ISSUE 15

February 2018

Walsall Academy Physical

Education Magazine

This is the fifteenth edition of the Physical Education Magazine. We hope you will enjoy

reading about all of the fantastic achievements of the school teams, and our

individual stars of the future.

Inside this issue

Staff vs Sixth Form Netball

Football Update

Rugby Update

Hall of Fame

Basketball Update

Plus much more!

On Thursday 11 January, Walsall Academy

hosted the annual Girls Basketball

Championships. This was a fantastic event

with some brilliant Basketball being played by

every team. The Walsall Academy team were

brilliant throughout, beating all three of the

opposing teams which were West Walsall

Academy, Pool Hayes and Grace Academy

meaning that they were crowned champions.

This resulted in the team qualifying for the

Black Country Games Basketball tournament.

The girls entered the tournament full of

confidence which was evident with the

fantastic Basketball that they played.

Unfortunately they were not crowed

champions of the Black Country, however they finished in third place which is an amazing

achievement. Well done girls!

PAGE 2

Girls Basketball Championships

Year 7 team have been really enthusiastic about Basketball since the Session 3 began, and

as a result they have developed into a good Basketball team. Their first competitive game

was against Streetly Academy. The team got off to a flying start which resulted in a 12-4

victory for the team. They then went on to play Shelfield Academy two days later, which

produced the game of the season so far. Both teams were evenly matched throughout the

game, and this was reflected in the final score as it finished 8-8. Shire Oak were next in the

fixture list, who proved to be excellent

opposition and were the first team to

beat Walsall Academy this season.

This was a good learning curve for the

Year 7 team, and they were all eager

to get back onto the court for the next

game. The next game was against St

Francis who started off the better side

and took an early lead. However, the

team fought back, and eventually won

the game with the last shot to make

the score 10-8. This was a much

deserved victory and they continue to

work hard in training until their next

game.

Basketball Update

ISSUE 15 PAGE 3

Year 8 have started off brilliantly

this season, winning each of their

games and playing some excellent

Basketball in the process. Firstly

they played against Streetly

Academy which resulted in a 16-8

victory. Second game of the season

was against Pool Hayes, which

started off very evenly, however as

the game progressed the Year 8

team grew stronger and stronger

and finally pulled away from the

opposition, beating them 13-8. The

third and final game they have

played so far was against

St Francis, which resulted in their

biggest win so far. The game finished 23-4, as a result of fantastic attacking play by Siaka

and Joel.

Year 9 started off the season with an

extremely tough fixture against

Queen Mary’s Grammar School. This

was a huge test for the Walsall

Academy team, who narrowly got

beaten, however they learnt a lot

from the fixture and were eager to

use this in their next fixture against

Shire Oak. They showed big

improvements from the previous

game, and finished the game as

16-6 winners. Next game was played

against St Francis, in which the Year

9 team played some superb, free

flowing Basketball which resulted in

a 25-11 victory. The final game they

have played so far was against

Streetly Academy. This game saw a fantastic defensive display from the team with great

interceptions and rebounds from Sam. This meant that Streetly could not score any

points, and the game finished 20-0 in favour of Walsall Academy.

Year 10 team have played two fixtures so far, the first being against Pool Hayes. This was

a great start to the campaign for the boys, and dominated from the first tip-off to win the

game 20-4. The second game was played against Shelfield Academy, who proved to be

very tough opposition. The Year 10 team found it difficult to compete with their opposition

physically, and as a result lost their first game of the season.

The Year 10 football team played in their

Quarter Final match against Alderbrook school

on Tuesday 16 January. This was an extremely

close game as both teams were in fine form.

Unfortunately for the boys, the final result

finished 3-2 in favour of the opposition.

However reaching the Quarter Final of the West

Midlands Cup is a great achievement, and we

are confident that they can go all the way in

this competition next year.

The Year 9 team also played their Quarter-Final

game against Lode Heath on Tuesday 23

January. Walsall Academy conceded an early

goal, but they quickly equalised through a

composed finish by Callum. From this point on,

there was nothing to separate the teams as

both goalkeepers were in fine form, and equal

to everything that the attacking players had to offer. The game went all the way to penalties

and unfortunately saw them lose 5-4, with only one penalty being missed. Walsall Academy

goalkeeper Thomas got his hands on the final penalty to keep them in the tie, however the

luck was with the other team as the ball still found its way into the net. On another day the

result could of easily gone to the Walsall Academy team, and the boys are eager to prove

this in next year’s competition.

PAGE 4

Football Update

Charity Dodgeball tournament

Towards the end of the February half term,

Mr Moseley is arranging a charity Dodgeball

event to raise money for the British Heart

Foundation. This is an event that Walsall

Academy have held previously, and has been

very popular with staff and students.

This year the format has changed slightly,

and is being played between teams of staff

and Sixth Form combined. Spectators will be

encouraged to watch the event in order to

raise more money for charity, as well as each

player donating to play and getting additional

sponsorship if they wish.

ISSUE 15 PAGE 5

On Friday 24 November, Walsall Academy

staff took on the Sixth Form in a charity

netball match to raise money for Children in

Need. This proved to be a very popular

event, with staff from a variety of different

departments making up the team. After last

year’s result, the staff were confident that

they would be able to finish as victors, but

the Sixth Form team had also got stronger

from last year.

When the game started, both teams

cancelled each other out, and it was a very

low scoring encounter for the first quarter.

As the game went on, the staff team got

into their stride and began to create

chances, which were clinically taken. The

Sixth Form team did fight back, however this wasn't enough and the game finished 10-3 in

favour of the staff.

This was a fantastic event, with money being raised for an excellent cause by the players, and

also students and staff who spectated. Great fun was had by everyone who was involved, and

both the staff and students and now eagerly awaiting the much anticipated staff vs student

football in March.

Staff vs Sixth Form Netball

Thomas is the most recent addition of the Walsall Academy hall of fame due to his

achievements in martial arts. He participates in Karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing. He

trains 5 days a week in all three arts, totally nearly 8 hours a week.

In Karate, Thomas has achieved black belt, and is on grey belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He was

one of the quickest students ever to achieve his black belt, as it only took him 4 years to

achieve this accomplishment. It was even more special due to the fact that he double

graded from brown and 2 white to achieve the black belt. During the last 3 years he has

started competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has won the gold medal in the European

Championships in both 2016 and 2017. He also won a bronze medal at a National

tournament in 2016 and a silver medal in the British Open in 2017.

This year Thomas is competing in the National Championships in March, the British Open in

May, the Wold Championships in July and the European Championships in November where

he is hoping to win his third successful gold medal in this tournament.

Thomas trains under a team called

Gracie Barra which is a Brazilian

team and is world renowned for

being one of the best Brazilian Jiu

Jitsu teams.

We would like to congratulate

Thomas on his current

achievements, and wish him the

bets of luck in his upcoming

competitions.

PAGE 6

Hall of Fame

ISSUE 15 PAGE 7

Inter-academies

On Monday 29 January, Walsall Academy

competed in the annual Football Inter-Academies

held at Sandwell Academy. This is always a very

competitive tournament, with each Academy

fielding very strong teams. The tournament was

split into three categories, which were Year 7

boys, Year 8 boys and Year 7/8 girls.

The Year 7 team were unfortunate not to get any

success from the tournament as they played well

in every one of their games, however they didn't

have luck on their side and conceded some late

goals which cost them the results they needed.

However a special mention should go to Joel for his excellent performance in each of the

games.

The Year 8 team had more success, with them winning each of their games. The results were

3-0 against Thomas Telford School, 4-1 against Sandwell Academy and 1-0 against Madeley

Academy. To concede only 1 goal in 3 games is a fantastic achievement, and was due to their

organisation and communication during each game.

The girls team were a credit to the Academy during the tournament, as they played some lovely

football and produced some excellent goals. They finished 3rd overall, however they conceded

two own goals, and a late penalty which on another day may not have happened and they

would have finished higher. Every student involved was a credit to the academy and we look

forward to competing again next year.

The Year 11 Rugby team has made it to the Semi Finals of the County Cup after a very

convincing 80-15 win over Queen Mary’s Grammar School and a 5 point victory over a very

strong Rawlett team. This a huge achievement for the lads to reach such a late stage in a

very competitive competition. The boys now face St Joseph’s College for a place in the Cup

Final.

The Year 10 Rugby team reached

the Quarter Final of the County Cup

beating a strong Walton School

team on the way but narrowly

missed out on a place in the

Semi Final after a close encounter

with Rawlett School.

Finally the Year 9 boys also

managed to get to the

Quarter Finals but lost out to Queen

Marys Grammar School by a mere 2

points.

PAGE 8

Rugby

Badminton Championships

On Thursday 14 December, we competed in the

Walsall Badminton Championships at West Walsall

Academy. We entered both a boys and a girls team,

which consisted of 4 players from Key Stage 3. The

girls that competed were Maja, Fiona, Millie and Ellie,

and the boys team was Oliver, Ean, Daniel and Tyler.

Each team played 4 games, which were against West

Walsall A and B, Grace Academy and Pool Hayes. The

boys displayed some great team work in each game,

and beat Grace Academy and West Walsall B, but

narrowly lost their other two games. The girls

performed fantastically all tournament, as they beat

West Walsall B, Grace Academy and Pool Hayes. Their

dedication to attend Session 3 had clearly had a

positive impact on their performance, and as a result

they qualified for the Black Country Games which is a

brilliant achievement.

ISSUE 15 PAGE 9

Every Tuesday for six weeks, eight Year 11 students

have been attending Wolf Mountain climbing walls in

Wolverhampton. This is in conjunction with their

GCSE PE course as rock climbing is one of their

selected sports to be assessed in practically. They

are being taught a variety of different skills whilst at

Wolf Mountain such as basic knots, belaying and

lowering off. Alongside these skills, they will also

have to display a range of different climbing

techniques such as traversing and abseiling.

The students have been progressing well throughout

the six week course, and their confidence and

communication skills have improved with their

climbing ability

Wolf Mountain

Walsall Schools Handball

Tournament

On Wednesday 7 February, Walsall Academy took part in the Walsall Schools Handball

Tournament held at Brownhills School. There was a competition for Year 9 and 10 girls

combined, and Year 9 and 10 boys combined.

The girls played their first game against Brownhills School which ended in a goal-less draw due

to some fantastic defending and goalkeeping by both teams. The second game against Grace

Academy was a dominant performance which saw the Walsall Academy team win 3-0. The

final game against Aldridge School again finished goal-less, despite Walsall Academy

dominating from the first whistle. If it wasn't for some excellent saves by the Aldridge

goalkeeper then this would have been another comfortable victory for the girls.

The boys team performed

excellently all tournament, as

they won each of their games 1-0

which were played against

Brownhills School, Grace

Academy and Aldridge School.

The boys displayed excellent

organisation defensively, which

made them extremely hard to

break down which resulted in the

three consecutive clean sheets.

ISSUE 15 PAGE 10

This is the fifteenth edition of the PE Magazine and we hope you have enjoyed it.

We are looking to get students more involved in the process by supplying

pictures, writing match reports etc. So if you want to get involved and supply a

story/report save the file to memory stick or disk ready for editing and pass onto

the PE Department.

If you want to be a part of the next magazine, come

to Session 3 and get involved in PE and Sport.

Mr L Bull

PE Department