Why do so many of our olympic athletes come from public school?

[ivykaty44]

and what would you do to change it?

Twoifybythesea - why not look into your local rugby club for your dts? Discipline, respect and values - no lip back to the referees (see Nigel Owens, rugb referee , socialise with the opposition. Agree with you about schools' over emphasis on football.

The Age Grade Law Variations adapt the rugby played for different age groups.

prettybird there is a really good rugby club in this town but unfortunately that isn't the sport they're interested in. Another one they want to try is fencing - I really need to win the lottery so they can get the chance to try these things!

I must say though, the fact that kids go free in the local leisure centre swimming pool this summer has helped. On a health side alone it has been a great idea.

4boyzmum I'm that your local athletics club doesn't have a waiting list. Our local club appears to have a 2 year waiting list but you can't go on the list before you are 7. It means therefore that ds has no opportunity to do athletics until he is 9.

Hugh Porter said tonight of Laura that she was a product of the Go cycle scheme, would be great if the tata kids of steel has the same type of effect

Scott Brash (Show Jumping Team Gold) was state schooled - to confound the stereotype that all the horse riders are public school educated.

Only one of the team- Nick Skelton-wasn't . It's quite interesting doing a bit of research on show jumping, those involved, riders and especially the horse owners are what snobs would call " nouveau riche" rather than posh. Lots of self made men, scrap metal dealers, builders etc.

Too right - can you imagine taking Harvey smith to claridges? ;)

An Old Etonian has just qualified for the 110 metre hurdles semi-final. Charles Lawrence Somerset Clarke.

And he's going to inherit a baronetcy. Very Chariots of Fire.

Interesting article about this today.

There is a lot of overlap between football/soccer and track.

In the US, the overlap between American football and various track and field events has always been encouraged. Running a 10 second 100 metres makes you a desirable football player for some positions. Some of the heavier athletes in events like shotputt, hammer, etc., play professional football (not the running positions). 'Soccer' is played by many young female athletes in the US because of the amount of running involved -- the running translates into many track events.

I THINK Carl Hester & maybe also Charlotte Dujardin (dressage gold yesterday) were both state ed. Not sure about Charlotte.

But then Torygraph had article about Mary King being from a modest background, I mean she couldn't afford her own pony until she was 13 . Never mind the fact that her folks (Dad ex Royal Navy) sent her to indie schools all the way.

Where were Nick Skelton & Ben Maher educated? I couldn't find links.

Ben Maher was state educated at Saffron Walden County High School, Nick Skelton was independent educated at Bablake School.

Surely the most important elements to being successful Olympians in any sport are talent, will and self discipline. It doesn't matter which school they come from, if they haven't got those, then they will not win Olympic medals. It makes me really cross to listen to all the whingers moaning about unfair advantages i.e. the 'toffs' in their 'elite sports'. Look at Jessica Ennis, Chris Hoy, Mo Farrar etc.- they seem pretty 'ordinary' to me.
It would be nice to think that the legacy of these games might be that we Brits stop running our country down and start to appreciate the talent we've got here!

Hear hear chalkiegirl :)

Laura Trott went to one of local schools, a not very good comprehensive that just get a satisfactory ofsted.

chalkiegirl I agree - I was watching the Newsnight segment on this last night and I'm afraid I started to feel rather impatient with it all; I can't think of another country that would be third in the medal table and getting all caught up in the class implications of it! Not only that, but it's uncomfortably patronizing a lot of the time. Remember too that most of these athletes are amateurs, so they need to have either a fall-back plan or a very understanding employer - it's not something that they can make a living from for the most part. And certainly not for their entire careers - so it's possible (as James Cracknell said last night) that it's easier for a talented sportsperson who has a good education to take a gamble in a way that it isn't for someone without an alternative career. I thought it was a good point.

An interesting letter to The Guardian today on this subject

Once a year children from a fencing club in Newham ? the host Olympic borough and one of the top ten most deprived areas in the UK ? find £400 each to attend a training camp at Millfield School in Somerset. Millfield's resources are truly staggering: an equestrian centre, stabling for 50 horses, a 50-metre Olympic swimming pool, Tartan athletics track, playing fields, a putting green, an indoor tennis centre and a fencing salle. It is hardly surprising that this one school ? fees are £10,420 per term ? produces a disproportionate number of Olympic medallists (Report, 7 August). Contrast this with the experience of one Newham school: Rokeby in Canning Town is hosting Olympic volleyball teams. When they arrived, air conditioning was installed in a previously overheated sports hall. As soon as they leave, it will be removed. Is this what they mean by legacy?

Why would the air con be removed, who is paying for it to be removed?

Back to last half of OP:
I wouldn't expect schools to offer more competitive sport. What a terrible comment by the politicians (today). PE in school should be about fitness & fun first and foremost.

But I'd love sporting clubs to be heavily encouraged to offer lots of free taster sessions thru state schools, be it fencing or rowing or whatever. With coaching where possible.

oh, and Fatima Whitbread made the point that most sports taken to this kind of level cannot be taught in the school environment - so once again, we are back to encouraging children to master and practice key physical skills at an early age - through play and fun, and yes, some organized sport

But I'd love sporting clubs to be heavily encouraged to offer lots of free taster sessions

Every sports club my dd has tried have let her have at least 3 sessions free before she had to make up her mind as to whether she wanted to continue, the most was 6 session.

Are there sports clubs which make you pay up front before trying out the sport to see if you like it?