Mr Taylor, Mrs Carter and Mr Draper took a large team of 91 students to the annual Sutton Schools Athletics Championships at David Weir Leisure Centre, the largest group for many years. 
Throughout the day, students from Year Groups 7-10 took part in a variety of track and field athletics events, all earning points for their schools. 
For many students, in particular our Year 7s, this would be a new experience and one that was bound to be enjoyable. Students were invited to trial for Borough Sports during Athletics club at school. We had an excellent turn out, with many wanting to get involved in the running events. A big thank you to the whole PE department who pulled together to run these trials. It didn’t take long for us to fill the Year 7 team, and Year 8 followed closely after. The Year 9 and 10 teams were filled with students who have participated in Borough Sports in previous years, and who were recommended by their PE teachers for outstanding participation in events taught during regular PE lessons. Some students were so excited to be part of the team that they agreed to take part in athletics events which they had not previously done. It was fantastic to have so many students wanting to participate and represent the school. 
The energy and enthusiasm on the day was fantastic and all students were determined to perform well in their event; aiming to beat their personal best scores and earn individual medals. The day was made more challenging by the hot weather, particularly for the athletes taking part in the distance running events – the schedule was rewritten two nights before due to the looming heatwave! Despite this, they all stepped up and performed exceptionally well and there was a fantastic display of talent across all events. It was great for our young athletes to see older students participating and gave them something to aspire towards in their next few years at Cheam. The atmosphere was also incredible. The students were very supportive of one another and spent that day cheering each other on, congratulating any success and contributing points to the overall score. 

There were some excellent performances on the day and a number of Cheam students who finished top three to earn themselves a medal:
Chloe L (Year 7)    -    Gold in 100m
Evalyn B (Year 7)     -    Silver in High Jump
Jamelia M-S (Year 7)    -    Silver in Javelin
Charlotte C (Year 8)    -    Gold in 800m
Callum S (Year 9)    -    Bronze in the 200m
Koby A-Y (Year 10)    -    Silver in Triple Jump
Imogen K (Year 10)    -    Bronze in 800m
Jamelia M-S, Summer-Rose F, Amelia W and Chloe L (Year 7)-Gold in 4x100m Relay

Performance of the day goes to our Year 7 girls who won the 4 x 100m relay. They performed exceptionally well during their heat to comfortably qualify for the final. There is a big build up to the finals with even more excitement brewing ahead of the relays, which are the last event of the day. The girls were excited to get out and perform and see how they fared up against other Sutton Schools, knowing they stood a chance of getting a medal if they ran well. Jamelia started the relay off with a solid first 100m run around the bend, followed by Summer who cruised past some of her competitors. Amelia took the baton from Summer and ran an excellent leg around the final bend, keeping hold of second place, to hand the baton over to Chloe. Chloe’s exceptional athleticism and experience showed in the final leg. She flew down the final straight finishing a few body lengths ahead of second place. An outstanding performance from these four girls! Many Cheam students had stayed to support the girls, as well as parents/carers watching from the balcony, and the atmosphere was incredible. 
Charlotte C also cruised to victory in the Year 8 800m race, beating her competitors by over 10 seconds to take the Gold medal. A superb race Charlotte, well done!
A special mention must go to our Year 10 CHS leaders. Alongside our competitors, we also selected a handful of Year 10 Leaders who have been actively involved in the planning and delivery of sports events throughout the year, to come and support the staff and help the event run smoothly. These students are fantastic role models in many aspects of life at Cheam High School and were rewarded for their hard work with a day out at these championships, which are an iconic annual event in the school calendar. The leaders were each responsible for a year group and ensured all students made it to their events on time. They also recorded results, kept track of finals, provided endless motivation and encouragement and helped staff run the Discus event all day. A big thank you to Noah, Harry, Herb, Will, Kristina, Emily, Kimmy, Lois and Eve. You helped make the event a huge success.
A big well done to all students who took part. (Please see the Cheam High Flyer for the results table.)
Finally, a big thank you to all staff involved and to all parents/carers who came along to support such a fantastic event. Students are already looking forward to the 2024 Championships! … Can we field a team larger than 91 next year?!