Sports standards

[Vonny]

When CJ & I were at Hertford we had "standards" in athletics and swimming. Everyone was expected to gain at least one standard which consisted of either 1 point, 2 points or 3 points depending on how good you were at the relevant sport. If I remember correctly all the points from each house were added up and the house with the most points won. I don't know what the penalty was for anyone not gaining at least one point and I don't recall anyone not getting at least 1 point for something.
Does anyone prior to the 1980's remember this?

[MKM]

The points system started while I was at Hertford. I think Miss Norman invented it. There was just one level, which was set so that most girls could reach it. You could win a point each for long jump, high jump, hurdles etc. I think the points for each house were combined somehow with sports day results, to determine the winning house.

[midget]

Hurdles? Nothing so sophisticated in my day (thank God)

[icomefromalanddownunder]

I don't know what the penalty was for anyone not gaining at least one point and I don't recall anyone not getting at least 1 point for something.
Does anyone prior to the 1980's remember this?

The punishment was feeling like a totally useless member of the school community. I don't know that I didn't ever gain at least one point, but sport wasn't a favourite occupation of mine when I was at CH. Strange (?) considering that I had been a keen, and reasonably successful, netball player before attending CH, and then enjoyed playing hockey at St Martin's.

xx

[Katharine]

Mary must be right about this - as I cannot remember anything about standards (nor hurdles, Maggie!).

[Angela Woodford]

I'm half remembering, half guessing that Nellie Norman introduced some athletics into our curriculum round about 1969. I remember seeing the little old groundsman marking a running track round the Field. I remember attempting long jump for the first time and landing inelegantly (whoomph!) in a sand-pit-arrangement the Infirmary side of the Field. We were allowed to tuck our tunics up into our blues for this, which was an amazing innovation. How wistfully I envied the long and graceful legs of those taller and slimmer than I! Like Sue Osborne - a beautiful girl who excelled at the running and jumping - especially high jump.

Before then, there were no standards for anything athletic, apart from the swimming stripe system.

A first ever Sports Day! The reason my memory will be for ever creased up and rolling about on the floor was that Nellie had acquired a green tin megaphone to summon competitors to the starting line, etc etc. The voice, controlling a Fieldful of milling girls, through an enhancing mechanism was even more compelling than usual!

"Will all girls competing in the 10 mile dash please assemble now at the Pavilion dap-dap-dap, at the Pavilion, dap, all girls, dap-dap - "

Nellie, the competent mistress of a boardful of immaculate events lists -that brisk little lithe figure, shouting into the megaphone, whistle round neck! The short white pleated skirt revealing the sturdy well muscled legs that never showed fatigue!

What an organiser she was!

[englishangel]

Oh Angela, how you bring it all back. Yes I think it must have 1969 or so. I was reasonably good at high jump until someone started teaching the Western roll and my nerve deserted me.

We hadn't had athletics until then and none of our muscles were trained for long jump , hurdles etc, and for about three weeks anyone who tried one of these strange new sports walked around like John Wayne. Stretching, warmng up, a baffling new language. I think after a while we were allowed to do athletics in polo shirts and blues and then they brought in those navy terry jumpsuits that Alex was talking about.

[Katharine]

We DID have Sports Day before then but it was obviously a smaller event. Jane Norcock was our champion sprinter I remember. I think it was mainly running events, including relays. I think we had high jump, but can't remember what you landed on. I think the only throwing event was throwing the cricket ball. (Come in Kerren - or were you only in team games?)

[midget]

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

[Jo]

Goodness yes, I remember standards being introduced. Whoever mentioned 1969 I think is about right. There were different standards for junior, intermediate and senior age groups, and each one achieved won a point for your house. I remember being incredibly chuffed that, as the most unathletic schoolgirl in the history of the universe, I actually achieved two or three standards over the course of my school career (different ones each time, oddly enough).

I remember too Nellie Norman's gymslips, and the first time (probably in winter) she turned out in a pair of black crimplene slacks with stirrups under the feet. "Miss Rutherford bought me them for my birthday", she admitted bashfully.

Which reminds me: Nellie and Miss Rutherford, BJ & Miss Wilson, Chemi T and Merce..... do you think they were...errr.....?? We kind of joked about the various different "couples" at the time, but I think we thought we were just having a rude schoolgirl joke at the expense of very proper and innocent teachers who just happened to be sharing staff houses. Now I'm not so sure.

Does anyone remember Miss Riddiford (not to be confused with Miss Rutherford), aka the Purple Headed Mountain, another language teacher who arrived about 1973 and was certainly still there when I left. After A levels she invited us to tea at her house (she lived offsite) and we met her "friend". I thought it was nice that she lived with a companion. It never occurred to me that all their tales of shared travels, and what appeared to be many years of shared history indicated anything other than two friends sharing a house together. Oh how innocent we were in those days

[Katharine]

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

Sounds just what I remember, Maggie. Presumably run by MKP (Miss Park) in your time as well. She retired while I was there, quite late in my time, and made a very emotional speech in the School Hall - I don't remember anyone else doing that.

[midget]

MKP always struck me as old. Whatever age was she when she retired? We were known as a "disgraceful" UIVA, and at one half-term mark reading (remember that?) received a prolonged public earful from DRW. Our first lesson after that was gym. We were told to sit on the floor, and almost the whole of the lesson was another earful from MKP "When I was at school we were expected to give OURSELVES order marks if we did anything wrong etc etc". Not a happy day!
Maggie

[Katharine]

MKP always struck me as old. Whatever age was she when she retired? We were known as a "disgraceful" UIVA, and at one half-term mark reading (remember that?) received a prolonged public earful from DRW. Our first lesson after that was gym. We were told to sit on the floor, and almost the whole of the lesson was another earful from MKP "When I was at school we were expected to give OURSELVES order marks if we did anything wrong etc etc". Not a happy day!
Maggie

That sounds just like her! I have no idea how old she was, I think it must have been about 1963 or 4 that she retired, presumably at 60? I think that Miss King finished a year or two later. MKP had broken her arm some time before I went to CH and she could no longer demonstrate anything instead she used to tap her arm to remind us why she couldn't.

[Angela Woodford]

I arrived in 1964, and Miss Park and Miss King were gone, though stories of them lingered on. I had the impression that nobody mourned the departure of these ladies, whom I imagined as ancient, vengeful, fierce and clad in dark gloomy garments.

And we had a super young dance-y sports mistress called Miss Westthorp! Nellie must have arrived in 1965, Miss Westthorp left for a dance career and young Miss Ling arrived as Nellie's junior sidekick.

Jo! I must have written at length about the "couples" and had better not repeat myself...

Miss Riddiford began in the autumn term of 1969, as I began French 'A' level in the LV1. She was a proper S Londoner and had taught previously at Clapham County Girls School. I remember her in raptures over the versatility of her new CH pupils - particularly over the standard of singing. "Marvellous!" (booming laugh) " absolutely wonderful; like a professional choir! I say! Superb!"

The dear thing.

I had a shopping basket, by which she would identify me on trips to Gravesons or (regrettably) The Chocolate Box, and her baritone bellow of "Encore, le panier!" would cause the Hertford pedestians to reel back in the tsunami of sound.

Her girlfriend, Miss Munt, was a tiny dainty woman clad in greys-and-mauves, gauze, crepe; pretty things. But again I have written of Miss Munt and her sweet tinkling laugh - especially that coffee evening. I won't go into that again... oh dear...

Love from Munch

[Vonny]

The punishment was feeling like a totally useless member of the school community.

I can imagine that being correct. I used to gain 3 points for everything althletic-wise and just 1 point for the 4 swimming strokes. However, I wasn't particularly academic so was made to feel pretty useless there! As mentioned before - prize giving was a pet hate - I didn't ever win a prize and don't think I came anywhere near getting one!