A team of six Y5/Y6 boys and girls walked away with a podium finish last
Friday morning, when they achieved joint third at the finals of the Sheffield
Schools Bouldering Championship, held at the Mini-Works bouldering centre.
For those
not in the know, bouldering is a sport in which climbers attempt to climb
short, but very difficult routes, without ropes and over crash mats. The routes
are called "problems" because to get to the top you need to work out
a very specific series of moves. Over 50 children tried out for the squad, and
this was whittled down to a team of 12, who competed in a qualifying session at
the Mini Works, in February. The scores of the best climbers were compared to
the other 36 schools who took part in the contest, and only the ten best
schools were invited back to the finals.
The
finals were very close, with some very impressive climbing on
display. Despite this being the first year that Dore Primary has entered
the competition, the team was able to achieve an amazing joint third
place. Mr Paterson, who took the team to the competition with Mr Fletcher, said:
"The team worked very hard and put in a great effort. Bouldering is a
sport that involves a great deal of resilience and teamwork to work out
techniques and routes. The team worked well together: encouraging each
other and offering advice on the best moves to try. We couldn't have asked
for a better set of children to represent our school."
Kaitlin, from
Y5, was the recipient of a special individual prize from the team's professional
coach, who helped the team on the day. Kaitlin was recognised for her
teamwork and enthusiasm; “Winning the award made me feel like I’d really
helped my team out,” she said “The competition was great!”
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