WILTSHIRE SCHOOL GAMES: Bright future for star pupils (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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WILTSHIRE SCHOOL GAMES: Bright future for star pupils
2:30pm Friday 20th July 2012 in General Sport
Hilperton Primary School pupils at the opening ceremony at Chippenham Town Football Club
AROUND 1,200 schoolchildren from across the county got the chance to compete in their own multi-sport competition last week.
And Wiltshire and Swindon Activity and Sports Partnership chief executive Steve Boocock is predicting a bright future for the Wiltshire School Games.
Pupils got the chance to compete tackle sports such as rugby, gymnastics, table tennis, basketball and volleyball at venues across the county as part of the first-ever School Games. Following Thursday’s opening ceremony at Chippenham Town Football Club, competitors spread out across Chippenham, Corsham and Melksham to take part in the National Lottery-funded event, which forms part of the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with pupils with disabilities participating in a range of disability sports on the second day of competition.
Special guests such as Devizes’ Great Britain judoka Tom Reed, Hilperton Olympic rhythmic gymnastics star Francesca Fox and Great Britain cross country runner Lily Partridge were on hand to lend their support.
Boocock said: “It was really successful and the feedback we’ve had from schools and their pupils has been great.
“There were all kinds of sports going on and we had musicians and dancers performing at the opening ceremony.
“We had a lot of volunteers helping out with the organisation, the refereeing, the umpiring and the media coverage too but a lot of those were youngsters so it really was an event run for young people, by young people.
“It’s all part of bringing the Olympic legacy to Wiltshire and the School Games will continue every year until 2017.
“It was a great event and hopefully it will help some of the youngsters who may go on to be involved in Rio 2016 one day.”
The top competitors from last week’s competition could go on to feature in a national competition being staged at the London 2012 Olympic Park later this year.
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