The first half of Trinity Term has been a very successful one for Norwich School athletics. The introduction of athletics into the PE programme means every L4 and U4 pupil has had the chance to try and practise all athletics disciplines in preparation for Sports Day. This has encouraged many pupils, who would not normally have tried all the events, to have a go at something new and, in many cases, discover something they have really enjoyed.

This has also led to over 30 pupils across all year groups attending at least two athletics lunchtime clubs each week, which has been superb to see. The increased participation has translated into some very impressive performances in our first few county fixtures.

First up was the county round of the ESAA Track and Field Cup, in which Norfolk and Cambridgeshire compete together to form a highly competitive fixture, producing some excellent performances across the board.

In the junior boys’ category, Caleb R and Freddie P impressed with their discus skills - both discovered through the PE programme - winning both the A and B strings. The strength in our throws continued, with Tristan K winning the shot put A string by over a metre and Tom M taking third in the B string. Ruan E won the A string javelin with a huge throw of over 29 metres, more than eight metres ahead of the athlete in second place. Ben G made his debut in the event and finished an impressive second in the B string.

The junior boys also held their own on the track, with Sam T taking victory in the 800m and claiming second place in the 300m.

The junior girls also performed well, with Rosie B taking the win in the javelin. Rosie also enjoyed success on the track, taking silver in her debut B string hurdles race, while Ophee M stormed to victory in the A string race. Track success continued with Emi M leading from the front to win a very impressive 1500m race, achieving an eight-second personal best in the process.

The inter boys’ team faced incredibly tough competition. Performances of the day came from Isaac M in the 100m, Zain F in the 300m, and Noah B in the 800m, who smashed his personal best by over four seconds. The boys rounded off a solid day with a strong second-place finish in the relay.

The inter girls’ team also fought hard, with Thea L taking victory in the B string shot put and Sophie E impressing with a huge 7.52m throw in the A string. Once again, the throws proved successful, with Jennifer M winning the A string javelin by over seven metres and Sophie R comfortably winning the B string discus. Jennifer also stormed to victory on the track, winning the sprint hurdles in style. The track success continued with Ruby I and Nona G both finishing in the top three in the 1500m and 800m respectively. Not to be outdone by the boys, the girls also finished the day with a second-place finish in the relay.

The junior boys and inter girls teams now progress to the regional finals in Chelmsford on 12th June.

Our other major fixture this half term has been the annual City Schools competition. Plagued by a hailstorm in the middle of the day and on-and-off rain throughout, the weather did not dampen the spirits of the 76-strong Norwich School athletics team.

An event dominated by Notre Dame for many years, the athletes had been training incredibly hard with a very specific goal in mind - and they did not disappoint. In all eight categories, Norwich School teams finished in the top three amongst strong competition from seven other city schools.

Strong performances from our Year 7 boys included Ben G and Oscar A in the shot put, Josh B and Beetle D in the 800m, Josh in the long jump, and Ben in the 100m. The B team relay completed a successful day by taking victory. The boys finished 2nd overall by just a few points.

The girls followed suit with strong wins for Poppy S in the B string 100m and Ellie W in the 200m. Ellie P and Freya G both secured excellent second places in the long jump and shot put respectively. The girls were rewarded with a 3rd place finish overall.

The Year 8 boys were a force to be reckoned with, producing outstanding performances throughout the day. Tristan K took victories in both the shot put and the A string 100m, while Sam T won both the 800m - in a phenomenal time of 2:16 - and the 300m. Tom M won the B string shot put, while Albie C and Seb C took second places in the 800m and B string 200m races respectively. The boys finished 2nd overall.

The Year 8 girls showcased the superb benefits of their training. Ophee and Bea took victories in the A and B string long jump competitions, with both girls also securing second-place finishes in the 100m and 200m races. Annie W, on her debut, stormed to victory in the 300m. Emi M also demonstrated her versatility with a second-place finish in the 800m before taking victory in the B string shot put. The girls also finished 2nd overall.

The year 9 girls are a strong group but were hit with injuries, this did not impact their excellent attitude and determination. Thea L took victories in both the long jump and shot put, with Erica F taking the shot b string win followed by a 1^st place finish in the discus. Sophie R also took a win in the discus a string. Xenia completed a very successful day on the field by winning the A string javelin. The girls were rewarded with a 3^rd place finish overall.

The Year 9 boys have worked incredibly hard over the past three years and were more determined than ever to secure overall victory this year after a close second-place finish last season. The boys started the day exactly as they meant to continue, with Archie W and Oscar W taking first place in both triple jump competitions. Ruan E, competing up an age group, produced an unbelievable throw in the javelin to win the A string, followed closely by Arthur L, who also led the field in the B string. Aurelius H took second place in the long jump, while Arthur demonstrated his all-round talent by winning the B string competition. Rory N attracted a crowd with his impressive high jumping and took victory with a huge 1.55m jump. Rory also claimed second place in the 200m. Bayden C did not disappoint and secured a fantastic victory of his own. The boys achieved overall victory for the first time in 10 years.

The Year 10 boys followed closely with a fantastic double on the track from Zain F in the 400m and 800m. Tom B also took first place in the B string 800m, while Seb M won the 200m. In the field events, the boys dominated: Ben L won the shot put, Isaac M won the triple jump, and Harry C and Marlowe F took victories in both the A and B string high jump competitions. The day finished with second place in the relay, securing overall victory - again, the first for a very long time.

The Year 10 girls chased victory all the way to the end. Unfortunately struck with a couple of illnesses on the day, the girls rallied superbly and produced exceptional results to finish in the silver medal position. Jennifer M took a double victory in the long jump and javelin, while Tilly G secured double second places in the 100m and long jump. Tilda R jumped herself into second place in the B string high jump - a particularly impressive achievement given she only started the event three weeks ago. The girls also came home second in the relay, placing 3rd overall to cement a truly memorable day of athletics.

Next term, we look forward to the East Prep Schools Championships for U3, L4 and U4, as well as the junior boys and inter girls competing in the regional round of the cup. We also have a friendly fixture against St Felix, along with the much-anticipated Sports Day in the final week of term.