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Spring ‘10 Issue 14

Spring ‘10 Issue 14 17

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Sport

THE LONG RUN

OF SUCCESS

This year BGS celebrates 25 years of orienteering, a sport which has taken the School and its students through bogs, brambles and other natural obstacles towards both individual and team success.

BGS has a long and eventful history, competing in the Avon Schools’ Orienteering League with a successful run as League winners from 1993 to 2000. The team is currently enjoying a second winning streak, taking the title in 2008 and 2009, although with fierce rivalry from local challengers Kingswood School there is everything still to play for in 2010.

Performed at its peak, orienteering can be described as a testing, high- intensity running sport, with the added challenge of having to navigate unknown terrain, sand dunes, forests, open parkland and even streets. But it’s also simply a chance to get some fresh air and 2D spatial awareness on a Sunday morning, something which can involve the whole family. It’s even a good way to exercise the dog.

Mrs Jo Foster has been a leading light in supporting orienteering’s ongoing development in the School, taking students and their families to the eight league events that run throughout the year.

“It’s easy to get hooked,” says Jo. “It appeals to boys, girls and adults of all ages, many of whom are competitive athletes but don’t necessarily want to participate in traditional team sports.”

Armed with a map and a compass, the aim is to finish a course as rapidly as possible, clocking in at markers along the way. The winner is the person who completes the course in the fastest time, around thirty minutes for younger competitors, forty to sixty minutes for those competing at a senior level.

Today orienteering attracts regular competitors from right across the School. Many are achieving individual success as well as supporting the BGS team effort. Top performers are the Robinson family (James, Eleanor and Anna), Emily Ronson, James Pheysey, Rachel Helfer, John Grenfell-Shaw and David Maliphant. David has been twice selected as reserve for the England team in the World Schools’ Tournament, no small achievement in a team of only three. David follows in the consistently fast footsteps of Oliver Johnson, OB (1997) who went on to represent Britain, now a member of the squad for the fifth year running. Competitors are looking forward to the Individual Championships coming up in the Mendips after Easter.

If you haven’t been before, newcomers, families or individuals are welcome to every event.

Sevens

success for U16s

The U16 boys were a resounding success in their first Sevens tournament of the season, with a series of convincing wins over West Buckland School (15 – 2), Taunton School (22 – 0) and finally Bryanston School (34 – 0) taking them through to the semi-final and a win against hosts Wellington School (24 – 12).

A place in the final saw the boys up against a strong Millfield side yet to concede a try in this tournament.

Marcus Fatoye started well for BGS, outpacing the entire Millfield backline to score, followed almost immediately with a second try from Nick Brook. Nick Brook broke through again, only to be tackled just before the line. Fortunately, Captain Mike Brook was in close support to give BGS a deserved 17 – 0 lead at half time.

Millfield made desperate changes for the second half, which paid dividends early on as they struck back with a solo try. The BGS boys maintained their stride and scored two further tries, both to player of the tournament, Nick Brook, giving BGS a resounding 29 – 7 victory.

Sport

SPORTING SNIPPETS

Once again there have been many talented BGS individuals excelling in their commitment, endurance and ability, on and off the field.

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

BIATHLON athlete, Matthew Eskell Year 9 who has qualified for the National Championships held at Crystal Palace on 21st March.

HOCKEY players Ellie Lindsay, Annabel Koehli, Hannah Gil, Lucy Eggleston and Kamini Tailor, who have been selected for Avon County Hockey teams.

In the BOYS’ HOCKEY First XI, both Jack Fairs and Captain Will Godfrey are currently in the West Regional Squad, Gus Hill and Chris Dauban gaining County representative honours in the U15.

CROSS-COUNTRY challenger Ellie Wimshurst who, following her impressive eighth place in the UK Cross Country Challenge, was selected to represent GB in the U20 category at the European Championships in Dublin. Ellie produced a fantastic debut run towards winning a team silver medal. Following an impressive first place in the Avon Schools’ Cross Country Championships in January, Scott Matthews was selected to run in the South West Championships along with fellow BGS runner, Luke Grenfell- Shaw. Luke is hoping to be selected for the English Schools’ race in Manchester.

NETBALL players Chloe Trigg and Jasmin Fraser, now training in the Satellite Academy within the Avon region, and Philippa Koehli who plays at senior level in the Avon Premier League.

FENCER Oli Dunnill Year 9 on representing England in Paris, part of England Fencing Squad. .

SWIMMER Louisa Emery, record holder and club champion U13 at Backwell Swimming Club, where she puts in five hours training a week and is now ranked tenth overall for her age in Somerset.

The Junior CLIMBING Team (Daniel Cullum, Olivia Francis, Alec Fraser, Hamish Potokar, Clare Hunter Funnell and James Squire) for their very convincing win in the Bristol Schools’ Climbing Championships. The individual performances were so strong that a super final had to be organised. Hamish Potokar won the top rope climbs, circuit events and the individual lead climbing competition, beating senior entries from other schools. Congratulations also to James Squire who won the bouldering event.

Literary events

An evening with

Gregory Doran

Gregory Doran, Chief Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, visited BGS in March. He talked to Martin White, Professor of Theatre Studies at Bristol University, about his work on stage and his latest book, ‘The Shakespeare Almanac’. Eric Levy reports.

and language and, just as intriguingly, his almost encyclopaedic knowledge of everything to do with the time and the world in which Shakespeare wrote his plays. He treated us to excerpts from his excellent new book, one of the most entertaining being the story of ‘André the skull’. Apparently, André Tchaikowski, a Russian pianist and composer (and no relation to the Tchaikowski of Nutcracker fame), had bequeathed his skull to the RSC in the early 1980s, hoping to be cast as Yorick in Hamlet. However it wasn’t until decades later that Andre finally fulfilled his post humous role, recruited for Doran’s 2008 production where he starred alongside David Tenant, but then only after run-ins with squeamish funeral directors, agents from the Human Tissues Authority and an overzealous prop-shop dog named Crusty. As they say, in the world of the theatre, anything’s possible. The closing question-and-answer session led to some unusual insights including the challenges associated with keeping a stage performance of Shakespeare fresh over a span of more than a hundred performances, and how one might transpose seminal plays like Hamlet on to the silver screen. It was an atmospheric evening, aided by

A

stewards in crenulated ruffs, studded jerkin sleeves or feather masks, and medieval and Renaissance music from suitably attired Sixth- form students Esther Carter, Alistair Debling, James Wright and Naomi Bullivant.

spellbound audience enjoyed an intimate experience, sharing first-hand Mr Doran’s genuine love of Shakespeare’s stories Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11