, and World and European champion. He started sailing at the age of four and has enjoyed an outstanding string of successes since turning professional in 1999.

His first major triumph came in the 2000 Laser European Championships where he won Silver. In 2004 he represented his country in the Athens Olympic Games where he narrowly missed a Bronze Medal, and went on to win Gold in the Laser Class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Paul – who graduated from Solent University with a BSc (Hons) Maritime Studies in 1999 – has been nominated for the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award and will be traveling to Korea for the awards ceremony on 10 November. He is now working towards further success in London 2012.

He said: “I congratulate everyone graduating. I remember 10 years ago being in the same position before going out into the world. Southampton Solent University was a fantastic place to prepare me for what was to come. It was only really when I was stood on the podium in Beijing listening to the national anthem that I truly believed what I had achieved.”