More choices than ever for Youth Games participants
CHILDREN will benefit from more choice than ever before and might even help make local history at the next Specsavers Youth Games, which is not expected to be harmed by the current lockdown.
Roughly four months before the buzz of games day hits the island on Saturday 22 May, organisers launched the ninth edition of the biennial event in a special assembly at La Mare de Carteret held before the school lockdown.
Lacrosse and climbing are the two new kids on the block, completing a record offering of 20 different activities, and the Guernsey Sports Commission’s Jenny Murphy welcomed the latest additions.
Games co-ordinator Murphy said the 2021 edition will be ‘bigger and better than ever before’. ‘We are always looking to try and build up the options for children and young people,’ she said.
‘There’s a sport for everyone there. The more sports on offer, the better.
‘Lacrosse has been just introduced in the last few months and climbing have just started running their own competitions, so it was great timing there.’
This follows the addition of judo, softball and petanque to the programme of the ever-expanding event last time out, in 2019.
Yet the newest hosting promises to be memorable for other reasons.
Specsavers co-founder Dame Mary Perkins, speaking at the assembly, was quick to remind pupils how lucky they were.
‘It’s a special year,’ Perkins said. ‘There’s not anything like this happening in Europe, nothing like this at all, so we are all very, very lucky to get together like this and do the sports.’
‘The last was in 2019 – who could have guessed what would have happened between?’ she added.
She thought people would be looking back at this year’s event in half a century’s time. ‘I think it’s going to go down in history.’
With the relocation of basketball and fencing from Sir John Loveridge Hall being the organisers’ only compromise amid a global pandemic, all was looking bright.
It is hoped that the latest lockdown will be short and sharp.
The Youth Games have sparked several promising sporting careers, including getting Guernsey 200m record-holder Abi Galpin into athletics, and Commission development officer Steph Batiste briefly recounted her own experience at the assembly.
The island netballer tried basketball at the very first Youth Games in 2005 and, some 16 years later, five satisfied ex-pupils were on hand to further encourage the current Year 5 and 6 pupils.
Having split their focus over badminton, softball, judo and touch, the three boys and two girls all enthused about the event.
Motivations included making friends, following in a family member’s footsteps or simply wanting to try something new.
The best bit? Games day, unanimously.
The post-event ceremony will brighten up Footes Lane and showcase the colours of six ‘districts’ as buzzing children reflect on their achievements and experiences through the Games.
