On Tuesday 14th June, North Liverpool Academy was represented by 22 students who have qualified for the Liverpool school athletics City Finals at Wavertree Athletics Centre. The boys had qualified after an intense process of heats from a previous meeting at the same venue one week earlier.
We took home 3 medals from the finals which included year 7 students up to year 10. The first medal of the day came from Marcus Y in the year 8, 800M final. It was electric race that Marcus was looking comfortable during the first lap in 1st position. However, when the bell went to signal the final lap, he grabbed his left hamstring indicating a problem. However he was able to pull through the final lap and push on only to lose two places and fight off a final attack from the SFX runner to finish 3rd in the race! He crossed the line with a time of 2:31. you could see the sheer delight on his face as he never gave up and was able to succeed with a medal.
After speaking to Marcus about how he felt, his response was “Just standards! I keep my STANDARDS high!” Standards, a key term that was infectious for the rest of the team to raise their standards as they was in the final! Any time an athlete came back to the stands, they belt of the word “STANDARDS!” it was a true team effort that everyone was here to help each other.
The second medal came with Ryan W in the Year 9, 800M final. A natural born athlete, Ryan started the race in third position and went round the 2 laps with no discomfort but he really kicked on the last bend. He could see that the De La Sal student has started to tire and Ryan was within 15 yards. Ryan clearly though he could take him with just over 100M to go, so he pushed on. Willed on by other students from North Liverpool Academy in the stands and a proud mum and Dad watching Ryan was able to pinch 2nd position with a time of 2:19.
The final medal came from Ryan T in the year 9 high jump event. Ryan had only 7 attempts/jumps. He had to strategically choose what height he was jumping at whilst having one thought on what was the highest he realistically can jump at. However he got through the 7 jumps and reached a height of 1.40M which is a fantastic effort for his age group. He was placed 2nd only to lose out to a fellow competitor that jumps for Liverpool Harriers with a height of 1.45 on his last jump. This earned Ryan a silver medal which he was delighted with! I am sure he will be getting a call from the Liverpool Harriers very soon.
Other noticeable results were Warren and Andre in the Year 8, 1500M final who both finished 4th and 5th. The year 7 relay team which consisted of Perry, Mike W, Tyler and Mike D came 5th in the city but they are determined to do better next year! The year 8 relay team which consisted of Sami, Liam, Sean and Luke was a true underdog story. Although they came 8th out of 8 we are so proud of the boys and their performance. They boys all knew they were not the fastest bunch on the field but they are a group of friends that have worked tirelessly! Most days after school since March they have been on the field perfecting there technique and they are so happy that they are 8th best relay team in the city!
Congratulations to all the athletes on their achievements of getting to the finals the staff at North Liverpool Academy are so proud of all of them.
PE Department