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2012 Olympics

Sport Must Not Be Taken Out Of State Schools

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Jennifer1984 On July 20, 2022
Returner and proud





Penzance, United Kingdom
#1New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 00:50:07
This morning, Prime Minister David Cameron appeared on the BBC attempting to make political capital out of the Olympics, especially in the light of last weeks' report in the Guardian about school playing fields being sold off. He was quite bullish about his government's record on sport in schools but none of it really held much water.

I think it is one of those peculiarly British characteristics that we seem to view success at sport as something that just ‘happens’. A historical look at British innovation in sport during the Empire at its peak might take the view that it was all acquired in a fit of absent mindedness and eccentricity that had nothing to do with organisation, planning or determination. This would hardly be surprising from a country that has always prided itself on somehow muddling through.

Such is the manner in which we often see ourselves whenever we actually get good at something, hence Dave Brailsford's tongue-in-cheek explanation to a journalist from French sports newspaper L'Equipe that British cycling success at the Olympics was due to having wheels that were rounder than anybody elses. He said it with such a straight face that the French weren’t entirely sure that he wasn't being serious.

But British success at London 2012 has not been down to whimsical Britishness, or outrageous fortune, it has been a calculated performance created by the successful way in which our governing bodies have used Lottery money. Not all our teams have been as successful as the cycling or rowing teams, but those two teams have provided the templates for the others to copy in the future. And they should.

Rowing has provided the best example of how a sport can be remodelled. Back in 1989, British Rowing was in massive debt and Steve Redgrave, our greatest ever rower, was on the point of rebellion. He told the then management to shape up or ship out.

They started to shape up in 1991, four years before John Major started the National Lottery, and founded the National Performance Centre at Caversham. Now, although our rowers come from all over the country, most of them live nearby so they can take advantage of this marvellous facility.

Cycling’s problems were even bigger than those of rowing and the sport nearly went bust in the mid 90’s but re-organisation and Lottery money well used shaped a new generation of cyclists which used the latest coaching and technology to power themselves to success. The results in the Olympic Velodrome may look suspicious to the French but they are actually the end product of very careful planning.

But if money is all that is needed, then why no success in swimming..? It gets roughly the same amount of money as rowing and cycling and has a similarly efficient governing body, but yielded only one silver medal and two bronze in London.

The reasons are complex and difficult to put a finger on. Swimming has a greater global reach and new countries are emerging all the time. Australia has suffered a decline in their fortunes, but America remains the swimming powerhouse and will continue to be all the time they can produce a Phelps or a Lochte or a Franklin…. Which their collegiate system does…. Frequently.

In athletics, GB exceeded its target of gold medals on the first Saturday night of the competition but that should not lead to complacency. We experienced meltdown in the relays and had no credible competitor in a number of field events. The marvellous achievements of the very best should not be used to paint over the inadequacies of the others.

What we should do, in my opinion, is follow Jamaica’s example in its long established schools programme in the development of athletics to produce world class swimmers and athletes for Great Britain.

At this time there is no credible link with state schools, and it seems that only the independent sector is giving sport in any sort of priority in the curriculum. This situation is likely to be exacerbated if the government pushes through its plans, announced quietly this week while we were all distracted by events at the Games, to sell off yet another 20 school sports fields in addition to the previously announced cuts in funding to all 450 School Sports Partnerships that provide physical education in state schools.

At a time when we have just hosted the most incredibly successful Olympics, with the mission statement of Inspire A Generation, this act of governmental short sightedness is beyond ridiculous.

What Britain needs is a national sports policy which joins up school sports at all stages, from the grass roots right the way through to elite level, giving continuity and confidence to young athletes as they rise through the levels and age groups.

To reshape our current policies will be difficult and expensive but if we are to maintain and even improve upon the standard achieved at these Games, it is essential. If we fail to achieve this, I believe that if we do not reverse the decisions of this short sighted government, then all the impetus of London 2012 will be lost and the inspiration it was meant to engender will quickly turn to disillusionment and despair.

And that, I'm sorry to say, is a very British thing to do.

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rosexthorn On July 30, 2022




Winnipeg, Canada
#2New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 01:42:46
I thought I read 2012 OLYMPICS on the title of this thread only to find out it's more along the lines of a political thread..
boxerdc On December 18, 2012

Deleted



,
#3New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 01:53:25
@rosexthorn Said

I thought I read 2012 OLYMPICS on the title of this thread only to find out it's more along the lines of a political thread..


I saw 2012 Olympics, and then I saw that it was a novel, so I didn't bother to read it at all.. Good to know, that as usual, I didn't miss a thing.
sister_of_mercy On March 11, 2015




London, United Kingdom
#4New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 02:05:42
Not having fields doesn't stop people from sports. There are multi purpose sports areas, astro turf and fields that can be rented from other schools. Just because they're being sold doesn't mean that all of a sudden the kids aren't going to be allowed to do any sports.

Also, state schools are legally required to have PE lessons with sports, so even without fields they can't do away with it even if they wanted to.
DorkySupergirl On November 02, 2017




, Canada
#5New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 02:17:11
I have seen many stories on tv about kids in very poor areas who do not have the luxury of having fields for soccer, rinks for hockey etc but they are still out there in the streets playing their sports. They find grass and kick around a ball, they use the street to play street hockey and are out all night and loving it. Ideal is a rink, a field etc but some kids do not have luxury so they do with what they have and have the time of their lives doing it.
boxerdc On December 18, 2012

Deleted



,
#6New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 02:19:02
@DorkySupergirl Said

I have seen many stories on tv about kids in very poor areas who do not have the luxury of having fields for soccer, rinks for hockey etc but they are still out there in the streets playing their sports. They find grass and kick around a ball, they use the street to play street hockey and are out all night and loving it. Ideal is a rink, a field etc but some kids do not have luxury so they do with what they have and have the time of their lives doing it.


I'm pretty sure that Michael Phelps didn't have a swimming pool at his school in Baltimore.
DorkySupergirl On November 02, 2017




, Canada
#7New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 02:23:18
@boxerdc Said

I'm pretty sure that Michael Phelps didn't have a swimming pool at his school in Baltimore.



OMG, l'horreur, he had to use real water like from a river and not a pool at school to learn to swim!
ninozara On April 30, 2020




Cheshire, United Kingdom
#8New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 02:44:33
I'm not really sure what the School Sports Partnership does/did. PE is part of the national curriculum, meaning it has to be taught and I'm fairly certain PE teachers are covered in the staff salaries for secondary school. Swimming is a compulsory part of primary school education.

Looking at the summary it seems to be about sports clubs, after school events and getting communities/organisations involved. Which is lovely.

But we are actually in a recession and I'm not sure throwing money at this so we can win more medals in future is the best plan. If it means so much to people, money can be raised through other means, and a lot of it can be done through volunteers.
Jennifer1984 On July 20, 2022
Returner and proud





Penzance, United Kingdom
#9New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 08:31:37
@ninozara Said

I'm not really sure what the School Sports Partnership does/did. PE is part of the national curriculum, meaning it has to be taught and I'm fairly certain PE teachers are covered in the staff salaries for secondary school. Swimming is a compulsory part of primary school education.

Looking at the summary it seems to be about sports clubs, after school events and getting communities/organisations involved. Which is lovely.

But we are actually in a recession and I'm not sure throwing money at this so we can win more medals in future is the best plan. If it means so much to people, money can be raised through other means, and a lot of it can be done through volunteers.


Let's get money out of the way. There is plenty of money coming in from the lottery to maintain elite sport, but the elite level needs a throughput from the schools to give them something to work with, and that is the responsibility of the government.

Yes, PE is a part of the school curriculum. The government states that two hours a week must be set aside for it, but schools who have had their funding for sport taken away are now stretching the definition of "Physical Education" to include cheaper options such as dance (which is fine as an exercise... I trained in ballet, so I know the value of that) and "play exercise". These things tick the box and keeps OFSTED happy, but they don't give young people an introduction to competitive sport or nurture the desire and ambition to succeed.

What is happening is that state schools are taking the cheapest possible option. No corner is left uncut. And so young people are not getting any sort of structured education which will enable them to discover what sports they would like to take up, or which they might be particularly good at.

Some, as ever, will drift to the top, but more by luck than judgement, as I alluded to at the start of my post and which, not for the first time, has been totally missed or completely ignored. I sometimes wonder what it is I write that is so difficult for people to comprehend.

As for Michael Phelps having no support as a boy... let me see now.... he came from a sporting background... his father was a triallist for Washington Redskins. He was taking part in organised swimming by age 7, started formal training at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and was the national champion in his age group by 10. His coach was Bob Bowman, head coach of the University of Michigan's Swimming and Diving Team. He didn't exactly learn his trade by skinny dipping in his local crick, now did he..?

This is why the US is the master of the pool. They have a structure in place which finds youngsters like MP and nurtures them. It is probable that, if he had been a Briton, Michael Phelps might never have seen an Olympic pool. Does anybody ever wonder just how much talent has slipped through our fingers down the years, because we simply didn't spot it or develop it properly..?

The issue here is one of expectation which looks likely to be dashed by neglect.... one of enthusiasm engendered only to be wasted by the apathy of those who our athletes of the future should be able to put their trust in right now.

Our young people have been built up by these games and sports clubs and groups all over the country are already reporting record numbers coming forward saying they want to join. Of course, many of these clubs are run by volunteers and will willingly take as many youngsters as they can, but they can only do so much. It is the duty of the state to provide the school facilities and organisational structure by which those youngsters can progress through the age groups and grades, to identify the cream and enable it to rise to the top.

If a poor country like Jamaica can produce a conveyer belt of talent that started with Grace Jackson and Merlene Ottey, and has done so consistently ever since, and now produces so many great sprinters that they ran USA off the track in the 200 metres, then why can't we..?

Another wonderful British characteristic though, is our propensity for being the first to jump up and down about "Haves" and "Have-not's". Another thing I pointed out about this is that it is the state schools who will suffer because of these cuts. Not the private sector. Hey... I went to an independent school where sport was taken seriously and the facilities were provided out of the fees our parents paid to send us there. We consistenly thumped other teams from state schools in whatever we played them at.

Herein lies one of the differences between us and USA. Here, we say "Bloody rich kids, why should they have better than us..?" Over the pond, the teams getting beat will say "What have we got to do to improve..?"

The independent sector will be the class that provides those athletes we do produce in the future and I can just hear it now, from the pseudo-socialists amongst us "A bunch of poncy rich kids in boats and on horses" or how about "My son never had a chance because we didn't have any money". Or even "Sport in this country is for the children of rich people only, it's not fair". This is the mentality of those who think that somehow we will muddle through, and then wonder why we're behind the rest of the world.

I believe that every young person should have a chance, and if they have the potential to succeed, then there should be a system in place that gives them the best possible opportunity. A well organised structure that gives opportunity to all, identifies the best and nurtures them to the very top. Other countries have it, we don't.

Right now, as I said before, we have fantastic organisation and expertise in some areas. I would like to see that extended to ALL areas of sport. But if we don't pick up on the legacy of these games and do it NOW, then it will be just another baton dropped. Another relay that we simply didn't get right.

So............ in eight or twelve years time, when the media is crying out "Where did it all go wrong"..... "What happened to the spirit of 2012".... you will already know the answer. It was the apathy and penny pinching meanness of this generation that let our young people down and condemned Britain to slide back into the lower echelons of world sport.

But don't blame the "rich kids". Don't you dare to get on your working class soap boxes and criticise them because they were the few that did make it, against the odds. They will have done so because they had opportunity and nurturing and they took it.

They had something the state is neglecting to give those children in the state sector today. You read it here first.


.
someone_else On August 30, 2012
Not a dude.


Deleted



American Alps, Washington
#10New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 16:06:17
There are plenty of athletes who don't get their training from school. My school was rather small and our field was shared between football (US), baseball and track/field (which we did not have until my last years of high school).

I played soccer as a youth. All of our teams were sponsored by local businesses with a volunteer coach at a public park. Not having something available for school didn't mean that you had to miss out completely.
jmo On April 29, 2021
Beruset af Julebryg





Yorkshire, United Kingdom
#11New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 16:36:34
We didn't have a field at my school but we still had P.E. twice a week.

Played in the indoor gym, great fun. Still love Handball to this day because of playing it in P.E.
DorkySupergirl On November 02, 2017




, Canada
#12New Post! Aug 13, 2012 @ 16:53:01
@someone_else Said

There are plenty of athletes who don't get their training from school. My school was rather small and our field was shared between football (US), baseball and track/field (which we did not have until my last years of high school).

I played soccer as a youth. All of our teams were sponsored by local businesses with a volunteer coach at a public park. Not having something available for school didn't mean that you had to miss out completely.



Exactly. I am from hockey country and I personally have never seen a school that had a hockey rink in it even though hockey is popular here. Yes, schools have hockey teams but they do not have their own rinks. They have to rent the ice of the local hockey rink that is a public hockey rink for their practice and for their games. The rink is also used for the public for skating and stuff.

Kids here who want to play hockey usually do not even play hockey for their school. What happens is that their parents foot the bill for their hockey and the parents are the ones who have to get up at 5 am to lug their kids all across town and to different cities for them to play hockey. The kids go into Timbit hockey at four years old. Then as they age, they have different levels of hockey. Ie pee wee is ages 11-12, bantam is ages 13-14 and many are classed like A, AA, AAA and the better of a player you are, the better the team you will be on.

I think its only at the junior level, the last level to play at before your drafted by NHL that parents do not have to lug around their kids and get to stop paying for equipment as the team then supplies it. But its on the parents for hockey and not on a school.

At junior level you are drafted too and live in different provinces at and live with a host family so you do not play for your school, your on the road and pretty much schooled on the road because you are away so much playing hockey.
Jennifer1984 On July 20, 2022
Returner and proud





Penzance, United Kingdom
#13New Post! Aug 14, 2012 @ 04:53:59
@someone_else Said

There are plenty of athletes who don't get their training from school. My school was rather small and our field was shared between football (US), baseball and track/field (which we did not have until my last years of high school).

I played soccer as a youth. All of our teams were sponsored by local businesses with a volunteer coach at a public park. Not having something available for school didn't mean that you had to miss out completely.



I went back over my previous posts to see if I'd written them in Swahili or something. Is my English not legible..? I can't think how this very simple, easy to understand message is somehow not getting through.

OK... I'll try again. Phew <takes deep breath>

It's good that you enjoy your football, but what level of football have you played at..?

Have you made it to international level..? I doubt it. What you have done is played recreational football and that's good. That is the level that the vast, overwhelming majority attain and I make no criticism of that. Rather, I think everybody should play some sort of recreational activity that contributes to their health and well being.

But what I'm talking about here, is putting in place a pathway to the top for those who are good enough.

Imagine it as a method of progression. Imagine...... You and your brother start off at junior school and discover that you both like athletics. You both compete at schools competitions. You both do well and are passed on, by your school to a local club. You progress to County Level. You realise that County Level is what you're good at, but you're not good enough to go any higher so you stay at your club, quite happily.

Your brother, however, is better and the club enters him for the Regional Championships. He is successful there and makes his way into the National squad and eventually, from there, into the English Commonwealth Games Squad and after that, the British Olympic Team.

This is what I mean by a pathway. Both you and your brother found your level and, as he was the better of the two of you, he was able to realise his fullest potential while you were satisfied with enjoying performing at your appropriate level.

We do not have that kind of structure in this country. There is no 'joined up' line of progression in many sports. Anybody who does progress does so almost by accident and I dread to think how many really great athletes this country might have had if we had simply been better organised.

The process of finding young talent begins in schools and that talent cannot be identified and nurtured if we do not have the facilities and organisation.

I'm not saying that every school has to have Rolls Royce facilities. But there should be, at the very least, basic provision and that is what is being systematically removed by the government. If they sell off the playing fields, where are the children going to kick a ball... or run around a rudimentary grass track.... or even find out that they enjoy doing such things...? Talk of having ice hockey rinks at schools is fatuous nonsense. Nobody could expect that. A patch of grass, and a gym with reasonable facilities backed up by teaching staff who know who to phone to say "Little Johnny sure can run fast, I think you might like to come and take a look".

Right now, we don't even have that.

In my opinion, if Great Britain is to make the most of the impetus gained by these Olympics, we have to get our organisation right, and give greater priority to discovering and nurturing young talent. That process must start in the schools.

Let everybody find their own level, and create the opportunity for the cream to rise to the top.


.
restoreone On January 30, 2022




, Ohio
#14New Post! Aug 14, 2012 @ 05:12:17
Come on Americans. If you are good enough you will be called upon by private schools.Take a look at the top schools in your state in any sport I mean any. Who is at the top of the food chain year in year out.
Why because they have the money to win.They give "free" scholarships to kids who don't have the money to go to their schools.They do not care if you are educated they care can you make that tackle, touchdown dunk that ball. Money makes sports a winner as does genetics.
someone_else On August 30, 2012
Not a dude.


Deleted



American Alps, Washington
#15New Post! Aug 14, 2012 @ 13:33:39
@Jennifer1984 Said

I went back over my previous posts to see if I'd written them in Swahili or something. Is my English not legible..? I can't think how this very simple, easy to understand message is somehow not getting through.


I don't speak your language. Plus your post was very wordy and I have a very short attention span. No need to get your knickers in a twist.


@Jennifer1984 Said

OK... I'll try again. Phew <takes deep breath>

It's good that you enjoy your football, but what level of football have you played at..?


That threw me off for a second, had to switch gears. I didn't say I enjoyed it, just that I played. As I said, I played as a youth but I suppose that's pretty broad. I think I stopped playing in 2nd grade so I'd have been about 8 or 9 years old.


@Jennifer1984 Said

Have you made it to international level..? I doubt it. What you have done is played recreational football and that's good. That is the level that the vast, overwhelming majority attain and I make no criticism of that. Rather, I think everybody should play some sort of recreational activity that contributes to their health and well being.

But what I'm talking about here, is putting in place a pathway to the top for those who are good enough.

Imagine it as a method of progression. Imagine...... You and your brother start off at junior school and discover that you both like athletics. You both compete at schools competitions. You both do well and are passed on, by your school to a local club. You progress to County Level. You realise that County Level is what you're good at, but you're not good enough to go any higher so you stay at your club, quite happily.

Your brother, however, is better and the club enters him for the Regional Championships. He is successful there and makes his way into the National squad and eventually, from there, into the English Commonwealth Games Squad and after that, the British Olympic Team.

This is what I mean by a pathway. Both you and your brother found your level and, as he was the better of the two of you, he was able to realise his fullest potential while you were satisfied with enjoying performing at your appropriate level.


Most of that is not the way our system works but the end result, I suppose might be the same. I pause here for comment partially due to my short attention span and partly just to clarify.

@Jennifer1984 Said

We do not have that kind of structure in this country. There is no 'joined up' line of progression in many sports. Anybody who does progress does so almost by accident and I dread to think how many really great athletes this country might have had if we had simply been better organised.

The process of finding young talent begins in schools and that talent cannot be identified and nurtured if we do not have the facilities and organisation.

I'm not saying that every school has to have Rolls Royce facilities. But there should be, at the very least, basic provision and that is what is being systematically removed by the government. If they sell off the playing fields, where are the children going to kick a ball... or run around a rudimentary grass track.... or even find out that they enjoy doing such things...? Talk of having ice hockey rinks at schools is fatuous nonsense. Nobody could expect that. A patch of grass, and a gym with reasonable facilities backed up by teaching staff who know who to phone to say "Little Johnny sure can run fast, I think you might like to come and take a look".

Right now, we don't even have that.

In my opinion, if Great Britain is to make the most of the impetus gained by these Olympics, we have to get our organisation right, and give greater priority to discovering and nurturing young talent. That process must start in the schools.

Let everybody find their own level, and create the opportunity for the cream to rise to the top.


.


Now I'm beginning to think that my post was in Swahili. My entire point was, why are you putting the onus on the government to provide this? Why can it not be provided by private citizens (which was the point of my youth football post)?
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