Physical Education and Health

We are blessed with and grateful for the fantastic facilities we have on tap in and around school as well as in the Otago region, and the PE Department aim to make the most of this.  Everything is accessible by riding, jogging or a short van ride. Having personally worked in other parts of the country and overseas, I am very much aware of how much we should treasure what we have available at John McGlashan College.

The outstanding tracks around Ross Creek saw juniors train hard in the lead up to the cross country and the Year 13 PE class train for the challenging '3 Peaks'.  These tracks are often sheltered from the rain have good undulations and always finish with a good old grunt up the zig zag. 

Wakari Creek mountain bike tracks were where the Year 11 PE class up-skilled for their Naseby Mountain Bike Camp. Classes had three rides there joined by bike coaches from Bike School. Responsible behaviours in the outdoors and mountain bike skills were then assessed for NCEA.  While in Naseby for the 3 day bike camp the classes also spent time 'giving back' by carrying out track building, clearing and maintenance. The Balmacewen Bowling Club was also used by the Year 11 PE class early in term one, where boys learned a new appreciation for the nuances and challenges of what they had considered to be a fairly sedentary sport. The classes then had a visit to NZ Fight and Fitness where they donned boxing gloves and learnt boxing footwork and punch combinations.

 The Year 10 Sport Performance class have been busy working out twice per week in the fitness room of the Davies Sports Centre. Boys have been developing good weight lifting technique and learning about training phases. This year we are lucky to have the food technology room and recently the class has been experimenting making sports drinks and energy bars.

In term 1 Year 7&8 PE classes used the McGlashan sports fields  as they developed their golfing techniques and skills. It also has to be said that the grounds were in fantastic shape throughout this with the black athletics track markings looking sharp. Recently the Year 12 PE class had golf practice and then their NCEA assessment at Otago Golf Club. This a real challenge for many of the boys, but one they relish.

Looking forward we are excited about the astro turf refurbishment on the tennis courts . We hope this will be completed by the end of Term 3 and with slightly different court markings will be used for tennis, hockey and general PE and sports training. 

I would struggle to find another school with such well-provided for and accessible facilities both on campus and in the immediate area. As I mentioned at the start we are blessed and grateful, and always aim to make the most of what we have.