As you are aware, we held BIG 3 Easter camps across the whole first week of the holidays. As always, the camps were a great success, with over 200 students taking part and enjoying fun filled days. Please see respective sport write ups below.
Volleyball
Over 65 dedicated athletes leveled up their game at the April volleyball camp!
From mastering the fundamentals to refining movement techniques, every session was packed with learning, energy, and progress. The morning saw years 7-9 come together to develop their skills and make new friends from across the Trust. The afternoon session challenged our year 10-13 students in a more advanced setting to prepare students for upcoming competitions as well as the AOC Cup Final where our EHC Mixed and Women’s teams will be competing!
We’re so proud of how each player embraced the challenge, applied new skills in game situations, and pushed themselves to improve.
We also supported top students as they spent the second week of the break preparing for England Beach trials. Lauren Thorn (BA), Kyrstina Ngatcha (TRGA), Daniella Tchandu (LMaS), and EHC students, Ben Sorley and Maks Makowski trained in Spain working with England coaches as well as former Olympic silver medalist Javier Bosma. Our students also played friendlies against Norway and faired extremely well winning majority of their matches. This shows major progress as last year at Beach NEVZA, Norway was the country to beat! These students all feel much more prepared and we wish them the best of luck in the lead up to trials on 3 and 4 May.
Rowing
This Easter break, over an action packed four days, we offered an unforgettable experience for The Gorse Boat Club students who came together for our first ever week of training, teamwork, and fun on the water at our brand-new boathouse.
The camp provided excellent opportunities for both beginners and seasoned rowers to sharpen their skills and build lasting friendships that will only aid in the building of our programme.
All students participated in drills which focused on technique, endurance, and synchronization whilst on the water. Students practiced everything from the basics of stroke mechanics to the synchronization of crew sculling which we can later transfer into our future racing endeavours. Our rowers rotated their roles within the boats, so everybody experienced coxing and rowing in different seats, which helps to build an all round understanding of the sport from different perspectives.
By the end of the week, students left not only fitter and faster, but also more confident and connected. We even had some crews practising speed work over a 1 kilometre stretch which shows the progress our teams have made in a short space of time. The camp was a true celebration of the spirit of rowing: discipline, teamwork, and determination, which left everyone inspired for the upcoming season.
As a whole, our first on water holiday camp was a great success, leaving everyone looking forward to the next one! It was a wonderful opportunity for students to learn, grow, and most importantly – having fun!
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Karate
We were delighted to host our Easter Karate Camp this year, which saw an excellent turnout of 27 students representing all six secondary academies. The level of engagement and development throughout the camp was outstanding, with students showing great progress, discipline, and enthusiasm. It was a fantastic opportunity to bring together talent from across the academies and further strengthen their skills and confidence.
The camp provided a valuable platform for students to focus on personal growth, physical fitness, and mental discipline outside of the traditional school setting. Each day was structured to include warm-ups, technical drills, sparring practice, and kata performance. Students dedicated time to learning, refining, and understanding the deeper meaning and application behind each movement. This focus on kata not only enhanced their technical precision but also reinforced their understanding of the importance within this sport.
Engagement from the students was truly brilliant throughout the camp, and their positive attitude made each session both productive and enjoyable. We’re incredibly proud of their efforts and can’t wait to welcome everyone back for our summer camps, where we’ll continue building on this momentum.
