Figure 1.--As a boy, I always thought a baseball was hard. A cricket ball is much harder and cricket is played without gloves. The batter, however, wears protective gear. |
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While academics have become increasingly important at the modern prep school, games (sports) continue to be important at most schools. This of course reflects the public school tradition. Most readers will be familiar with the Duke of Wellington's remark that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing field's of Eton. The prep schools after all are geared to prepare children for public schools. Here the ballance varies greatly from school to school. This is something prospective parents should seriously consider before selecting a school. Some headmasters place great importance on games. We have even known headmasters to get in fist fights on the games field--although that of course is quite rare. Schools have fixtures, mostly with other prep schools near by. The principal games for boys are cricket and rugby and now football (soccer). Field hockey was once common, but has gradually lost out to soccer. The girls compete in netball and hockey. A considerable part of the afternnon at most schools is devoted to games. Here the emphasis is on the main sports and individual coaching is provided. Attention is also given to other sports like track and field. The younger children might play games like rounders.
The prep school games program is an important part of the prep school program and quite varied. Here are some good brief summaries describing te school games program. There are variations between school, but the basic program is quite similar at both schools.
While academics have become increasingly important at the modern prep school, games (sports) continue to be important at most schools. This of course reflects the public school tradition. Sports are seen as an important part of the program. Most readers will be familiar with the Duke of Wellington's remark that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing field's of Eton. The prep schools after all are geared to prepare children for public schools. Schools coomonly publicize their success at sports. The ballance between sports and other activities varies greatly from school to school. This is something prospective parents should seriously consider before selecting a school. Some headmasters place great importance on games. We have even known headmasters to get in fist fights on the games field--although that of course is quite rare.
Generally after morning classes, lunch, and a short lunch period, prep schools schedule a couple hours of games. This means outdoor sports, weather permitting. This is varies a bit 1 or 2 days a week with activities (clubs, hobbies, or occupations). The sports rotate seasonally. Most attention is given to rugby, soccer, and cricket for the boys and netball and hockey for the girls. Athletics is done by both the boys and girls. Generally the scool divide the children by age, gender, and ability.
Prep schools expect all of the children to participate in sports unless there is a medical problem. Many boys enjoy sports and thus appreciate the focus on sports at the schools. Most boys find a sporting event that of they cann not excel t can at least achieve a degree of competence. Girls are a little less enthusiastic. But not all boys are interested in sports weither. Even so the schools expect all the children to participate. The schools tend to be less insistent on this than they once were. At any schools there are some boys who are simply hopeless at sport. Some schools put these children in a separate group and them putter around while the staff focuses on the more interested boys. Ar one school the headmaster allowed one boy who had no interest and ability to work with his dogs during the games period.
The modern prep schools sponsors a range of different sports. This is especially true of the coed schools as boys and girls tend to play different sports. There are a few sports, however, that rexeive special attention. The principal games for boys are cricket and rugby and now football (soccer). Field hockey was once common, but has gradually lost out to soccer. The girls compete in netball and hockey. A considerable part of the afternnon at most schools is devoted to games. Here the emphasis is on the main sports and individual coaching is provided. Attention is also given to other sports like track and field and a range of other sports. The younger children might play games like rounders. While the emphasis on sports has declined, ironically the sport facilities at many schools have increased as so many different sports are now part of the program.
Schools have fixtures, mostly with other prep schools near by. This is all conducted with an interesting degree of formality. The children dress up in ties and blazers for the trip. At the school both before and after the sporting event, the children at the host school are shown how to politely host the visitors. For important matches the children at the hist team may watch the match and cheer. Parents and teachers also commonly watch and cheer from the sidelines. Often there is a snack after the game and the hosts may even show the visitors around the school. Great attention is given to these fixtures and the results tend to be reported on in detail in the annual schhool magazine. Schools tend to attach considerable importance to success in these matches.
We notice accounts od some of the children playing ports at the schools.
