10hrs of Sport 2024
Friday 26th April was the eighth TWMF 10 hours of sport.
This year there were four schools that took part. Ely College who have participated in all eight events, Ken Stimpson Academy for their sixth time, Vista Academy Littleport and for the first time Swavesey Village College with their new recruit Zoe Marley.
Across the schools, the 300 students that took part, arrived at school ready for 7am. The PE staff arriving earlier still to prepare the facilities in readiness for the sports marathon. At 7am the music starts, the basketballs bounce and the thousands of questions begin, “when is it our turn on the astro” etc is asked over and over…
As the day plays out and the hours pass, staff from across the school come down and join in. The introduction of new faces and additional enthusiasm is a great energy boost for all. Between the schools the WhatsApp messages share updates and Amy gathers these in background, sharing the updates on our social media sites for parents to see the progress.
During the day there are often additional organisations that come in and get involved. At Ken Stimpson this year Sporting Connections spent the day and brought their Prokick Challenge. This football radar measures the speed of your shot and brings a huge amount of competition across the day. A nice aside is that TMWF has also donated £5,000 to Sporting Connections to enable them to support seriously ill children with their sporting wishes – a fantastic charity with whom TMWF intends to build an ongoing partnership.
Each school runs the format slightly differently but the basic premise is that the Sports Hall is HQ with trampolines, badminton, table tennis and basketball the order of the day. The events rotate with students also accessing the outside facilities. The PE lessons generally double up and we negotiate the available space between the 10 hours and PE lessons. Key aspects are not producing cover to minimise any other disruption.
If a school has any questions about running the event please get in contact themalcolmwhalesfoundation@gmail.com. It is very straightforward!
To get the event up an running it is all about the school having the drive and enthusiasm to get the event up and running. More specifically it is the PE staff that are the difference. A nice touch this year Ely and Swavesey were organised and run by Dom Hunt and Zoe Marley. Both former Ely students, now PE teachers and both previous 10 hours of sport participants as students!
At 5pm the celebration happens, the sport ends, the final photo is taken and the students make their way out of the sports hall. For the teachers the silence is bliss, the equipment is put away. As the dust settles everybody returns home with a real sense of pride knowing that their combined efforts have raised an incredible £6,000.
As I say to our students, their day of sport provides them with a thoroughly enjoyable experience. But they are achieving much more than that, they are making a difference to other children who are perhaps unable to take part in a 10 hours, as they are facing a much bigger challenge with their health.
Well done to everyone – see you next year!