Cross Country Club

Cross Country Club is one the best-loved clubs in the school. Children come to my club for the atmosphere, the team-building, the ethos, and, most importantly, the running. Some come because they love to run; some come because they want to improve their fitness and stamina, often to support another sport they participate in, either in or outside of school and some come for the “teamship” that we build when we come together and support each other. As one of the most inclusive clubs in school, admitting and training children from all year groups and genders together, cross country allows the children to take part in a sport which is fabulous for their health and stamina, as well as exceptional for their mental health, mindset, and maturity.

We do, of course, spend a lot of time running. We practise running for shorter and longer distances, and we practise stamina building and tactics for running longer distances. On occasion, I run with the children (knee permitting – old injury!) and I am regularly tracking their laps and timing them, alongside an effective warm up and an appropriate cool down. Come rain or shine, we can be found makings laps of the field look easy and effortless.

Each year, we enter a team from each year group into the district trials, and some of our children have progressed to the next stage – competing at County level - each time, which is a testament to their hard work and effort. They love going to this competition each February, and the camaraderie they display there is incredible. Each year, I look forward to having new children join the club, whose energy and enthusiasm reinvigorates the whole team.