THEY practise different sports...

but these youngsters all have one goal in common.

This year's intake at Glasgow School of Sport are the stars of the future.

And they are looking up to their older peers who graduated from the South Side secondary and won medals in Glasgow's Commonwealth Games.

Angela Porter, director of Glasgow School of Sport, said: "We had 12 young people in this year's Games - two of them still school pupils.

"It was incredible knowing that they had started here and seeing them go all the way through their careers.

"We know that every child who joins the School of Sport has different ambitions but to see them represent their country at the Commonwealth Games in their home nation was incredible.

"It's inspiring for our young pupils too."

And this year's intake of 15 first-year pupils - who play everything from hockey to badminton to athletics - have been bitten by the Commonwealth bug.

Young gymnast Ailish Campbell, 11, who has moved from Lenzie Moss Primary, and her peers hockey player Stephen Mackenzie, also 11, from Hamilton; Stephen Kelter, 11, a hockey player from Govan who attended Riverside Primary School; Morgan Findlay, 12, who has just left Mount Vernon Primary and is training in athletics; and Jamie Gunn, 12, from Battlefield, who plays badminton all want to reach the Commonwealth Games.

They will follow the normal school curriculum while also having intense training in their sport.

Ailish said: "I have friends who came here so I knew what it would be like but I also saw the Commonwealth Games stars who came from here and I want to be like them.

"It was amazing seeing the Team Scotland gymnastics and knowing that I've trained where they've trained and I could one day be like them."

Glasgow School of Sport, based in Bellahouston Academy, is celebrating its largest ever representation for Team Scotland.

The school's 12 athletes - eight women and four men - would have been 26th in the medal table, if the school was a country.

Former pupil Michael Jamieson was rewarded with a silver medal on day one of the Games while Kirsty Gilmour, also alumni, concluded the Games, winning badminton silver.

THE athletes were today invited to the school to celebrate with the new starts.

Kirsty Gilmour was to show off her medal and was being joined by hockey players William Marshall, Susan McGilveray, Caitlin Pringle and Rebekka Findlay and gymnast Amy Regan.

High performance badminton coach Craig Roberston said Kirsty was a raw talent when she arrived.

Craig, who won bronze in the team event at Manchester 2002, said: "She wasn't the best in first year but she bought into everything offered during her time in school and gave 100%.

"For three weeks before the Games we had the Scottish bad- minton team practising here and that was amazing for the pupils - they watched them train, ate lunch with them. It was inspiring.

"Kirsty is great. She is open with the pupils and comes back to see them regularly so they knew her already but it was a thrill for them to see the other athletes."

Hockey coach Harry Dunlop said the school looks for pupils who have promise, not just those who have had lots of practice.

Harry said: "If you look at Stephen Kelter, he has unbelievable natural talent but he hasn't had nearly as much practise as some of the other pupils.

"But we aren't looking for the most number of hours played, we are looking for children to tick all the boxes we need and then we work with them to make them become sports stars."

catriona.stewart@ eveningtimes.co.uk