Chronicle January 2021

42 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Nic Bond What do you do at Teddies and how long have you been here? I am in my sixth year at St Edward’s and I’m currently Assistant Director of Sport, Head of Football, and Teacher of Physical Education and Psychology. Where were you before? Before starting at St Edward’s I worked at Millfield Prep School, and, prior to that, Llandaff Cathedral School. Who or what inspired you into teaching? It was more a case of falling into teaching…. however, the opportunity to develop pupils has been incredibly rewarding. No day is ever the same, one of the benefits of working in a boarding environment. Tell us about your own sporting history. As a boy I played representative cricket and football. Now I play competitive squash for Nuffield 1st team in the Oxfordshire leagues and have taken a liking to XC running – there’s nothing better than wet, muddy trails in the winter. What are the strengths of the sports programme at Teddies? At St Edward’s we are lucky enough to have fantastic coaches and staff who are willing to go above and beyond to ensure that the pupils benefit from the programme. Furthermore, there is a growing breadth of sports available to pupils that allows them to grow and develop. One of the greatest responsibilities we hold is to ensure that pupils have the experience and enthusiasm to continue to play lifelong sport, competitive or otherwise. What has it been like managing a sports programme through recent times? 2020 has been an incredibly interesting year for school sport as a whole. During lockdown, we ran many virtual sessions in all our sports, which were challenging for both staff and pupils. Nevertheless, we are in a better place than most; with our facilities and resources, we continue to offer a varied, engaging programme. Unfortunately the Rugby Club were very limited in what they were allowed to do last term, which meant that football was played more than ever before. Meanwhile, the Hockey Club continued to make tremendous gains – even managing to fit in some fixtures (see page 46). Name some of your favourite Teddies sporting moments from recent years. I have three standout sporting memories from my time at St Edward’s, all of equal importance. The 2018 Football 1st XI, after a shaky start to the season, overcame a very strong Radley XI to win 3-1 on Avenue pitch. In Rugby, during a cold, wet, miserable, mid-November home fixture v a competitive Stowe JCB team, St Edward’s took the game to the wire and overcame Stowe 19-17 with a try in the dying seconds of the game – there were unforgettable scenes. Although I’m not directly involved in the hockey programme, I remember a great moment watching the U15 girls’ XI retain their county championship status in 2019. Which book or podcast would you take to a desert island? I would take the back catalogues of the following podcasts, Don’t Tell Me the Score , Desert Island Discs and Tailenders . Best advice you’ve ever been given? Failure is the best way to learn; reflection is the best tool in the box.