2022 Athlete Travel Award Scheme Profile – Shannon Leslie

Orkney’s Shannon Leslie is one of 11 local athletes benefiting from the sportscotland Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS) this year.

Take a look here to find out more about what support from the scheme means to Shannon -

• Name: Shannon Leslie 
• Age: 15
• Sport: Badminton
• Club: Orkney Badminton Association

What inspired you to take up your sport?

I've been interested in sport for as long as I can remember I used to do dancing, gymnastics, football, swimming and badminton as it was manageable at such a young age. As I started getting older things started clashing and that's when I knew I needed to pick two sports to focus on. I choose to stick with badminton and gymnastics and take them to a higher level by competing in them. Only this year I decided to focus fully on my badminton career and give up gymnastics. This was a hard decision but one that had to be made. 

Best Achievement this ATAS Year?

My best achievement this ATAS year would be winning the treble at the Senior Shetland competition at the age of 15 and being able to take my training from coaches and put it into my competition games. 

What does ATAS Support mean to you?

ATAS support means a lot to me. It means I am able to go down south for more competitions and get more experience from playing different levels of players. ATAS support also means my mum isn't having to pay out as much as she did before and helps pay for travel, training and accommodation. 

This year 11 local athletes are benefiting from the sportscotland Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS). The Scheme is an ongoing partnership between sportscotland and the participating local authorities in Highlands & Islands - Orkney Islands, Western Isles, Shetland Islands and Highlands Councils.

Orkney Islands Council is extremely grateful to also have a partnership with Stagecoach which allows us to enhance and extend our programme in Orkney.