SPORT AT SCHOOL - best by Dunces
Discussion
With a certain morning female TV breakfast show presenter getting hyper & moist with excitement about every sport & taking up half the show reporting endless events I'm minded of sports at my secondary modern school many years ago.
Streaming meant you were either in the A, B or C stream, A being for the brightest & the only ones to receive foreign language lessons (French). B for the average (me) & C for the less bright, most from the local rural communities.
Football. rugby, cricket, tennis & for my last year swimming were the only sports taught.
The football team was almost entirely made up from the C class pupils, rugby a mixture of C's & B's, cricket & tennis mostly A's & B's.
In my last year a crude swimming pool no more than a concrete pit was built but hardly ever used by anybody.
Socially within the school the different streams kept apart given the varying intelligence & interests.
Now decades later I ponder on such class divisions & whether they still apply especially when witnessing a footballer either struggling to put a sentence together in English or just struggling to put a sentence together period. Such attempts acerbated by such profound wisdom as " We need to get most goals to win".
I have an uneasy suspicion that things have not changed much.
Streaming meant you were either in the A, B or C stream, A being for the brightest & the only ones to receive foreign language lessons (French). B for the average (me) & C for the less bright, most from the local rural communities.
Football. rugby, cricket, tennis & for my last year swimming were the only sports taught.
The football team was almost entirely made up from the C class pupils, rugby a mixture of C's & B's, cricket & tennis mostly A's & B's.
In my last year a crude swimming pool no more than a concrete pit was built but hardly ever used by anybody.
Socially within the school the different streams kept apart given the varying intelligence & interests.
Now decades later I ponder on such class divisions & whether they still apply especially when witnessing a footballer either struggling to put a sentence together in English or just struggling to put a sentence together period. Such attempts acerbated by such profound wisdom as " We need to get most goals to win".
I have an uneasy suspicion that things have not changed much.
Interesting thread.
I was in the A stream at school and never really got into team sports like rugby and football. Used to play badminton and do martial arts (both outside the school). The only sports I did at school were the ones forced upon us.
Typically, for football, I'd be in defence and spent 90 minutes chatting to the other defenders and goalies while the "heroes" were busy up the other end getting all muddy and sweaty. I don't remember if goals got past me as it was inconsequential. I'd never need a shower or to have my clothes washed as they didn't get muddy and I didn't get sweaty.
Nowadays, I play tennis and badminton, do indoor climbing, martial arts and strength training.
I'm considering doing an MSc.
Edit: clearly, not that interesting, judging by the lack of replies.
I was in the A stream at school and never really got into team sports like rugby and football. Used to play badminton and do martial arts (both outside the school). The only sports I did at school were the ones forced upon us.
Typically, for football, I'd be in defence and spent 90 minutes chatting to the other defenders and goalies while the "heroes" were busy up the other end getting all muddy and sweaty. I don't remember if goals got past me as it was inconsequential. I'd never need a shower or to have my clothes washed as they didn't get muddy and I didn't get sweaty.
Nowadays, I play tennis and badminton, do indoor climbing, martial arts and strength training.
I'm considering doing an MSc.
Edit: clearly, not that interesting, judging by the lack of replies.
Edited by Hoofy on Thursday 9th August 17:44
There have been accusations that Rugby players are predominantly posh. I have to say that that is not the impression I have gained in a career spanning 5 decades in and around the Bristol/Bath/Gloucester area. Arguably the heartland of English rugby together with Cornwall, and not far from our friends in South Wales. Very much working class in the majority I would say.
The situation may be different in other regions, of course.
This may well be a reflection of the fact that football in this area is, at best, mediocre and most of the time rubbish.
The situation may be different in other regions, of course.
This may well be a reflection of the fact that football in this area is, at best, mediocre and most of the time rubbish.
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