CH as an Olympic Training Ground

[Zoe Mitchell]

MESSAGE FROM CAROL BEWICK, COUNTING HOUSE, CH

With the Olympics set to come to London in the near future, everybody wants a piece of the action.

Olympic fever will be stepping up a gear over the next few months as the London Olympiad begins in 2008. If Christ’s Hospital wants to join in the fun, now is the time.

Our excellent facilities and stunning location make us an ideal choice for athletes coming to England to compete on the world stage. By opening up to them not only can we support their training but we get the chance to showcase who we are and what we are about whilst extending a warm welcome to visiting athletes.

In January we submitted a bid offering the School’s facilities as a recommended Pre-Olympics Training Camp to London 2012.

If we get accepted, we could become host to a group of athletes preparing to compete in 2012. This could mean a number of things. Acclimatisation through training camps is a fairly new concept having only become recognised in the run up to the last few Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A growing number of the 203 teams which compete now visit the country where the next Games will be held to acclimatise for a couple of weeks up to three years before the competition. This training takes place at the same time of year as the Olympics helping the athletes and coaches get used to climate and culture.

Christ’s Hospital has much to offer by way of accommodation and sports facilities to any team coming to train. Our close proximity to Gatwick and London – not to mention the privacy of the grounds – makes the School a perfect spot for a group of elite athletes honing their skills.

With our current facilities, we could provide training for up to 12 of the Olympic disciplines and 10 Paralympic sports. If we join with some of our neighbours in the Gatwick area, we could provide every discipline.

This is an exciting opportunity to attract elite sportsmen and women to Christ’s Hospital – and hopefully attract extra funding for our sports facilities through donations and sponsorships too

Do you know anyone who would like to help us become the envy of other schools by giving us the money or equipment to improve our offer to train these Olympians and create the next generation from our pupils? Or maybe you know an elite athlete or diplomat with contacts in National Olympic Committees outside the UK who could help us bring a team to Christ’s Hospital.

Having the Olympics in the UK gives us an array of opportunities for getting involved. Individually, if you get the Olympic bug and want to do something personally or with friends and family in 2012, the Games will be looking for in excess of 140,000 volunteers and closer to home Gatwick Airport will be looking for people to meet and greet.

Help us to get involved. Contact Carol Bewick:
Email: cxb@christs-hospital.org.uk
The Counting House, Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 0YP

[Great Plum]

Sounds like a good idea especially as the school has been used for training by both Chelsea and Sussex Cricket Club...