JUNIOR SPORTS AWARDS
Mr Morison's Junior Sports Awards 2017 Speech
What a year of sport it has been!
Amongst us this evening we have some outstanding sporting talent; pupils competing at District, County, Regional and National level in sports ranging from Fencing to Motor Cross and Rugby to Athletics. It is certainly true to say that the term ‘Major Games’ has become obsolete at Warminster.
Highlights of the sporting year include the way in which every pupil has made the most of the opportunities on offer at the School. This was highlighted throughout the year when watching the way in which the likes of Otto Rayes and Jerry Li turned their hands to rugby. Having never played the sport before coming to Warminster, they became important and regular members of the U15 team. The same can be said of Carolina Fellner who took to netball like a duck to water and of Anna and Emily Thorckmorton who became influential hockey players in no time. My only disappointment was that Sascha Viets and Luis Czichos didn’t take up David Aspray’s challenge to learn how to play cricket. Perhaps it was the fact that you bamboozled them with talk of googlies, Duckworth Lewis, and Fippers, David?!
This trait of Warminster pupils is shown in the way that EVERY Year 7 & 8 boy and girl has represented the School in a competitive inter-school fixture. You may ask, ‘why this is important?’. Well, good question. For us, it is not necessarily about winning, although it certainly helps. Winning is just part of the process of enjoying sport and learning how to win with good grace and a level of humility are characteristics that should be valued. But losing too, is part of this process. What you can take from losing a match, or from a poor performance is perhaps far more important than a comfortable victory that didn’t challenge you or the team. So well done to those U13E team hockey players who trained every week, with a shared goal, who came up against many challenges and ended up beating Clayesmore Prep 2-1. It is these performances that we celebrate tonight, just as much as that of the nominees for the prestigious Team of the Year.
Before we move on to the awards, I must pay a special thanks to the staff, coaches, and support teams who make all your matches possible. We would be lost without the fabulous catering of Mr Rall and his team. Week in, week out they produce the most fantastic food for the parents and supporters who watch your games. They also produce the wonderful food that we have eaten this evening and they deserve our thanks.
Mr Whyte and Mr Newman have been pushed to the limit this year. Preparing Sports Day the day before Speech Day, cricket matches on a Sunday, and rugby pitches so well-manicured that you daren’t step on them are just some of the highlights of their commitment and hard work. I am so pleased that they have joined us this evening, but please look after them on the inflatable games later. Thank you for all your hard work.
We also say goodbye to two members of staff this year. Mr Wilson will be return to his studies at the University of Bath. Before this, he will be attempting to scale Mount Kilimanjaro over the summer as he raises money for the charity Action Against Hunger. This selflessness is a trait that has been demonstrated throughout his very successful placement year. Those of you lucky enough to have been coached by him will know how committed, accurate, and professional he has been. We wish him the best of luck in his future career.
Miss Gough joined us in the Autumn of 2014. She has made a valuable contribution to the recent success and development of hockey, but also, and most importantly, become an integral part of our team. She leaves us at the end of this year to return to Wales to work as a Teaching Assistant with a view to completing her teacher training. I am certain that the experience of teaching and boarding at Warminster will hold her in good stead and we wish her the best of luck in the next step of her career.
Now time for the awards.