Sport

Review Sport

THE ELITE SPORTS PROGRAMME

Dan Cook explains how our passion for Giggleswick is transforming the opportunities of some of our top sportspeople. Yet again we see that if you have the ambition, then at Giggleswick you can achieve your goals.

The Elite Sports Programme (ESP) provides our most talented athletes with guidance and support in the many facets of high-level performance. This includes strength and conditioning programmes and advice, specialist training sessions with experts in their field and other support with the logistics required to play and compete at a high level. This year we have run an aspirational sports programme that sits underneath the ESP, providing an opportunity for Year 10 upwards to be involved with the specialist assistance. This year we looked at three major aspects of sport performance, these being movement, nutrition and psychology. The year started with a full assessment of movement with England Rugby physiotherapist Rachel Galley. This provided the pupils with physical targets and goals to move forward with throughout the term. Basic movement and core stability are fundamental to increasing performance levels in sport, as well as preventing injury. This assessment provided some very obvious information for both pupils and staff, which enabled more specific training programmes to be established. We were lucky enough to be joined by Debbie Smith, who specialises in nutrition for optimal sport and health. Debbie gave us an insight into nutrition for performance and guidelines on what to eat and, possibly more importantly, what not to eat. This allowed pupils to establish the best times for eating and which foods they should be using at these times. Sports psychologist Charlotte Hinchcliffe ran workshops that mainly looked at performance under pressure. They encapsulated topics such as dealing with pre-performance nerves and anxiety. This came in handy for sports performance as well as providing some coping mechanisms for dealing with academic work and exams. What turned out to be our final activity prior to lockdown was a trip to rugby union club Sale Sharks to experience a day in the life of a professional sports person. Spending the day at the Carrington Training Ground, the pupils were able to experience what a typical day may look like for a professional rugby player. This included analysis of games, observing strength and conditioning training, team meetings, and seeing the players training out on the rugby pitch. The highlight of the day had to be meeting the Sale players, including Mark Wilson and Faf De Klerk who had not long since returned from a World Cup final. When we moved to the virtual school in the last term of the year, it was fantastic to be joined on a weekly basis by some world-class athletes and coaches such as GB hockey player Suzy Petty, Wasps and England rugby player Jacob Umaga, Stuart Lancaster and Ben Ryan to name but a few. Pupils were invited to ask any questions at the end of each session. We are hoping that we can get back to a bit more normality next year and continue with our workshops and physical training sessions. All pupils are able to apply to become members of the ESP and Aspirational Sports Programmes.

Dan Cook

LEARNING TO TRAIN THE SHARKS’ WAY

This year, students from Giggleswick had the opportunity to pick the brains of some of the best sportspeople in the country. Earlier in the year, Sale Sharks opened their doors for the day to let our students have a taste of just what it means to be a top-level sportsperson.

The Aspirational Sports Programme (ASP) students went on a trip to Sale Sharks’ training base in Carrington, near Manchester. The value of this type of trip cannot be underestimated. The students were taken on a private tour of all the training facilities. This included the dining room where they could see about all the players’ diets and food regimes, the analysis room in which every game is examined with a fine toothcomb, the meeting room and, finally, the gym where the injured players were training. However, the highlight was when the pupils were taken to the training pitches to watch Sale in action preparing for their match against Exeter Chiefs at the weekend. Seeing how to train and how that impacts on the play in the subsequent game is invaluable experience for young sports players. Students can see how to identify areas for improvement, design training to help that improvement, and then see the impact on the individual’s and team’s performance. So the pupils watched the professionals playing match related games and practising specific techniques. They also watched Sale defending certain moves they thought Exeter would use at the weekend. Again, this showed the students the need for specific, targeted training. At the end of training the captain, Jono Ross, asked the players to come and speak to us which gave us the opportunity to take photos with them. Mark Wilson, one of England’s back row stars, chatted with us for about 10 minutes and gave us an insight into his recovery from an operation on his knee. England internationals Marland Yard and Ben Curry, along with other players, also spent time sharing their expertise with the students. All the staff and players at Sale were very welcoming and the pupils really enjoyed their insight into the day of professional sportsmen.

Edward Buck

“Students can see how to identify areas for improvement, design training to help that improvement, and then see the impact on the individual’s and team’s performance.”

1ST XI GIRLS’ HOCKEY

“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter

The first team had a difficult season, in which they learnt through some tough experiences but grew and developed. Some disappointing early results against Ampleforth and Austin Friars didn’t reflect the efforts and commitment shown by the team. This season saw the team play in an inaugural Friday Night Lights fixture against a competitive Rossall side. This was a unique and exciting experience for the team who were well supported by nearly half of the school! Despite illness and injury to some key players, the team put in a superb performance and were unlucky to come out as 4-2 losers. The team improved every week, applying both attacking and defensive principles from games lessons. This improvement saw the team get the first win of the season in a mid-week fixture against Bradford Grammar School, superb performances from Katie Bagshaw and Jemima Jaggar guiding the team to a well-fought victory. The team took this momentum into the return leg of the Friday Night Lights fixture against Rossall; on a gloomy Rossall pitch with a large and hostile crowd, the team played superbly, dominating the game for large periods and winning several short corners. However, break away goals for Rossall and some missed chances meant the score finished 2-1 to Rossall. Closely-fought games against local rivals Sedbergh and Stonyhurst saw some entertaining hockey and a welldeserved draw against Stonyhurst. Some incredible defending from Lils Morse and Marie Lothian and goalkeeping by Evie Fenton kept the team in the games throughout. They were well supported by the attacking threat of Mollie Bratt and Abi Hutchinson. The final Saturday saw the best performance of the season with all of the team’s attacking and defensive principles coming together for an impressive 4-2 win against a good Ashville team. Well-taken goals came from Sophie Huber and Amy Chadwick. The team put together a good cup run, making it all the way to Round 4, getting past Withington Girls and AKS with good performances from Izzy Butters, Maud Humphries and Olivia Henson. Unfortunately, the team fell just short of the quarter-finals, losing 2-1 in a very good game to GSAL. A big thank you to Mrs Wright and Mr Atkinson for their continued support, coaching and umpiring of fixtures.

Max Helm

This was a unique and exciting experience for the team who were well supported by nearly half of the school!

1ST XV RUGBY

“It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.” – Evander Holyfield

After a good pre-season, the competitive matches started on a lovely, sunny September day at AKS where, despite some rustiness, the 1st XV managed a good win and were able to gain some confidence for the forthcoming fixtures. It was certainly going to be a tough season ahead playing some big schools along the way, and had there had been everybody available throughout the term it would have made a big difference to the results. However, with illness and injuries our small squad, however resilient some of the players were, sometimes struggled when key players were missing. We were very unfortunate to lose to Ashville away, but backed this up the next week facing QEGS Wakefield in the National Cup. The team played well, tackled ferociously and really limited a strong side for the majority of the game. The team played Bradford Grammar School twice, once in the Cup and once in a friendly. The second time, against a very similar team, it was a much better all-round performance and we managed to reduce the deficit massively. The 1st XV had a strong pack who could win the ball anywhere and this was typified by some of our forwards with Seb Lee getting a massive amount of turnovers in his own, no nonsense, style of play. Perseverance was key and it was really impressive that this Giggleswick side stuck to the task even when the odds were stacked against us. Some of our best rugby was played when we had our backs against the wall and we had to fight our way up the field. You could not fault the heart we showed. Towards the end of the season we more than held our own against Durham and Stonyhurst. Whilst ultimately coming away with losses, the side looked a different team from the beginning of the season. Sometimes the Autumn Term comes to an end too abruptly, but with a few more weeks playing and a bit of luck we would have found our winning ways. There are certain players who have to be congratulated: Seb Lee who trained with the Yorkshire Academy team and was selected to play against some of the Premiership Academies; Jack Hutchinson who was picked for the Yorkshire U17 team; Nelson Delailomaloma, who more than held his own in the 1st XV despite being a Year 11, was picked for Yorkshire U16s and is in the Yorkshire Academy Junior Development Squad; Hughie Vyse, who gave everything he had in all games, was joined by Ben Bastow and Seb in the Independent School Lambs North team. Finally, commiserations have to go to 1st XV Skipper Ben Oakes who was picked for the Yorkshire U18 side but was injured in an unfortunate ‘chip and chase’ situation during House Rugby and was unable to take part in the county programme. All in all a tough season, but lots of learning took place with players playing in different positions and gaining other perspectives on the game. I have to congratulate the boys on the reliability that has been shown, which will hold them in good stead for the future.

1ST VII NETBALL

“Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.” – Bethany Hamilton

Netball has grown at Giggleswick School in the last few years owing to more interest and enthusiasm from pupils.

An opening mention should go to Mrs

Lofthouse, who was once again the

Head Coach, and the squad looked forward to working with her. Mrs

Lofthouse is a very well-respected and experienced netball coach. Not only is she a senior selector for Leeds Rhinos, she has also mentored and coached some of England’s most famous netballers including Tracey Neville,

Karen Greig and Anna Carter to name a few.

This year was no different for the 1st

VII and wider senior training squad.

All pupils set the bar high in the opening weeks of training and every individual wanted to secure her place for the opening weekend against

Barnard Castle.

With several Year 11 pupils challenging for senior places, the tempo and intent were high in the week leading up to the match. With debuts from

Isabella Fox-Tristram and Kitty McKay, the 1st team squad was ready for the opening weekend.

Barnard Castle arrived and it was time to put the hard work that was evident in training into the matches.

The score was in limbo for most of the match. However, Foely Smith’s accuracy was on point and this enabled Giggleswick to clinch a 22-21 win in the final moments.

The season opener put Giggleswick in good stead for the rest of the season. However, tough opponents and close games that went against us were a common theme. A resilient effort against Rossall and Denstone saw the team make progress in terms of their performance and our attack was looking fluid. In the second leg of the series against Rossall, we played a much better standard of netball and came away 37-32 winners. The season was cut short owing to the closure of the school, but it didn’t dampen the season and what the team had achieved. The 1st VII will feature more of the same faces next year owing to only several leavers. I would like to mention the gap some of the Upper Sixth will leave this year. Amy Chadwick has provided leadership and organisation throughout her time at Giggleswick. Amy should be proud of her efforts and I wish her all the best in the future. Marissa Allen is well known for her shooting accuracy, but this will be missed in the future and I would like to personally thank her for her years of service to netball. Madeleine Rockliffe-King provided tempo to matches and would always endeavour to be her best. Isobel Turner, who made great progress in her time at Giggleswick, provided pace and athleticism when she played. Marie Lothian was the centre pin in defence and always brought the physical edge when representing the first team. I would personally like to thank Mrs Lofthouse and every player who represented the 1st VII this year. Your effort, commitment, and desire to improve were impressive and I hope this can continue in the future.

1ST XI BOYS’ HOCKEY

“You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.” - Arthur Ashe

The boys’ 1st XI had a positive year with some good wins and some great games against much bigger and more competitive schools. The season started well with a convincing 6-1 victory against a travelling Rossall side. Great goals and performances came from Scott Taylor who led the forward line well, ably supported by the pace and tenacity of Joe Braithwaite in the midfield. The following Saturday meant a trip to Ashville. Buoyed by the positive result against Rossall, the team started well although they were unable to find the back of the net. The game continued with more sustained pressure from Giggleswick; the tireless work of George Huber and Jack Hutchinson kept the Ashville team under pressure throughout. Unfortunately, the team was unable to capitalise on the pressure and walked away with a 1-1 draw. The team returned after exeat with some challenging fixtures to play. The first game saw the 1st XI welcome old rivals Sedbergh. In a close-fought and entertaining game, Giggleswick defended superbly. Anthony Clark and Ollie Kelt showed desire and determination to stop many a Sedbergh attack, defending well and working the ball up the pitch to release the pace of the forwards. Mr Gemmell’s defensive structure and organisation from the sideline continued to frustrate the Sedbergh side, whilst a flurry of good saves from goalkeeper Marcello Parravano-Tomasso kept the team in the game. Despite some superb counter-attacking play from the 1st XI, they were unable to find a goal and the game finished at 2-0 to Sedbergh. The following week saw a similar story with an away trip to a very good St Peter’s, York team. Mr Gemmell was again the mastermind behind a rigid defensive structure that saw the team frustrate a good attacking team, with superb contributions from Will Robinson and Hughie Vyse in both attack and defence. The team continued to threaten with pace and skill on the counter-attack, but sustained pressure from St Peter’s meant the team fell to another 2-0 loss. Remaining fixtures against Ampleforth College and Barnard Castle saw the team return to winning ways, scoring seven goals across both fixtures. A notable mention must be made of Jemima Jaggar, Katie Bagshaw, Mollie Bratt and Marie Lothian who all played for both the girls’ and boys’ 1st XI this season. The girls were an integral part of the boys’ team, contributing with assist and goals throughout the season. The final fixture of the season saw the team take part in a Friday Night Lights game against Rossall. Playing in front of a capacity crowd the team were superb, bringing together a season’s work to compete and test a much changed and improved Rossall team. Despite some hostile atmosphere generated by the crowd, the match started well with the team 1-0 down at half time. Some excellent work down the left from Jemima Jaggar, Joe Braithwaite and Jack Hutchinson saw the scores levelled at 1-1 just after half time. Sadly, the team couldn’t sustain the intensity required and a late flurry of goals meant the game finished at 4-1 to Rossall. The team should be proud of a great season and look forward to building to more great performances in the next.