The value of sport
As the girls walked into Waterlow Hall this week, buzzing with their usual energy, I played what is arguably one of the greatest sporting anthems ever composed – the theme tune to the 1981 film Chariots of Fire – before delivering an assembly on the importance of sport. Here is what I told them:
Chariots of Fire tells the story of two British long distance runners, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell. Harold Abrahams, who is Jewish, arrives at Cambridge in 1919 and experiences anti-semitism from the college staff. He also discovers a love of running and starts winning races. Eric Liddell, a Scotsman born in China to Christian missionaries, sees running as a way of glorifying God. The two men are selected to represent Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics. The film then charts their path to victory in their respective Olympic running events. It’s inspiring stuff.
And the value of Sport is what I want to explore this morning. The other week I read a rather depressing article about the attitudes of girls to Sport. According to recent research, whilst girls recognise the importance of being physically active, only 56% actually enjoyed exercise and only 45% saw the relevance of PE to their lives. 71% of boys, in contrast, said that they enjoyed exercise. Puberty has traditionally been seen as the point at which many girls lose interest in physical exercise – girls become more self conscious at this point and may feel awkward in school PE kit or worry about getting sweaty, or a sense that making an obvious effort in PE is uncool. But the research showed that girls as young as seven were switching off sport.
You could argue that PE is the most important part of your week – Sport is potentially the one school subject you should all be continuing into adult life. Laying down healthy habits now is really important. Because when you are busy following a career in adult life it is very, very easy for Sport to slip off the agenda and disappear altogether. Nearly 80% of British adults fail to meet even the recommended minimum government targets for exercise. Almost 1 in 10 adults has not walked continuously for even five minutes in the last four weeks. These figures are shocking but such are the pressures of modern life that you can see why we have become a nation of couch potatoes. You are all busy now but you are lucky that you can easily fit exercise into your weekly schedule – through PE afternoons and an incredible range of sporting extra-curricular activities. When you are older you will have to find the time and for that you will need a will of steel. Best to set up healthy habits now.
But Sport is about so much more than even healthy habits. If I think about all the things running has given to me, in no particular order they would be: self-confidence, balance and perspective, a rekindled love of nature and big landscapes, an appreciation of the seasons, will power, challenges, time management, adrenaline rushes, and inspiration from my sporting idols. Like Paula Radcliffe. Her 2003 world record marathon time in London is simply breathtaking and no female runner has come close in the last fourteen years. 2 hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds of pain makes her in my mind the greatest female runner in history.
In recent years, British Sport has teemed with inspiring role models, two of whom are visiting South Hampstead this evening to share their story of Olympic success, the importance of strong leadership and the value of teamwork. Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh were part of the gold medal winning GB hockey team at the Rio 2016 Olympics. They are inspiring not just for their sporting achievements but are also great role models for the LGBT community. And there are plenty of other inspiring female sporting heroines.
But away from the world of Olympians, you can also take inspiration from slightly closer to home. Our recently expanded PE department is home to great coaching and great talent – from world-class dancers, county-level team players, marathon runners, and even our very own GB triathlete. Among your academic teachers too there are incredible cyclists, rowers, runners and endurance athletes competing at impressively high standards. You are surrounded by positive role models: your form tutors run hockey clubs, netball training, cross country sessions… the entire Modern Foreign Language department – some seasoned runners, others complete novices – are running 5km to raise money for the school charity. With some 30 different sporting activities on offer here, before, during and after school – from athletics and basketball to yoga and Zumba – do make this your term to try something new too. Because Sport is for life.
Blog post by Vicky Bingham, Headmistress from 2017 to 2023.