Page 105 - HMS 2020

Sport
Swimming
The 2019-2020 Swim Squad.
Heath Mount hosted and attended
12 swimming galas for students from
Year 3 up to Year 8 over the first two terms. We enjoyed plenty of successes across the galas and special mention must go to the Year 8 boys’ relay team who swam unbeaten! Fabien J (Year 5)
had a particularly successful year,
earning third place in Herts County for breaststroke. In March, our squad of
36 pupils from Years 5-8 swam in the
IAPS qualifier after months of training and hard work. There were plenty of nerves
on the day as well as a thrill of excitement and anticipation. The students gave their all in the pool and swam brilliantly.
This year, 4,500 young swimmers took part in 40 qualifying rounds but sadly, the National Finals were cancelled due to Covid-19. The results were amalgamated to give us our positions and seven of our relay teams and individual swimmers finished in the top 20 and would have qualified for the National Finals. Special mention goes to Molly H (Year 8) who
finished 6th nationally for her 50m individual backstroke! Other standout performances include Emmie S (Year 7) who finished 13th in the 50m butterfly, Amelia H (Year 5) who came 14th in the 25m backstroke and Henry B (Year 8) who finished 16th in the 50m backstroke. The U11 Boys Medley Relay, U13 Girls Medley Relay and U13 Girls Freestyle Relay teams all finished in the top 20 with the U13 Boys Medley Relay and Freestyle Relay teams earning top 25 placings.
Joanne Prior
Sports Scholars News
Now in its third year, the Sports Scholarship programme involves a cohort of 25 students with a range of sporting interests. The curriculum expanded this year to include: methods of training, ways to prepare and recover from sport, sports psychology, nutrition, strength and conditioning. Highlights included welcoming guest speakers from professional and international sports teams. Netballer Jo Trip from Saracens Mavericks led a tough conditioning workout as well as offering insight into the importance of hydration. The students took her advice on board when making their own energy drinks. Former Scotland rugby captain, Kelly Brown, also delivered a particularly passionate discussion
on his route to the top, the challenges he faced and how he overcame them.
This year also saw the scholars take part in the Junior Leaders, Sports Leaders course for the first time. The nationally accredited leadership course develops the students’ ability to plan and deliver sports activities to their younger peers as well as refining core leadership characteristic. As such, the scholars put their leadership skills to the test as they regularly delivered coaching sessions to the Pre-Prep students alongside the Games staff.
Finally, of the twelve
Year 8 Sports Scholars, seven have been awarded a sport scholarship to their future senior school. Michael Naylor
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