Sport
A sporting chance Tom Beardmore-Gray explains why the Girls’ Day School Trust invests so heavily in sport Sport is a vital part of life throughout the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), and it is immensely encouraging to see the increasingly high profile of women’s sport across the world at local, national, and international level. Not only did women win the first medals for Team GB at the London Olympics, they also won the first Gold medals. Inspired by Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, Olympic champions in Rio as well as London, GDST has now acquired its own boathouse at Putney, where girls from throughout the Trust can take to the Tideway. In Rio, the first GB Gold medals in the Paralympics were won by women and we were particularly pleased that Paralympic swimming gold medallist and Northampton High School student, Ellie Robinson, could join her fellow students at the school on 4th October to watch them compete. The 15-year-old swimmer won a gold medal in the women’s S6 50m butterfly in Rio, setting a new Paralympic record with a time of 35.58 seconds. She also came third in the S6 100m freestyle final, winning a bronze medal – fantastic achievements and a great example of how elite sport can be successfully combined with academic commitments. The occasion was one of our largest
sports rallies, involving over 600 girls, which took place at Northampton High School on 4th October, showcasing senior hockey, under-15 netball and primary swimming. Matches and races were fiercely contested throughout the day and, whilst winning was the ultimate goal, good sportsmanship was displayed throughout. For an organisation on a mission to support women who will make their mark on the world, it was truly inspiring to see so many young people showcasing their talents, particularly so soon after the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, where four other members of the Great Britain team had been educated in GDST schools. Sam Quek (Hockey) and Hannah Mills (Sailing) matched Ellie’s Gold Medal, whilst Fiona Bigwood won Silver with the GB Dressage Team. Sam won her first international cap in 2008 and has since captained England as well as playing over 50 times for Great Britain. In Rio, the women’s hockey team remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and won their first ever Gold Medal in a penalty shoot out with the Netherlands. Hannah won Silver in the 470 class sailing at Weymouth in the 2012 London Olympics with her crew Saskia
Spring 2017
27
