LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT TRINITY TERM OF SPORT

Our Director of Sport, Graham Smith, is looking forward to the Trinity term and to pupils getting back into school sports and the mental and physical benefits that will bring. In this short blog, he reassures any pupils who may have been less active during Lockdown, their fitness will be back surprisingly quickly. 

I vividly remember during my first Trinity Term at Glenalmond, standing at Big Cricket one day and watching the pupils' play and feeling a sense of awe that never fully leaves you.

The boys were playing with the most magnficient backdrop of scenery you can imagine. I almost had to pinch myself.

Glenalmond is stunning all year round but during the summer term it really moves into a different level and our returning pupils - after a dearth of activities with friends during Lockdown - will be able to soak all of that up.

This term is one of long days and sunshine when our pupils can really make the most of the sports, activities and facilities we have on offer at Glenalmond.

I am very aware that, after Lockdown, pupils will be at very different levels of fitness and if any are concerned, I'm very keen to reassure them - they have nothing to worry about. 

They will find that within a very short time back at Glenalmond their fitness levels will start to improve and they will be having so much fun they will barely notice that day by day they are fitter.

All being well, the coming term will see us in a position to offer a very-close-to-normal term of sport - obviously subject to COVID requirements - with cricket, tennis and athletics all in the mix to look forward to.

With sport of some sort taking place every day, fitness will come back surprisingly quickly to those who have been less active in recent months.

Outwith the school timetable of six days a week sport, there will be some fantastic Saturday night activities for our pupils, day and boarders, to enjoy. These will include rounders, a range of activities in our Outdoor Classroom, scavenger hunts and five aside football for boys and girls.

Of course, there will be a range of other recreational sport available too - our tennis courts, for example, are available for pupils to use during their free time. 

Our grounds team have Big Cricket all marked up and ready to go and our 12 tennis courts' nets are up ready for action on our fantastic Lower Astro. Pupils don't need any special kit for this term's activities and as long as they have their sports kits and trainers suitable for the astro they will be ready to go.

Well done to all the pupils, and staff, who have got behind our #Challenge175 and clocked up 175km during Lockdown (some have achieved much more). This Challenge finishes in the coming weeks and the countdown is on now for our 24 hour 10k relay, known as #Coll24. Again pupils who are perhaps less fit after a term away from school have nothing to worry about.

The #Coll24 10k (taking place over our lovely Golf Course) can be run and walked in combination for those who are not so fit as others.

The main thing is - as with all our sports activities - everyone enters into the spirit of the 24 hour experience and lots of fun is had. That is what this term, packed with sport in the sunshine (with the odd shower of rain!), is all about. 

Looking forward to getting going next week.