ATHLETICS

This summer’s track and field season is greatly anticipated, following the successes of our cross country and indoor athletics performances - highlights being the Junior Boys reaching the ESAA Cross Country Cup Finals, eleven of our runners selected to represent Surrey Schools Cross Country (with three students qualifying for the individual Nationals) and both our First Form girls and boys winning the Surrey County Sportshall Athletics Finals.

In the summer term, we will be running our Athletics Club after school at Hartswood on a Monday and Wednesday – both weekly sessions are for all ages and abilities and students are welcome to attend both or one session. Please sign up on the activities lists. We encourage athletes to bring their spikes to Athletics Games and after school Athletics Club.

We will be entering girls’ and boys’ teams, from First Form to Upper Sixth Form, into their respective District Championships. The Districts is the start of the individual pathway journey and, for Third Form and above, can lead to selection for the ESAA Inter Counties on 10th June and representing Surrey at the ESAA English Schools Track and Field Championships, 30th June - 1st July. Individual performances at the District Championships also count towards overall RGS team positions.

Our Intermediate and Junior Boys and Girls teams will be competing in the

ESAA Track and Field Cup, the County round is on 10th May. Each Junior team will comprise athletes from First and Second Form combined, and the Intermediate teams will be athletes from Third and Fourth Form combined. An athlete has to compete in two events; track and field, track and relay or field and relay. Performance times and distances equate to points and individual points are added to give the overall team total. Team positions and totals count towards progression to the Regionals and then National Finals. In this exciting team event, we could end up with combinations of a top 1500m runner also throwing the discus, or our number one javelin thrower running a leg of the relay, to ensure we try and maximise our overall points.

In addition to our championship competitions, our teams will be participating in friendly school fixtures, hosted at Hartswood and other schools. We will also be supporting and encouraging our athletes in open track events. School Sports Day is on 16th June and we very much hope all our students will participate and enjoy a day of wonderful sport at Hartswood. At all our events, home or away, parents are most welcome to watch and soak up the track-side atmosphere. As always, thank you for your support.

Tennis at RGS has continued to go from strength to strength, and the Summer term see the official start of the Tennis season. The past few years has seen Tennis explode in popularity at RGS and it has been fantastic to see so many students with the passion to play.

Students will have to opportunity to choose Tennis as a games option from Third Form up, and all year groups have a dedicated after school training night on the MUGA or at Hartswood.

We are excited to continue to strengthen our partnerships with our local community partners, both Boom Tennis and Reigate Priory Lawn Tennis Club. These partnerships contribute to our provision of expert coaching during Games sessions and after school practices to stretch and challenge all students.

All age groups have a challenging and competitive fixtures circuit with both boys’ and girls’ squads entered into the:

• Surrey Schools Tennis League

• Surrey Festival (a real highlight!)

• Saturday friendly fixtures

Last year our U13 girls reached the semi-finals of the Surrey Festival, and showed true Reigatian values as they were awarded the sportsmanship award by the tournament organisers. We hope to have similar success both in the way that we play, and conduct ourselves on the court.

For those students that enjoy two or more sports, we encourage them to balance Tennis with those sports. The majority of league fixtures will be organised after school during the week, in order not to clash with other activities where possible.

Rob Field Head of Racquets