Taylorian 2020

107 Shooting Our shooting team continues to visit Northwood HQ to use their Dismounted Close Combat Trainer (DCCT) indoor shooting range every Wednesday afternoon. The DCCT has enabled the boys to analyse each shot they take and help to fine-tune their shooting skills. This year the team entered the Hertfordshire trophy and finished a credible 3rd. Mr K Sharrock Mountain Biking Mountain biking this year has seen great changes. We upped the ante somewhat, riding through three seasons without being fazed by the usual weather restrictions and aiming for technical forest trails every week. We also ran a successful trip to Swinley Forest with a number of students from different years riding blue- and red-graded trails with expert instruction from the centre. Since the fleet of twelve new Orbea mountain bikes arrived, the students have been learning to maintain their bikes to a high standard, from routine maintenance with the M Check to more demanding activities such as rebuilding suspension forks and replacing chains. Adam Semenov made a great captain with his knowledge and encouragement of the younger students. Looking to the future, we look forward to taking the boys on more adventurous routes, as well as checking out some exciting trails around the country. Mr G AWillson Rowing The wonderful sport of rowing enables boys within different year groups to row and develop together. This year we have seen some real progress for a number of boys, both on and off the water. Greater use of the gym and erg machines have helped develop coremuscles and flexibility, which are just as important as physical strength and aerobic fitness if you are to succeed in rowing. We are lucky this year to have bought a double, which will allow more boys to participate. So far we have entered only indoor rowing competitions, but hope in the next few years to develop a core group of boys capable of racing on the water. Mrs L Pruden-Lawson Skiing Skiing is going fromstrength to strength and more boys than ever are getting involved with training and competing! During the February half-term Willem Redman (L6th) and Niels Redman (Divs) competed in the ESF Chamonix Giant Slalom Race. Following several days of training they both won their categories, U18 and U16 respectively, with Willem also winning overall. As a result of their success they have been selected to represent Chamonix at the Ski d’Or Championships held in Les Contamines this comingApril. This a highly competitive event bringing together the best international racers across all French resorts to compete. We are looking forward to seeing where we can push our ski racing. Stand Up Paddleboarding SUP has come on leaps and bounds this year. With full use of the new equipment, we have managed to run a number of students through the ‘Ready to Ride’ course. This is a very exciting project that we hope will expand now that nearly all our Outdoor Education staff have qualified as instructors. We hope to start racing in the near future, and also hope to organise river and sea trips. Kayaking and Canoeing A number of boys have completed their 1* and 2* certificates thanks to the hard work of Mr Williams and Mr French. A strong core group of kayakers has been training religiously in the pool and on the water under instruction from Mr Williams. The boys and staff have had some fantastic opportunities to go on trips to Nene Valley and Lee Valley White Water Centres. We were lucky enough to receive seven white water kayaks from CCAT to help with our vision of getting a large number of boys through courses. Sport Sport Outdoor Education