Superheroes! Gloucestershire County Cross Country Championships – Saturday 12thMarch

Gloucestershire County Cross Country Championships

 What an absolute privilege it was to be at the School Games Level 3 County Cross Country Championships as the best 320 primary school runners in Gloucestershire competed. Eight county districts (Cheltenham, Cirencester, The Forest of Dean, Gloucester, North Cotswold, Stroud, Tewkesbury and Wotton & Dursley) selected their very best runners to compete against each other in four categories: Y4 & Y5 Boys, Y4 & Y5 Girls, Y6 Boys and Y6 Girls. With ten children chosen to take part in each category, the best 80 runners in Gloucestershire in each age-group came up against each other. And in the Tewkesbury team, out of 40 runners, ten came from Tirlebrook! That’s a quarter of the team –a truly magnificent achievement! To add to the difficulty for our children of running against such high quality opponents, the course at St. Edward’s Preparatory School in Cheltenham is notoriously challenging, and at least half a mile longer than the course that the children are used to running at the Vineyards. And slap bang in the middle is a hill ... a very very steep hill! However, the weather was perfect for cross country running, relatively still with some sunshine peeking through the March clouds, and the team gathered with their usual determination and positivity shining through.  

 Our children performed outstandingly. In the Y5 Boys’ race, Isaac was the first Tirlebrook boy home, achieving our best result of the day by finishing in a fantastic 30thposition. He was followed by a succession of runners: Sami (42nd), Jack H (54th), Jacob (57th), Stanley (61st) and Jack R (65th). The race had what can only be described as a blistering start, and unfortunately young Stan got knocked to the ground and was trampled over by the stampeding field. After a little disorientation and some support from Mr. Richards, Stan gritted his teeth and proceeded to run, and despite being in pain, having his confidence knocked and feeling disappointed, he was determined to complete his race. And what an inspiration he was, clawing back over 100 metres of ground that he had fallen behind the field to overtake several children and finish in 61stposition. We are very proud of all of the children, but this response was truly special. Congratulations, Stan! The Y5 girls’ race followed, with Urte coming home in a very committed and respectable 58thposition. The ground was becoming increasingly slippery as the event went on and it proved even more challenging for the Y6 children. In the boys’ race, Alex ran superbly to finish in an excellent 41stposition. And in the last event of the day, Georgie and Scarlet battled their way around the now rapidly deteriorating course to finish in 51stand 55thplaces respectively. And remember, to qualify in the first place, they all had to complete four gruelling and extremely competitive races that formed our very own Tewkesbury Cross Country race series. 

 But to me, the finishing places don’t really matter. These children, along with their wonderfully committed parents, made a huge effort to get up super early on a Saturday morning to travel to Cheltenham to run against some of the best young athletes in the county. There were a range of feelings on display, from excited to anxious and everything in between, including being stomach-churningly terrified of what the experience ahead had in store. And many gave up regular Saturday commitments, including playing for their football teams. I am so proud of each one of them. They represented Tewkesbury superbly,  Tirlebrook outstandingly, and most importantly themselves terrifically by being the very best they could be. That officially makes them not only ‘Cross Country Superstars’, but all-round superheroes in my eyes. And I can’t say any more than that! Well done everyone! 

County Cross Country Tewkesbury District Representatives: Sami B, Alex C, Georgie C, Isaac C, Jack H, Urte M, Stanley M, Scarlet O, Jacob P& Jack R