Four of our Ponteland High School students have qualified for the prestigious English Schools’ National Cross Country Championships at Hop Farm, Kent on 19 March 2022.
Joseph, Elliot, Lucy and Erin will represent Northumberland, competing against 45 other counties for the honour of being best in the country. The English Schools competition is an integral part of athlete development, with many recognisable names from the Olympic and Commonwealth Games having competed in the English Schools as young and upcoming athletes.
Speaking with the students, it is clear that this is a much anticipated event in the winter calendar for young athletes. Especially so this year, as this is the first time the event is going ahead on location since 2019, due to the covid-19 pandemic. The students spoke about looking forward to the experience of competing, the team travel and seeing where they place on the national stage.
Year 10 student, Elliot, said, “I’m looking forward to racing in a tough field of athletes and seeing how I can place at a national event.”
Teacher, Miss Falloon commented “I am extremely proud to see four of our students reach this stage of the English Schools. It’s really inspiring to chat with these young athletes about how hard they work and how they maintain their nerve when competing at such a high level. We see their success, but we don’t often see how resilient they are, training throughout the lockdown and cold winters.”
