35 minute read
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Getting Active...
2019-20 has been yet another year of exam successes and top sporting achievements for Wakefield Girls' High School. If you are looking for a department that epitomises academic success, teamwork, dedication and, of course, fun then look no further than the Physical Education Department here at WGHS. Read on for our full sports update.
CROSS COUNTRY...
Cross Country Report 2019-20
The Cross Country season kicked off at the start of October with the Wakefield League seeing races at Ackworth, Outwood and QEGS. All the girls ran with great determination and were rewarded with some excellent results. Harriet, Frankie, Alice, Maddy, Imogen, Suzie and Abbey all qualified for the West Yorkshire round of the competition at GSAL. Due to this being held on a Saturday, and the girls having other sporting commitments, Harriet, Frankie and Imogen were unable to compete. In the Junior competition Alice and Maddy just missed out on selection to the national finals and Suzie unfortunately was unwell and was unable to finish the race. Abbey had an excellent run, finishing 2nd, and qualified for the national finals later in March. Imogen, having finished first in all her qualifying races, was also invited to the national finals.
Meanwhile, in October the junior team of Claudia, Freya, Alice, Maddy, Harriet and Frankie travelled to Pocklington for the first round of the team competition. Here they all had great runs and finished 2nd team overall and progressed to the regional finals in North Ferriby in November. Again, a Saturday fixture meant that not everyone could attend, but the girls all ran well and fought hard on a tough course. Sadly their 10th place didn’t allow them to progress any further in the competition. March saw the annual Worksop College invitational competition. This is always an enjoyable trip, in no small part due to the excellent tea we are served after the races in the Hogwarts style dining hall. We arrived as defending champions but the team of Claudia, Harriet, Alice, Leina and Abbi didn’t let the pressure get to them and returned back to WGHS with the trophy for 1st team. The final event of the season just sneaked in before schools closed and we went into lockdown. On 14th March Imogen and Abbey travelled to Sefton Park in Liverpool to represent West Yorkshire at the national finals of the English Schools Cross Country Championship, along with teams from 46 counties. Despite a winter season where she had concentrated on her bike training Imogen, in the junior race, finished a fantastic 26th out of over 340 runners. For Abbey this was to be her sixth consecutive and final year at the national finals. After a fast start and despite the muddy conditions Abbey came a fantastic 23rd out of 300 of the country’s best athletes. As it was her last ever English Schools Cross Country race it was amazing for her to end on such a high. Huge congratulations go to all the girls that have run in any cross country events this season. You are prepared to run in all the weather an English winter throws at you and always do WGHS proud. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Abbey for all her contributions to the Cross Country Club throughout her time at WGHS. Not only has she had outstanding personal success, she has always found time to encourage and support the younger girls. I wish her every success as she goes to university and beyond.
Mrs Rees
HOCKEY... Indoor Hockey Report
Our last indoor season at Wakefield Girls’ High School has been very successful, and has been a fun way for many of us to finish an exciting hockey career at the school. Lower down the school, we also have a lot of talent and were able to enter a young U16 team into the National Schools Competition. In the North East Round the girls beat Queen Ethelburgas 3-0, drew to Bradford Grammar and Hull Collegiate and unfortunately narrowly lost to Yarm (0-1), Hymers (0-2) and a very strong RGS Newcastle team 0-5. Despite half of our team being Year 8 and the opposition up to Year 11 the girls played very well and although these results meant they could not progress to the North Finals, the girls should be proud. Their results bode exceptionally well for future seasons as they can continue to develop their indoor skills and tactics. Indoor is a great way to bond as a team and develop skills that are useful for outdoor as well; I hope they use this experience as a motivator for a fantastic season next year. Good luck! As an U18 team, we were faced with more rounds than ever to get through to the National Finals, due to increasing participation in schools across the North. However, we dominated our North East round winning all our games with a total of 17 goals scored and conceding only 5 against QE, RGS Newcastle, Hymers, Giggleswick and Ripon. As North East Champions we progressed to the North Finals and built on our previous success to beat Pocklington and Queens Chester 3-0 and 4-0 respectively. Our must win game against the Grange was much tighter, as we faced a well-drilled team, many of whom had National League Indoor Experience. In a very tense match for the players (and spectators!) the Grange continuously matched each of our goals scored. In true Wakefield Girls’ fashion, we managed to leave it to the final minutes to seal the win, ending with a 6-5 score line. Our result against RGS in the previous round meant we went through as North Champions to National Finals and celebrated with the traditional McDonalds! At Nationals, we were met with larger squads, made almost entirely of Year 13 students. However, we used the opportunity well and managed to enjoy some difficult games. Our games against Repton and St Georges both ended with tough 1-9 score lines, but these losses were made slightly easier when it was both these teams that made the National Final, with Repton eventually winning 3-0. The next day, having regained our confidence and demolished a full English we faced Framingham. Despite our best efforts, and plenty of chances we couldn’t convert and conceded from some well-rehearsed short corner routines with a final 0-5 score. Determined to get a point from our last game, we faced Dean Close. After going down 2-1 in the second half, we managed to quickly reorganise and equalise ending in a 2-2 final result. Although we didn’t progress to the semis, a top 10 finish in the country is still a massive achievement and the girls should be proud of their hard work and effort. On behalf of the Year 13s I would like to thank the younger girls for playing up for us, without which we wouldn’t have had such a strong squad - good luck for next year! I would also like to say a massive thank you to Mrs Morgan, Ben and all the other staff and coaches who have supported us throughout our school fixtures and put up with our (less than tuneful) singing and music on bus journeys.
Alex Middleton - Year 13
U12 Hockey Report
This season our team has grown closer and developed as a group. We have supported each other through our losses and celebrated our wins. After losing a game we always come back better than before and we have motivated each other. The team came together and voted for the most improved player; the votes were quite even because everyone has shown they deserved to be in the team but in the end, Esther had the most.
As the season continued we improved a lot and that is thanks to our PE staff, Mrs Robinson and Ben. As we became better friends we learnt each other’s skillsets which helped us play to each other’s strengths. The team became much happier with how we played and this showed throughout the season because we scored more goals, won more matches, and played a lot better as a team. We all look forward to next season and we hope we will all improve and it will be even better than this one
Lucia Partridge - Year 7
U13 Hockey Report
We started this year brilliantly with great contributions and commitments by all the team members because we were determined to get to the national finals. We trained with high intensity and this made us stronger. Throughout this season we have faced stronger and weaker teams but we have always played as a team and fought for a win. One of our favourite matches was Hymers as they were a very powerful team. However, this was a Saturday match meaning it was a friendly match but it was still important as we could be facing them further down the line. At the time we were losing 2-0 and half-time had already been so we couldn’t reconnect as a team, but thankfully we managed to step it up and we ended up drawing, which was a fantastic result. The team also had a tough North East round, which was the first round of many to come if we were going to reach our goal, national finals. It was an extremely challenging tournament as only 2 of 6 went through to the next round. We played teams from all around the North East of England, including Pocklington, Yarm, RGS, Scarborough College and Durham. As a team we played incredibly throughout the games beating all our opposition except Yarm whom we drew 1-1. In the end, it came down to the final match against Scarborough College, unfortunately, we lost 3-0. After the umpires had added up the points that we had accumulated throughout the tournament they announced the placings. Thankfully we placed 2nd but the next tournament was cancelled due to coronavirus. Finally, we would like to thank the PE staff and Ben for the training, encouragement and support. We are all extremely excited to build our strengths for next season.
Henny Gibson and Lucy Holland Year 8
U14 Hockey Report
This year our new team has developed with some great contributions from each and every member. After a long break from hockey over the summer the girls came together and welcomed new members. We trained as a year group this season encouraging more people to take up hockey. We played on a Tuesday night at Outwood school, which helped us gain confidence with invaluable match experience. We used this opportunity to get more familiar with match play. With the encouragement from the PE staff and Ben, our coach, we started to improve. It has been great this year to welcome new members onto the team, who have all strived to develop and work as a team.
Throughout the season we have tried to improve on our basic skills and theory. One of the best games of the season was against Silcoates in which we all panicked knowing they were tough competition but we remained calm and played our best hockey with a 4-0 win. Another great game was against AKS where we defended against a very strong team and worked together to get a well-deserved draw. We played as a team and played well which stands us in good form for next year. I would like to thank each member of the team for coming to all the training sessions in the wind and rain (fortunately no snow this year) and to the staff for organising matches against other schools. We are looking forward to building on our strengths for next year.
Lucy Crook - Year 9
U15 Hockey Report
This season Year 10 have enjoyed an enthralling and successful season of hockey, and we have all loved playing and representing WGHS. Starting off our competitive season we played Queens Chester in the U15 ISHC competition. It was a good game against tough competition however it was very early in the year and we came away with a 2-1 loss. However this did not dampen our spirits as we trained hard in preparation for competing in the plate. From here we had a comfortable match against Queen Ethelburgas where we won 5-0. We took this motivation into a really tough match against GSAL. They attacked hard but they didn't get through our defence, and as a team we capitalized on our chances coming away with a 2-0 victory with goals from Jessica and Charisa. We then went forward to the quarter finals of the plate and with an overnight stay in sight we were all ready to go down fighting. Our opponents were Stockport Grammar, who were a good side and after half-time they were 1-0 up, however we weren’t giving up. We scored quickly after half-time and this only motivated us further, after this we scored another two goals taking us through to the semi-finals with a 3-1 win, with two goals from Jessica and one from Leah. Our semi-final was to take place in London at Alleyn’s School. After a long drive down and a night's rest we were ready for the match. We played a good game, but it wasn’t our best and we sadly conceded in the last seconds of the game meaning we lost 1-0 and wouldn't progress into the finals.
Throughout all of this, regular Saturday matches allowed our team to improve as we progressed in the competition. This included some particularly good results against GSAL (2-0), AKS (2-0) and Bradford Grammar (7-2). These games gave some of our newer recruits the opportunity to get more match time in and even some goals! A brilliant effort has been made from all the team this year and I would like to thank everyone involved in this spectacular season of hockey.
Leah Davis - Year 10
U16 Hockey Report
The U16 girls have had a short but incredibly enjoyable season. We started off National Schools strongly with an impressive 9-0 win against Hymers School in September with goals coming from Fran Diggle, Melissa Lambert and Leah Davis. We went into the next round against a very strong side from Sedbergh School, where we went on to unfortunately lose 2-5, which therefore knocked us out of the competition. Despite many members of the team leaving WGHS this year, we have thoroughly enjoyed our time contributing to school hockey. Between us we have played countless matches, attended several tournaments and played in a couple of national finals which are memories we will be thankful for, for several years to come. On behalf of the team I’d like to thank Mrs Morgan, Mrs Hunter and Ben for encouraging us to become better players and helping us learn to work as a team. Hockey at WGHS has been an absolute pleasure and will be something I will take away from my years at school.
Martha Crook - Year 11
U18 Hockey Report
This season the curtains have closed on many fantastic and memorable years playing hockey with this team at WGHS. The Senior Hockey team of 2019/20 faced a challenging season. Not forgetting the busy schedules of prefect duties, the full timetable of A Levels and disruptions from English weather, it has amounted for a short season with insufficient numbers to maintain the level of hockey seen in previous years. Despite this, a few fixtures were played. It started with the U19 ISHC in which we were lucky to have Year 11 players come and strengthen the team. One of the first fixtures we journeyed to was Stonyhurst, winning 3-0, despite the winding roads and upset stomachs we played a solid game, with scorers Suzie Brooke and Bex Coe. Players of the match were sisters Abbey and Suzie Brooke, playing an unstoppable duet up the left side of the pitch. We continued to the next round where we faced Kings Macclesfield at home. Despite a good shift we lost 3-1 to a full and well-rehearsed team, with Liv Wilson scoring the only goal with a strong flick. The new England Hockey competition structure meant that, based on previous performance of the team, we were entered in the top tier of the U18 National School Cup, along with four of the top sporting boarding schools across the country. Struggling for numbers without Year 11s, we played Trent College losing 8-1, with only nine outfield players due to an early injury. Next we played Repton School away, where struggling for players saw Year 10 step in at the last minute allowing us to play. We lost 13-1 but I have to highlight we were the only school to score against Repton out of the whole competition, credit to Bex Coe and Izzie Macklin who created the goal. Shoutout to Lucy Morrell who despite having a limited hockey career still came and travelled allowing us to have at least one sub. I would like to thank the players who gave up their valued time this season, along with anyone else who stepped in for these matches, especially the younger ones. It was greatly appreciated. Another massive thank you to the teachers who gave up their time, be it for training or travelling, and listened to all our singing on the bus. Looking back on my hockey career at Wakefield Girls’ High School, I couldn't have been prouder to represent our school this year as Hockey Captain. From early Saturday mornings in Year 7, sitting at the front of the bus in onesies, to qualifying for Nationals with overnight trips to play at the Olympic Park in Years 10 and 11. Through the years I have loved playing amongst my teammates, who are now some of my closest friends that I will cherish for life. Playing a team sport for the school is a vital experience; belonging to a team, learning to work with people in difficult situations, knowing when to focus and when to have a good laugh, crying for a win or a loss together and celebrating with changing room raves. Hockey has completed my Wakefield Girls’ High School experience - a big thank you to everyone who was involved in it.
Ella Riding - Year 13
NETBALL...
U12 Netball Report
Netball this year has been lots of fun and as a team we have enjoyed everything and improved to the best of our ability. As a team we have travelled and we have had lots of wins because of hard work that we have put into our training sessions. Both A and B this time have worked really well and all the wins that we have had definitely have been deserved because of all of our effort.
My most memorable moment this year is when we went to the PGL netball weekend and won from our age group. This showed how hard we have trained to be able to pull up a win like this. All the teams this year that we have had matches against have definitely been challenging but we all pulled through and played the best that we could to pull out the end score. On behalf of all of the U12 squad we would like to thank Mrs Robinson because she has helped us all improve. She has made our team get better and she has made us pull out all of the wins that we have had.
Nancy Tidy - Year 7
“As a team we have travelled and we have had lots of wins because of hard work that we have put into our training sessions” U13 Netball Reports
A TEAM
This year the A team has faced some hard and new competition. We have bonded a lot more this year creating roles for everyone in the team. Although we have not won all of our matches I feel our squad has improved massively and we are confident to go into next season with an open mind. The most recent tournament the A team participated in, was the Wakefield Area Tournament. We won all of our matches allowing us to progress to the next round, or so we thought. Sadly this year the netball season was cut short stopping us from going through to the next round of the competition, which the A team were confident to do well in.
Although the season has abruptly finished we have had some great matches and tournaments. One of my personal favourites was the Bradford Grammar game in the Plate round of the ISNC tournament. After a previous loss to Bradford on a Saturday morning, the A team came back to beat them 26-21. The game began with a shaky start from us putting Bradford in front. After the second quarter the A team and Bradford were neck and neck with only one goal between us in favour of Bradford. The third quarter left us ahead by two goals, all we needed to do was to keep the lead. In the last quarter we put on an outstanding performance, leaving us with the win.
The A team has shown determination throughout the season and should be very pleased with their performance this year.
Ellie Tingle - Year 8
B TEAM
The B team has also faced many challenging oppositions, winning most of their matches. In the netball season, the B team almost won all of their matches in the Wakefield Area Tournament, losing by only a couple of goals to Kettlethorpe High School therefore placing 3rd. We played spectacularly against Bradford Grammar, winning 16-12. We also won against Hymers by 20-4, with some spectacular play from all of the team, including the shooters. I would like to thank the whole B team for having great cooperation and also resilience, especially when playing difficult teams. We should be very proud of ourselves as everybody has improved immensely since the start of the season. We started off slightly shaky but as we gained more confidence during training, we won more and more matches. This season has been highly successful and I have thoroughly enjoyed leading the U13 B team.
Eve Patel - Year 8
U14 Netball Report
This season the U14 squad has come across victories and defeats as a team, but we have been able to work on improving throughout the season. We started the season with our first game against Queen Ethelburga’s, and delivered a strong performance that led us to victory, winning the game. We then had many other matches through the season against teams such as Bradford, Newcastle RGS, Hymers, Prince Henrys and Woodhouse Grove. We entered the U14 West Yorkshire county round held at Bradford Grammar School. After playing against some strong teams throughout the day we finished 3rd in our section. We had great wins and losses in this tournament, just missing out on being in the top two teams. Along with these victories we had some disappointing losses, but we reflected on these matches and improved in the areas that let us down.
Our last match of the season was against Prince Henrys. Here we managed to succeed and win the match by ten goals, leaving the total score 25-15. As a team, we all played amazingly throughout the whole game, and were very pleased with this win as one of our last games together. Throughout this match we brought skills we had been focusing on in our training, which helped us to deliver a strong performance. All the team should be pleased with how they played this year, showing determination on court and always working their hardest. Finally we would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Robinson and the PE Department for coaching us and organising the matches through the season. We are all looking forward to next season and improving our skills as U15s.
Evie Pickles - Year 9
U15 Netball Report
This year the squad has grown and welcomed new members but unfortunately they also had to adjust to injuries within the inner circle of their team which meant that sometimes girls were playing out of position. Throughout the season the girls faced extremely challenging opposition and although the score line does not always reflect their standard of play it does highlight their hard work and determination to get better and learn from each match.
They were semi-finalists in their Area Tournament, losing to the eventual winners Silcoates and they were rewarded with a resounding victory over Hymers in one of their last matches of the season. I am sure that they will go from strength to strength next year and build on each phase of their game.
Mrs Robinson
BADMINTON... Badminton Report
This year has seen the introduction of a new Badminton coach, Helen Calverley and the sport has continued to flourish across all year groups with girls gaining experience in more technical aspects of the game or just playing for fun! Weekly open sessions have taken place in Hartley Pavilion and girls have been given the opportunity to learn new skills, implement these into a conditioned setting and have had fun learning and playing a new sport. Coaching to squad players has also run on a regular basis and girls have been able to build on their existing skills and develop their tactical knowledge and understanding in a singles and doubles capacity. Congratulations to our Key Stage 3 Squad; Josie Wagner, Lucy Holland, Jae Yim and Molly Robinson who finished 3rd overall in the West Yorkshire County round of the National Schools Badminton Championships and to our Key Stage 4 Squad; Eleanor Birden, Lucy Keith, Ananya Ganjam and Eden Perez who finished second in their pool and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the semis in the same competition. I’m sure they are all looking forward to going one step further next year and building on their knowledge and understanding of the game.
Mrs Robinson
EQUESTRIAN... Equestrian Team Report 2019-20
Even though our season was cut short the equestrian team still have so much to be proud of this year. We got off to a flying start with a fantastic result in showjumping from Alanis Milner-Moore on her horse Maybell who secured 6th in a big 100cm class and 2nd in the 110cm class at Epworth Equestrian Centre. Jessica Blake got all festive in December and attended the NSEA Christmas showjumping at Bishop Burton College. Both her and her pony dressed up for the occasion and had a fantastic round in the 70cm class to finish 2nd out of +50 other entries. She followed up these excellent results by coming 11th out of 55+ riders in the 70/75cm class and 21st out of 66+ riders at the NSEA eventers challenge at Northallerton Equestrian Centre in very challenging conditions, a brilliant debut for our new team member!
Onto the dressage and several team members, Imogen Williams, Tilly Smith, Emily Booth-Burke, Jessica Blake, then headed back to Northallerton in January for an NSEA dressage competition led by their captain Olivia Shuter. Overall the team finished 2nd with the highest team score coming from Emily Booth-Burke who finished 3rd individually. Emily and Olivia then went on to compete in the Novice section in which Emily scored 65.8% to be placed 4th and Olivia scored 72.8% to win the Novice title making her county champion at this level. Olivia qualified to represent West Yorkshire at the County Individual Dressage Championship in April but unfortunately this event was unable to go ahead due to COVID-19. Alanis managed another fantastic showjumping result and just managed to get her eventing season underway before events were cancelled due to the pandemic. She represented Ackworth Riding Club in the British Riding Club showjumping qualifiers, posting a double clear to finish 4th helping her team to qualify for the National Championships, and also qualified for the British Showjumping Blue Chip Championships with another double clear at Richmond Equestrian Centre. Her final event was at Oasby Horse Trials in March where a calm dressage test, clear showjumping and positive cross country round saw her placed 12th on the leaderboard amongst professional riders. Once our events had been stopped due to COVID-19 the team showed their support for NHS staff by taking part in the #somethingblue taking pictures wearing blue with their horses and posting these on social media. A huge thank you to our team captain Olivia Shuter who will be leaving us this year and to all of the riders, parents and others behind the scenes who help these competitions happen. We have a strong team going forward and I look forward to seeing you all back in the ring next season.
Miss Dollive
CRICKET...
U13 Cricket Report
Once again we entered two teams into the first round of the Lady Taverners Indoor Cricket tournament. Our B team played extremely well and came away with their first victory against Woodhouse Grove and two losses. Our A Team won all of our games which were against Holmfirth, Woodhouse Grove B and Ryburn, progressing to the final stage of this competition. In the final we played Holmfirth again and it was a closer encounter this time round. We went into the last over chasing 10 runs off 6 balls and managed to win with 2 balls to spare making us West Yorkshire Champions. In the County round at Headingley we were put into a group where we would play St. Aidans, Meadowhead and South Hunsley Schools. Unfortunately I didn’t win a toss that day but it didn’t seem to hinder our performance on the pitch. Our first match was against South Hunsley on the “Lords Pitch” and they elected to bat first. A strong bowling and fielding performance from our team limited them to 71 runs. We then had a fantastic batting performance securing our first win of the day with 114 runs. Our next game, against Meadowhead, saw quite a few of our squad retire in their innings and we got another comfortable batting score of 122, with Meadowhead only finding 92 in reply. Our final group game was against St Aidans, which we won again, sending us into the semi-finals undefeated which we were very pleased with. The semi-final was against the runners-up in the other group, MacMillan. We demonstrated our skills well and won the match by 58 runs. In the final, we met the other West Yorkshire finalists, Holmfirth. With a place in the North finals to play for, it was a tense match and we started off quite nervous when we were watching the rest of our team play their best but we took everything in our stride and pulled off a comprehensive 30 run victory to secure our place as representatives of Yorkshire in April at the Northern round of the competition at Bolton Arena. Here we would face teams from Lancashire, Northumberland, Derbyshire, Cumbria and North Wales. Unfortunately due COVID-19 we were unable to play this stage of the tournament but we hope to play this round when we come back to school in September and finally get to play as a team once more.
Our thanks also go to Miss North and Stuart Morley, our cricket coach, for all their help and support this season.
Molly Robinson - Year 8
“We then had a fantastic batting performance securing our first win of the day with 114 runs” U15 Indoor Cricket Report
The 2020 cricket season has been a very fun experience for all involved. Our open training sessions have been very well attended with lots more girls starting to and continuing to play the game which has allowed us to enter both the U13s and U15s teams into the indoor national Lady Taverners competition again. Our indoor season started well with us progressing through the West Yorkshire round of the competition as winners which meant we progressed to the Yorkshire round. We then went to Headingley where we faced our toughest opposition yet. We began the day extremely well in our first game against Driffield where we set the huge score of 146/5 batting first and then restricting them to 72 runs. We then went on to win our second game against Aston, with us batting first and scoring the excellent score of 125-6 and then bowling them all out for 39. Full of confidence and belief we then went on to play our last game of the group stage, against Ripon who proved to be our toughest fixture of the day. We batted first and scored 114/2 a defendable target but we knew we had a tough game on our hands. Fortunately with a brilliant fielding performance we restricted them to 99/5 in their overs.
Cricket has really taken off in the As winners of our group we went on to play South Hunsley, the school and it’s great to see how more girls are playing and loving the game” runners up from the other group posting the score of 110 all out. Again we knew that we needed a good fielding performance to win the game, which we did, restricting them to 79-7 in their overs. Advancing to the final we were met again with a strong Ripon side where a victory would secure a place in the North of England finals. Having won the toss we changed tactics and bowled first and bowled them out for 73 which we knew was definitely an achievable total to chase but we couldn’t underestimate the strong bowling line up from Ripon. We all gave it our best effort going into our batting innings and we chased the total, scoring 74/3 with 9 balls remaining. This meant we were crowned Yorkshire champions and we will progress to the North of England finals which is due to take place at Bolton in October. Unfortunately we haven’t had a chance to have an outdoor season this year which we were all really looking forward to.
Cricket has really taken off in the school and it’s great to see how more girls are playing and loving the game. On behalf of our team I would like to thank our coaches Stuart Morely and Miss North for training us so well and motivating new players to take up the game.
Frances Lonsdale - Year 10
VOLLEYBALL...
Volleyball Report
This year WGHS formed its very first volleyball team. The team consisted mainly of Year 10s with a few older and younger members, making on average around twenty girls that trained each week. This included both teacher and student led sessions, and the team also has three players that have progressed to the Yorkshire team: Abi Ackroyd, Romy Jackson and Hollie Bott. During this year we played our first ever volleyball matches in the history of WGHS, against Leeds RGA and York Volleyball Club. Both of these teams are well established sports clubs that have been teaching and playing volleyball to high standard for a long time, and they include many players at Yorkshire level. Unfortunately we lost both of our matches, but we never gave up, scoring over 20 points in many sets (sets typically go to 25 points). This helped to keep us motivated and always enjoy ourselves along the way. These matches have also given our team a great insight into the intensity and format of a real game, and they have made us train harder as we can’t wait to start playing again and win our first match. All the team is looking forward to the future of volleyball at WGHS, so we can learn more tactics and play more matches against clubs and school teams. We also plan to take our school team to the Bridlington Beach Volleyball tournaments which are held during the summer and are so much fun.
Hollie Bott - Year 10
Leah’s swimming success story
Leah Crisp has had a jam-packed few seasons to say the least... Named Young Sportswoman of the Year for a second year running at the 2020 Leeds Sports Awards, selection into the Swim England performance squad, a Christmas trip to the Luxembourg Euro meet and picking up a few gold medals on the way.
My season...
I entered my last season swimming at excited to see what I could do when
City of Leeds having ended the 2018-19 rested, however this all very suddenly season on a high where at the British came to an end, with the cancellation
Summer Championships I won four of the trials, then the closing of all pools golds in the 17-18 years age group in for the foreseeable future, then the the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m rescheduling of the Olympics games. freestyle. This led to me being selected Suddenly the many months and years as part of the Swim England of hard work geared towards the 2020 performance squad, built around the trials felt worthless. Following this was focus of 2022 Commonwealth Games. the longest period of time I had spent
As part of being a part of this squad out of the water since I was about 8 composed of around twenty swimmers, years old! I found myself doing home
I had access to a wide range of support workouts and having to get into running staff such as physio, sports psychology and cycling as a way to keep fit whilst and nutrition who could help me unable to swim. It was definitely maximise my performance through a challenge when you’re used to the 2019-20 season. swimming nine times a week but
The season started well, where I came away from the Swim England National Winter meet 2019 with three youth golds, in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle also receiving senior bronze, silver and gold medals, respectively. After the Christmas break, I travelled to Luxembourg with the Swim England performance squad to compete in the Luxembourg Euro meet. Even though this was a tough meet on the back of a heavy week of training I managed to achieve two bronze medals in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, and a 4th place finish in the 400m freestyle, despite the highly competitive international field. I worked with my coach to build a programme which worked for me. During this time, I secured myself a spot as a part of the Bath National Training Centre, one of two British Swimming funded centres in the UK. Here I would be training alongside Olympic medallists and working with the same coaches who worked with them to achieve those results. At this point I decided to turn the situation into a positive, where I will be going into the 2021 Olympic trials a year older and stronger and as a part of Bath NTC, where I hope to begin training as soon as possible, and then in September will begin my studies of Economics and
At the 2020 Leeds Sports Awards held Mathematics at Bath University in the First Direct Arena I was named alongside my swimming.
Young Sportswoman of the Year for a second year running, which was a great confidence boost going into the 2020 Olympic trials which were scheduled to be held in the London Aquatics centre in April. My races this season so far had It has certainly been a strange season, ending so suddenly under extreme and unprecedented circumstances, but I look forward to now seeing what next season brings! been positive and I was making great Leah Crisp - Year 13 improvements in training so was very “ The season started well, where I came away from the Swim England National Winter meet 2019 with three youth golds”
SWIMMING...
Swimming Report
In October we took two Junior Squads to compete in the National North East Relay Swimming Championships. Although both teams did exceptionally well in the Medley and Freestyle relay they narrowly missed out on qualification from their heats. Congratulations to Harriet Randell, Isabella Robinson, Alice Moore, Katie Helliwell, and Lucy Holland and we look forward to building on this success next season.
Mrs Robinson
