INDIVIDUAL SPORT

Many of students are very keen sports competitors outside of school. You can read about just some of their impressive and varied achievements … master Ronnie Green and Sandy Holt.

I didn’t win as it was an inter-club and in inter-clubs there is no win or lose, it is a draw - even if you technically win.

Curling

Marianna Ward, Year 10

I have been playing curling for nearly two years, since a friend and I tried out winter sports at The Flowerbowl, Preston.

I was lucky enough to be spotted by the former Vice-President of Preston Curling Club, now President of the English Curling Association, who put me in contact with a team from Kent and Cambridge who were looking for a fourth player to join their team. I travelled to Junior National Women's Championships in Kent in late March and, in the second competition I ever played, we came second! A great achievement considering I'd never even met the skip (captain of the team) until the start of the competition.

Since the National Women’s Championships I have been training non-stop and competing in bonspiels (curling competitions).

In January 2023, I competed in the Mixed Doubles Adults Championships with a boy from Lancaster Royal Grammar School. It was a great experience and I got to play on new ice in Dumfries. A friend, who also plays in the same team as me, won the competition and is going to the World Championships in South Korea. In the Women's section only one team entered my team! Therefore, there are no National Championships, and instead we are going straight to World B Championships this winter in Lojha, Finland. I have been training more and more, ever since we found out, but it is extremely difficult for the rest of my team as The Flowerbowl is currently the only dedicated curling rink in the entirety of England.

I am very excited to be representing England for the rest of the year and looking forward to competing in lots of competitions which take place in England, Scotland and Finland.

I recently competed in Preston Curling Club's Novice Bonspiel at The Flowerbowl with a randomly selected team. The weekend was very tough but we pushed through and won all but one of the matches, putting us in second place overall. We won a hamper each, which was donated by Barton Grange. There were also separate competitions including a sociable and fun sport. I also competed in a Christmas Bonspiel during December with Team Mcloughlin and we all dressed up in fancy dress!

Despite there being lots of junior competitors at The Flowerbowl, there is only one girl, apart from myself, that is part of the Preston Curling Club's junior squad, the rest are boys and, I am trying to encourage more girls to participate in the sport. It would also be better for the sport if there was more competition in this category, especially when it comes to the national championships. It would be wonderful if more girls from LGGS would join as there are National Schools' Championships to compete in also. There are currently only one or two schools from the Kent area involved, but if a few more LGGS students joined, we would have enough for a girls’ team. We could also have a mixed team by recruiting from other local schools.

It is a truly an amazing, unique and inclusive sport which has become my hobby, passion and life.

People can watch or take part in the junior sessions at The Flowerbowl on Mondays between 5.30pm and 7pm and on Sundays from 10am until 11.30am.

If you are interested in joining, please catch me for a chat or email me, as I am always open for questions and conversations regarding the sport. I can bring my curling equipment in to school to showcase to students and explain how everything works and believe that my coaches