16 January 2019
On Wednesday 16th January the Palmer Academy entered a year 4 team into the Reading school games Indoor Athletics competition at JMA. Our year 4 team had to compete against 7 other schools over 6 track events and 5 field events with each athlete being able to compete in a maximum of 2 events for track and field.
The Palmer Academy was grouped in a tough heat against four very competitive schools which put pressure on our team to get off to a good start. Throughout the track events it was clear that we had a good chance of pushing for the medals with victories in the Field events for both Boys and Girls. The Palmer academy were off to a fantastic start which gave the athletes confidence that this year could be their year for Gold. The dream of a medal almost came to a shuddering halt when a mix up
in the Girls 6 lap race meant the Palmer Academy came 4th and dropped some valuable points. Fortunately for our team, a surprise victory in the Triple jump and obstacle race put the team back on track for some medals. After two hours of gruelling effort from our 18 pupil squad, it came down to the last two races of the day to decide where the Palmer Academy would place. The Boys and Girls Relay races were about to start. A nervous looking team could only watch on as their 8 athletes from each gender made their way to the starting lines. A fast start from the Boy’s team allowed Palmer to take 1st place after lap one, the noise from the on looking Palmer pupils grew as we were pipped to 2nd place after three laps. A truly electrifying finish from the Boys Palmer team on the 4th lap meant that we had won 1st place in the boys relay. The team knew that if the Girls Relay team could repeat this feat a medal would all but be guaranteed. The Girls team made their way to the start line, the whistle blew and the roar from all the children was deafening. A solid start from our team gave us a chance, as the second lap approached we could see a hope of 1st place finish. The third lap was tight, it was going to be a really close call for 1st place. If we could put in a strong third lap then we knew we had a fast finish in store. As the fourth lap begun a thunderous start from our team allowed us to edge ahead, on the turn a slight stumble cost valuable time, the children urged our team on to finish the job. An incredible sprint finish which resembled an Olympic 100m final was exhilarating, the Cheetah like speed of the Palmer Academy was inspiring as we smashed through the finish line to take 1st place. Our team were overjoyed with the achievements of the final races and knew we had a chance of a medal. As the team regained their seats, there fell a hush amongst the schools as the results were announced. The Bronze Medal was given out, our children looked on, the silver medal was declared, and now a real sense of brewing disbelief mixed with a hint of delight as the winners of the Gold medal were The Palmer Academy!
The effort of the Year 4 children was incredible, and they will now go on to represent Reading at the Winter Berkshire School Games. We’re so proud of the Year 4 team who are the first team to win this event for our school.