In the final assembly of term, Director of Sport Mr Sam Hewick reflected on what an excellent term of sport it had been, in spite of the lack of external fixtures for all sports, apart from Riding. The Junior Equestrian team (Year 7 to 9) did particularly well on a number of occasions earlier in the term and also qualified for the County Championships.
The 100% race took place in September, and this year, it was decided to raise sponsorship in aid of the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The event raised £1,770! St George was the overall winner of the Senior Girls' Inter-House Hockey Competition. Macquarie was the overall winner of both the Senior Boys' Inter-House Football and Touch Rugby competitions. Dunbar (Year 7 and 8) enjoyed a nail-biting Inter-Watch Indoor Rowing Challenge.
With the 'Super Sports' Programme, there were plenty of opportunities for all the College (years 7 to 13) to embrace more sports than would be usual in the Michaelmas Term. The key sports for the senior boys and girls were touch rugby, football and rowing and hockey, netball and rowing respectively. For the junior boys and girls, there were touch rugby and football, and hockey and netball respectively.
All sports activities were conducted in a COVID-19 safe way, with pupils playing only against their own year group or in their own ‘bubble’.
In the final assembly of term, Mr Hewick asked the students to reflect on what they defined as ‘winning’ in the absence of competitive sport against other schools. He suggested that it could be defined in terms of winning at building friendships, enjoying the process of improving one’s skills in one’s favourite sports, and winning at being healthier in body and mind.
Mr Hewick says: ‘I am very pleased that the levels of engagement and enjoyment have been as high as ever this term, which is particularly pleasing given the COVID-19 restrictions. When external fixtures do return, I very much hope we can build on some of the values and principles we have learned during this time and come out stronger people because of it.'