St Edward's 150 Years - by Nicola Hunter

Chapter 7 / Sport and Outdoors

Right: Team shields in the Dining Hall. Below: Skating on Port Meadow, 1940. Bottom: The Douglas Bader Sports Hall entrance.

Chapter 7

SPORT AND OUTDOORS

S port has always been important to St Edward’s and was played even before the School possessed anything more than a playground at New Inn Hall Street. At that time, apart from energetic games in this enclosed space, use was made of public parks in and around Oxford, to which the necessary equipment was carried. Once Algernon Simeon was appointed Headmaster in 1870 he ensured that the School was permitted to use University sports facilities in vacation times via his Oxford contacts. Rugby Football (very different from what we know today) and cricket were the main team games played. Also athletics (called ‘the Sports’) were keenly contested in the Easter Term. Nowadays sports remain a very important part of the School, embodying the competitive and adventurous spirit of which we are all extremely proud. Thousands of teams and hundreds of trips and expeditions have set off and returned over the history of the School and, despite some quite major changes within and outside it, the core activities are remarkably similar to those of 50 or even 100 years ago. Sport flourishes, with considerable focus on the principal team games: rowing, hockey, harriers, rugby, netball and cricket. Athletics, tennis and squash are also part of the competitive package of School sport, and swimming has rejoined this list now. The numbers of pupils earning national and international honours at School and beyond is remarkably impressive and in recent years has been strongly supported by a growing elite-athlete scheme which is centred on the Martyrs Pavilion and the refurbished Old

Pavilion, and makes considerable use of The Oxfordshire Health and Racquet Club. The training support enjoyed by School athletes is considerable and our expectations of them are high. In recent years the CCF and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) expeditions have been the stalwarts of outdoor pursuits, and ten successive Shell year groups have now attended the summer adventure training camp in Snowdonia. There were several years of Fourth Form trips that spread our Fourth Form out to various parts of the country depending on their interests. There have been foreign trips (often combined with a healthy dose of academic work) and regular adventure trips as well. Caving, climbing and mountain walking in its own right are less popular now, but Skiff expeditions go out each year, and biking and canoeing are making a come-back. DofE is strongly supported at Bronze, Silver and Gold level and with this and so many other opportunities in School, the ‘Creativity, Action and Service’ element of those in the IB programme has certainly been very easy to fulfill. The CCF has always been strong, and whilst cadet numbers have grown considerably in recent years the pattern of trips is very similar. Shooting has re-established itself as a key component and many other on-site facilities have been developed as well as, most notably, the obstacle course and RN Hut. Cadets are increasingly taking on more of the leadership and adventure-training courses that are on offer outside School and our OSE contribution to UK Armed Forces is a source of constant pride for everyone. Keith Shindler Director of Sports and Activities

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