The Autumn term is traditionally the time for school cross country and several events take place across the borough, culminating in the Calderdale Schools Cross Country Championships through which winners go on to compete in West Yorkshire finals at Temple Newsam in the spring.
The first round of events for this academic year saw a total of 892 primary school children taking part in a number of local events involving clusters of school from within a certain area. From these, 465 pupils qualified for the Calderdale Finals held at Old Brodleians Rugby Club in Hipperholme. Representing 52 different schools from across the district, participants showed speed, endurance and, above all, resilience as they took on the combined effects of both the course and the weather.
That same tenacity was shown by the 319 students from 13 of the borough’s secondary schools who came together to battle it out for places at the West Yorkshire Finals which are also held at Temple Newsam in Leeds.
Organiser Callum McNulty commented:
It is great to see how well supported the Cross Country is around Calderdale to get these types of numbers. These events are not possible without fantastic leaders. These were provided by Learning and Life Skills students who supported in the carpark and on the course and students from Hipperholme Grammar who marshalled the course as well.
James from Old Brodleians who kindly lends the use of their ground and fantastic facilities for the event said:
We’re delighted to welcome every school from across Calderdale and to host these cross-country events. We are fortunate to have a big enough footprint to keep all the young runners on site and within our boundaries, providing a safe environment to run.
Besides the physical demands involved, cross country racing requires great mental effort and requires courage, perseverance and determination, qualities exhibited by every single runner and testament to Calderdale’s incredible young people.
Founder of Andy’s Man Club and proud dad, Luke Ambler, was absolutely blown away by the number of schools and pupils involved and gave us his reflections of the day:
As a huge advocate of raising aspirations, pushing limits, wellbeing and kids being active, it was inspiring to see so many young people pushing their limits, representing their schools with pride, and cheering on their teammates. The atmosphere was electric, and it’s a real testament to the spirit of Calderdale. The organisation of the event was outstanding, and huge credit goes to everyone involved in making it such a success. Everything ran smoothly, and the effort put in by the organisers, volunteers, and staff was evident from start to finish. On a personal note, I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter for coming 1st in the Year 6 race and it’s a moment I’ll never forget. Watching her has already sparked aspirations in my 5-year-old who came to watch to follow in her footsteps, and for me, that’s what it’s all about: inspiring the next generation to get involved and stay active.
Thank you and well done to all the runners, teachers and organisers involved in making these events so successful.