School sports in France
Growing up in south Wales my school’s ‘preferred’ sport was rugby.
Not preferred by me because I was always a bit small and pathetic and didn’t particularly enjoy being thrown to the floor by lads twice my size, but perhaps it taught me something that prepared me for life ahead – such as the wonders of teamwork, or how to get mud out of my hair.
So I’m often jealous when I’m out and about in France and see children setting off for their school sports activities. Some of the sports I’ve seen them racing off to do include:
1) Surfing off the beach at Biarritz
2) Exploring caves in the Gorges du Tarn
3) Sailing class on a beach in Morbihan (the photo shows the children running across the beach to reach their boats)
4) Mountain biking in the Ardeche
It must take a pretty brave teacher or instructor to set off sailing or potholing with a bunch of 11 year olds, given the possibility that they will be sued if one of them gets washed out to sea or falls 500 feet down an unidentified crevice and I understand that schools in the UK avoid many ‘adventurous’ type activities for this very reason – possibly in France all us parents have signed something agreeing that the teachers accept no liability for their actions, I can’t remember now.
To be fair these might all have been ‘one off’ activities rather than regular school sports, but I still feel a pang of jealousy to see them doing such fun things during school time – especially so in the Ardeche when I saw the youngsters collecting their mountain bikes for a ride through the nearby valleys. Now that’s what I call getting an education.
It isn’t the same for everyone in France unfortunately, and our own local collège (secondary school) is a bit more restrained. Apart from the common sports such as swimming or running, one of their favourite weekly sports is frisbee throwing. Does throwing frisbees even count as sport?
Certainly when I was at school it would have been more fun than the javelin and shot put that I used to have to throw about – with the javelin I was a danger to everyone around me, whereas the shot put I could hardly pick up and drop again, let alone throw it anywhere or hurt anything except my own toes.
Although we don’t have any coast or mountains near here there are plenty of dangerous caves which small children could be lowered into to do a bit of exploring – after all, it was near here that Lascaux caves (containing perhaps the most famous prehistoric cave paintings in Europe) were discovered by a group of school children out walking a dog). Perhaps I’ll suggest the idea to the school.
Meanwhile let us know if your school in France (or elsewhere) offer interesting sports – it would be fascinating to know what other regions or countries offer as sporting activities, either regularly or just occasionally.
As lessons were winding down earlier this month, the 4ieme sports teachers suggested taking any who wished to go on a 2 day trek up a nearby mountain.
My youngest daughter and her friends leapt at the chance. Hard work, and basic dormitory style accomodation at the furthest high point, but great fun.
Finally took a look at the photos she had taken on my camera last night – to find that a lot of the ‘treking up the mountainside’ was infact in the air. On cables strung between trees and chain bridges, etc.
Asked her why she hadn’t mentioned this aspect – and she seemed surprised. It just seemed logical, a way to to avoid all the undergrowth she said….
Sounds like you should have been a fast running back in Rugby. If the cannot catch you they cannot throw you to the ground.
Most people I know had skiing at least once a week at school… Needless to say they are all champion skiers now in adulthood.