Sports standards

[sejintenej]

There were junior and senior events, the longest race being 220 yards (always won by Audrey Wright, who is a member of this forum). I think there were also 80 and 100 yard events, chucking a cricket ball and high jump, but I've no idea what was used to land on--grass probably. There was also a relay, run end to end not round a track. Towards the end of my time at Hertford they also introduced a novelty obstacle race for teams that were not in any other event. In everything else it was one person per house for each event.Maggie

I feel a little bit unbalanced by the concept of sports at schools.

When my daughter was nine or ten she had a bad fall on a trampoline; I took her to A & E who refused point blank to even see her because the NHS does not deal with sports injuries. OK so a letter goes to the school saying "no sports or exercises involving bending of the spine"; the school secretary later admitted to having torn it up. The result - paralysis from the hips down. A & E (again): "we don't handle sports injuries - go and take a painkiller".
I had by coincidence had an identical injury at the same place a year before and an identical answer from A & E. Fortunately I found a good specialist gym which got me straight. As for how Joanne got over her paralysis - well, we never did find an NHS doctor to treat her.

We are both still waiting for the NHS to write and say that, following a change in policy, they are prepared to help us. We are not holding our breaths

As for CH Horsham's treatment of sports injuries in my day - there was none

Perhaps sport in schools should be banned.

[judy]

Overall I quite enjoyed sport at CH and am probably glad we were required to do half an hours exercise a day- it laid down a reasonable physiogical basis even if I have since squandered it. I do, however, remember having a major fallout with Nellie one year when I ended up as the sports rep for 7s and was supposed to organise 7s team for the sports day. We had had two years in which people from our house had ended up in hospital after doing hurdles - I had ripped a muscle in my foot and Susan Chapman had broken her wrist- understandably there was no enthusiasm for the event and nobody wanted to take part. I therefore refused to put anybody down as a competitor for that event. I was given a very hard time but stuck to my guns. I just thought it was really wrong to do force anyone to do something that we clearly had not been properly trained to do and which had such a high injury rate. Not a popular person ....again.

[michael scuffil]

Sports at Horsham c. 1960 meant
Rugger
Athletics
Cricket
Cross-country running
PT
gym

I hated rugger, except seven-a-sides, which was fun. I quite liked athletics. Most people disliked cricket because it took up so much time, and the category of "non-cricketing senior" was created: we would play hockey instead. Cross-country running was faute de mieux when the rugby pitches were unplayable, as they often were. Mid-morning PT was universally hated, and it was killed off by the winter of '63. Unless you were in Lamb B, it was de rigueur to detest gym.

There were also unofficial "asphalt games". Asphalt cricket was a popular Saturday evening activity in summer. It had its own rules: the batting team fielded when not actually at the wicket (i.e. dustbin), and if you hit the ball, you had to run. This speeded things up.

Some people played fives, but this was rather esoteric.

[Vonny]

I only remember two accidents from my year during sports. Both at Hertford. One was a girl who fell off the bars in the gym and broke her leg and the other was during hockey when a girl was hit in the mouth with a hockey stick and lost some front teeth.
After the gym accident our year had to move classrooms as ours had been upstairs. We used the museum as our classroom for the term.
I am sure there were other accidents but these two remain clear in my mind as I saw them both happen.

[kerrensimmonds]

Sorry...I have not been on the Forum properly for a few days and have only just picked up this thread.
Yes we did have Sports Days at Hertford until MIss Park and Miss King left circa 1964 (they left together, I am sure - and my generation had been fond of them, whatever impressions were gained by others afterwards). Jill Westthorpe took over from MKP in 1964 and left in 1966.
I remember the high jump, 100 and 200 yards running races, the long jump, running relays and I guess there were opportunities for throwing things. Were there also 'three legged' races? I think there might have been - also egg (?wooden eggs?) and spoon and running in a sack? I seem to recall that the competitions were sometimes Ward/House based, and on other occasions individuals were competing against each other. And there were award trophies (cups...) too - as readers of another thread on this Forum might remember!
But there was little if any training for any of these activities - if you were sporty anyway you were probably better equipped than others who were not, but.....

[EvilAkela]

I remember that sports day was the last Saturday of term (beginning of July?), with sports at Ashbourne in the morning and cricket (fathers versus 1st XI) in the afternoon. Ones won for two or three years running in the later 70s; I think the same years that Bjorn won Wimbledon, which was on at the same time. I seem to think that one year the newly formed Jazz Band played in the tea break of the cricket and some juniors went round with a collecting pot to raise money for a saxaphone!

[sejintenej]

The result - paralysis from the hips down. A & E (again): "we don't handle sports injuries - go and take a painkiller".
I had by coincidence had an identical injury at the same place a year before and an identical answer from A & E.

We are both still waiting for the NHS to write and say that, following a change in policy, they are prepared to help us. We are not holding our breaths

I wrote that on Feb 8th; we have just had a readable reply (two replies were gobbledegook because the NHS don't use current Word apparently) which says that it is up to local Primary Health Care Trusts to decide what treatments they will pay for and which they will not pay for. Effectively if your local PCT decides it won't pay for sports injuries or maternity and you get injured / pregnant then you are shafted.

You have been warned!!!

[J.R.]

It is very easy and not too expensive to take out a personal insurance policy to cover sports injuries.

Unfortunaately, many footy players in local non-league don't think it necessary, then moan when they are off work for a few weeks with a broken leg.

If you tell an A & E department that you hold private cover, they will normally treat you.