PE Update ~ September 2024
Great Britain's Triumph at the Paris Olympics
The Paris 2024 Olympics was an inspiring showcase of Great Britain’s dedication, talent, and perseverance. Our athletes shone on the global stage, bringing home an impressive haul of medals across various sports, from athletics and cycling to swimming and gymnastics. Team GB won 65 medals at the end of the Olympics in Paris, beating their Tokyo total by one. Their success is a testament to the power of hard work, teamwork, and a passion for sport. One of the most memorable moments was watching our athletes embody the Olympic motto: "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together." This powerful message isn't just for elite athletes, it’s a reminder for all of us that through sport, we can push our limits and achieve incredible things, especially when we support each other. As you reflect on the Paris Games, think about how you can bring that same spirit into your own life. Whether it’s joining a new sports team, setting personal fitness goals, or simply trying something new, sport offers countless opportunities to grow and succeed. You don’t have to be an Olympian to experience the joy and benefits of staying active and working towards your best self.
The resilience of these young Olympic athletes from around the world reminds us that it is a beautiful accomplishment to win a medal, but the beauty lies in the trying. Félix Dolci will have to live the rest of his life wondering about the "what-if" of that moment after his fall in gymnastics, but the rest of the world received a masterclass in how to dust yourself off and try again. Dolci is not the only athlete to suffer a major blow and keeps on going. Brazilian gymnast Flavia Saraiva competed with a black eye after a bad fall in practice to help her team earn a Bronze medal, U.S. trail cyclist Haley Batten suffered a broken wheel early in her race and came back to claim silver. And so many others who have experienced a tough time yet kept on going, medal or not. Too often in the Olympics, we focus on medal counting and breaking records, but the real lessons come from the athletes themselves. It is not only talent that makes them Olympians, but hard work, dedication, and tremendous perseverance. I think we forget that sometimes. Life often does not go our way, even when we've worked incredibly hard to prepare ourselves for the big moments. An important message for our BGS students as they tackle this academic year.
What’s good to watch this month?
Here’s a list of major sporting events taking place in September 2024:
- US Open (Tennis)
- Pacific Nations Cup (Rugby)
- Formula 1
- Cycling: La Vuelta a España
- Solheim and Ryder Cup (Golf)
- Premier League (Football)
These events highlight the diversity and excitement of sports, offering something for every type of fan.
Exam Success
Congratulations to all our GCSE and IB students who received their results in the summer. Another successful year for BGS Sport, Exercise and Health Students with a 100% pass rate for both Standard Level and Higher Level alongside 70% of the GCSE students achieving a grade 9-7. We are looking forward to the 2024-2025 season with our examination classes as we also undertake a new specification for the Year 12s.
Extra-curricular news
If your child is interested in playing netball, BGS netball will be running on different nights after school outside on the newly painted courts:
- Mondays - Year 7s
- Wednesdays - Years 10 to Sixth Form
- Thursdays - Years 8 & 9
Girls football also takes place after school. A great opportunity with Charlton Football Club running the first 6-week sessions on Thursdays after school and then this will move to Tuesdays after school from October. Hopefully, we will be successful in the Kent Cups this year!
BGS has talent
What about our sporting achievements at BGS? Did one of the Olympic sports inspire your child to become active and explore the outdoors? Great Britain's Charlie Hatton won downhill mountain bike gold at the 2023 World Cycling Championships in August. Do we have a future champion? We know some students are quietly modest about their successes, but we would love to celebrate their achievements. If your child has represented their district, County, Borough or shown success in their sport, we would love to know. Please keep the PE department updated with their successes so we can regularly update our Honours Board. Let’s showcase the BGS talent!
Get in touch with us:
W: www.bexleygs.co.uk
F: www.facebook.com/BexleyGSPE
T: www.twitter.com/BexleyGSPE
I: www.instagram.com/bexleygspe
The co-curricular timetable is now available to view on the school website. Please check out our PE Facebook and Instagram pages for regular sporting updates! We are also keen for volunteers to help run these practices or assist with the officiating aspect of the games to help further your sporting opportunities. Come and see one of us in the PE office to see how you can help.
Google Classroom codes can be found on the Year group classrooms for you to join. All clubs begin the week beginning Monday 9th September. Remember the house events in the school calendar too. Catch up with your House Captains and Heads of Houses for further details.
Best of luck with your sporting successes this season.
Mrs Kemp, PE Department
On the last Friday of term, we were delighted to hold a Sports Awards brunch for our prize winners. Students were given awards by Mr Gilmore for both their dedication to co-curricular sport, and for various successes and team performances. Thank you to all of our winners, and to every student that has attended a co-curricular sports club this year. We have been delighted to welcome nearly 6000 student visits to sports clubs in the school year.
Finally, the rain stopped on Wednesday to allow our U15’s to play cricket against CSGS. A narrow loss against a very experienced team, our girls did us proud as always. The attitude and team spirit this bunch has is amazing! 
A huge well done to the cricketers who represented us brilliantly in the regional finals on Monday at Sidcup Cricket Club. They've learnt so much and improved a great deal this season. Well played everyone. Good end to the season.
A huge thank you and well done to some of our Year 10 sports leaders who have been coaching netball at Hook Lane this term. 
Euro 2024 ~ What you need to know
Cricket T20 World Cup
Tour de France 
Wimbledon
Paris Paralympics
Year 10
The Year 10 cricket squad put in a spirited performance against a very strong Gravesend Grammar School side last week. We batted first but struggled to build any partnerships of note. As a result, we were all out for 66 runs. Although we did well to take a few early wickets, ultimately Gravesend won the match and therefore went through to the next round of the competition.
A close opening game for our Year 10 cricket team. We scored 107 off 20 overs. Wilmington reached the total with an over to go. A lovely evening and an enjoyable game that had lots of twists and turns.
Huge congratulations to Alice Black and her netball team. Alice went to Sunderland to compete last weekend and came an impressive 7th in England! Alice plays for Kent County Netball Club. Following an initial qualifying regional tournament and 14 matches throughout the season, they gained a place at the U16 National Finals. The 18 best teams in England played over 2 days, in Sunderland, at the Beacon of Light Stadium. Their team, KCNC, won 5 of their 7 matches in the Finals, only losing to the eventual winners and another top team. Congratulations to Alice, an excellent GD circle defender who played every match, blocking out the opposition, defending shots and making interceptions to turn the play over. She is part of an amazing team, who worked brilliantly together to beat tough opponents, and we can proudly say they came 7th in the country.
On Monday 15th April, the Year 9 and 10 girls' netball team went to watch the London Pulse netball team play against Saracens Mavericks at the Copper Box Arena. It was really exciting to get to see them play, especially from the front few rows.