House Athletics

by Daniel English-Brown (J)

Ampleforth’s elite athletes took position behind the 100 metre starting line; their heads faced down, the air was silent, their breaths heavy and all eyes were on them. “On your mark, set...” Lt Col Blackford was in his element! “Bang!” went his starting ‘pistol. They exploded from the blocks and the intensity with which they raced was matched only by the volume of support from the stands. Each House was sure that the louder they screamed, the faster their representatives would run: who needs training in such a world?

There were two primary things that I am ever so happy to have witnessed: the first, ironically, came during the 32 by 200 metre event where Augustin Lai (J) took up the baton for St John’s and tore up the track with blistering fury and speed! Initially this was in the wrong direction, but once he found his way there was no hope for his opponents; a maxim for life: if you value your pride, don’t race Augustin Lai. The second spectacle worthy of note was Fr Ambrose with the microphone. Despite a couple of slip-ups, the passion with which he spoke into the microphone surely indicates that, in another life, Fr Ambrose would be a successful MC. His stage name? - perhaps ‘Lil Ambreezy,’ however, I am open to suggestions on that.

A proper characterisation of my first Ampleforth House Athletics must surely be: “an event with uniqueness and pleasurable success that is unique to Ampleforth.”