Football Update

With fixture blocks every Saturday, 112 fixtures have now taken place and football at Lancing continues to thrive.

As well as training sessions within the normal academic timetable, there have been additional opportunities available to both boys and girls throughout the week. Preseason training for the girls, position specific sessions for the boys, and team training sessions are just some of the footballing opportunities available to all.

The 1st XI are enjoying their most successful season in recent history. Not only have they participated in more matches but having scored 80 goals in just 26 matches it has been a fantastic year for them. Having narrowly lost out on penalties in both the quarter-final of the County Cup and semi-final of the ISFA National Trophy, they can consider themselves unlucky not to have progressed further. Nonetheless having beaten Whitgift, Aldenham, Westminster and Forest to top spot in the Elgin League we are proud of their achievements. Having finished first, the season continues and Lancing progress through to the knockout stages of the competition. Lancing will be hoping it’s third time lucky, as they face Alleyns School in yet another semi-final.

The 1st XI were also privileged to take part in a training session with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Professional Development Phase Lead and U21 Lead Coach, Shannon Ruth, which provided fantastic exposure and a tremendous opportunity which was enjoyed by the whole squad. As part of the day, which demonstrated the strong links between the College and the club, Lancing College football coaches were also able to take part in CPD led by Brighton’s Head of Coaching, Nick Levett. With the continued opportunities and improvements taking place at Lancing, football continues to progress, develop and excel in a positive way.

Looking ahead to the Summer Term, more girls than ever will take part in football and the girls have been entered into regional, county and national league and cup competitions. The U15s have started strongly beating Bede’s, and Bedales 5-1 in the opening rounds of the ISFA Cup. Having practised their skills in the co-curricular timetable throughout the year, it is exciting to see their practice pay off. We are hoping this will lead to further success next term as football takes priority for them.

Lewis Benson, Head of Football

This football season has been filled with many highs and lows for the First XI, reaching the ISFA Trophy semi-final and the County Cup quarter-final, narrowly losing out on penalties in both fixtures. We have a strong team with the highest win percentage on record at Lancing College, an achievement to be proud of for the hard work we have all put in. I hope this success continues in following years, hopefully with some trophies too!

Henry Hazell, Upper Sixth – 1st XI Captain

Climbing Exploits

This term, our Lancing rock climbers sent a delegation to the regional inter-school competition at Boulder Brighton. If we thought the qualifiers were hard, some of the routes in these finals seemed insurmountable. Each move in the sequence to get further up the wall required a combination of balance, power, and skilful insight in applied physics. Six routes had to be climbed in two short five-minute periods. Dima Vizgalov, Upper Sixth, defied gravity as he balanced on tiny footholds and sloping volumes whilst Henry Oliver, Upper Sixth, impressed with an incredible display of control as he jumped dynamically from one bad hold to another. Aldo Wai, Upper Sixth, scored high as he tackled the wall with tenacity, skill, and strength from the very start.

To our own surprise and delight, we won third place in the finals, an incredible achievement in the face of fierce competition against the region’s best.

Dr Arjan Reesink, Teacher of Geography and Climbing Lead

Climbing is a great way of combining mental and physical challenges. It pushes my creative problem-solving to extremes while getting a great workout. The climbing community is so supportive and friendly, and everyone helps everyone, regardless of ability. It’s a great environment to be in and helps you to relax and get away from the everyday stresses of school life.

Some of the team have recently taken the step up to learn how to lead climb (clipping yourself into your protection as you climb). This is a lot more challenging than we are used to, both mentally and physically, but it opens up a whole different world of climbing possibilities. I can’t wait to see where this takes us!

Henry Oliver, Upper Sixth (below, right)