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14 SPORT
My School Swimming Journey
Dora Zhou, U6W
From the Alphas to the Upper
Sixth, swimming has been a huge
part of my life here at Bancroft’s.
It was during my Prep School swimming
lessons that everything took off. I swam my
first lengths in the school pool; I remember
the moment as if it were yesterday, the feel
of the water between my fingers, and the
waves that rippled beneath as I took my first
breath from water into air.
By the age of nine, with encouragement
from Mrs Whitehead, I joined Epping Forest
District Swimming Club. Soon enough, I was
training for up to 14 hours each week and
competing in a gala every other week. The
training was tough and the hours were long,
but my determination to become faster was
my biggest motivation.
As a sprinter, I had the strength and
stamina to drive me through a race, but
Mrs Cheshire was the first to really help me
improve my technique and enhance the
efficiency of my swimming. Her approach
to swimming has not only helped me,
but also encouraged many more students
to participate in this sport at Bancroft’s.
Upon entering the Senior School, I had
the opportunity to compete at County
and Regional competitions, both of which
were great experiences. I also enjoyed
participating in the Bath Cup and the
National Schools Biathlon Championships.
With over a decade’s worth of swimming at
Bancroft’s under my belt, I consider this to
be the foundation of my swimming career
and I look forward to many more years of
swimming to come.
Junior Ski Trip 2019
Mrs Astrid Abbott-Imboden
On March 30, fifty four pupils from Thirds and
Removes set off with six members of staff to travel
to Les Deux Alpes for the annual Junior Ski Trip. The
journey was smooth and uneventful even though
one pupil decided that one large suitcase was not
enough and brought two! At the airport, we met
some familiar faces as the Sorrento trip was also
travelling from Luton. One hour (and two missing
boarding passes) later, we boarded the plane to
take us to Lyon.
When we arrived in Lyon, we thought that our journey had taken
us to the wrong destination as the weather was unseasonably
sunny and hot! What would the snow conditions be like? Would
there be enough snow on the lower slopes for our beginners?
However, after a 2.5 hour bus journey we finally arrived in resort
and saw that there was enough snow (although a bit slushy) and
were ready to move into our rooms.
The hotel was warm, spacious and clean and we were pleased
to be near the slopes. Although everyone was very excited, we
managed to get some sleep to be ready for the slopes the next
day. Ski fit was the first high-octane activity of the day before we
went to meet our team of local skiing instructors. Once all groups
were organised, the advanced groups headed off up the mountain
whereas the beginners had their first experience of standing on
skis. These first few hours are always hard but all pupils seemed
to have fun and made progress. Lunch was, as every day, back at
the hotel where the kitchen crew offered us some of their fantastic
food. After a short rest, we all returned to the slopes and enjoyed
some good weather and more skiing.
This was to be our daily pattern for the rest of the week although
the weather changed mid-week and we had nearly one metre
of snow in 24 hours which led to exciting snow ball fights and
made interesting conditions for skiing, ice skating and swimming!
Other evening activities included a pizza night and a disco which
were both very popular and proved a great success for pupils and
staff alike. On the last day our skiing instructors presented every
student with a pin to congratulate them on their achievement.
They also commented on the achievement of every pupil and what
a pleasure it had been to work with our young people.
Soon it was time to pack, which proved to be challenging for some,
but, eventually, all rooms were tidy, bags packed and we were
ready for departure. Our return journey went smoothly despite
being delayed and one of our drivers back home deciding to take
the scenic route via Heathrow. Eventually we all arrived back
safely and I trust that some children have caught the skiing bug!
As a post script, everyone commented on how lovely the children
were and how friendly and polite the group as a whole was – the
hotel staff even commented that they had never had a nicer group
of children staying. What a fantastic accolade to our pupils, their
parents and our school!