How has sport helped you post Caterham?

Sport has taught me many great values which have helped me excel beyond my peers in many walks of life. Whilst at Caterham School I dedicated hours of my time to the rugby community, which brought some incredible opportunities as well as some life long skills.

The core values of rugby consist of the following; Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship. These are the values I have aimed to consistently strive towards. I believe that the two most important ones for myself are Enjoyment and Discipline. Enjoyment is the one value that lies beneath them all, it enables you to respect others, grow as an individual and perform to your best ability. Discipline gives the commitment and ambition that drives success. Success can never be defined, it is defined by the individual who wishes to be successful in a chosen path. My path was to play for England U18 respectfully. Without having learnt these skills I wouldn’t be where I am today.

 

What is your favourite memory of sport at Caterham School?

Caterham School brought me many fond memories that I will cherish throughout my life. My favourite sporting memory in the black and yellow jersey would have to be the 2018 rugby tour to Australia. Whilst being 9,442 miles away from our home ground we performed some breath taking rugby and made some life long friends. The opportunities that this trip offered was simply amazing. Here is just one example, whilst on tour our brilliant coaches organised for us to stay with a fellow oppositions family for a short duration. I was paired up with a boy called Adam, we instantly got along and made some great memories. 18 months later I set off to play rugby in Australia, whilst living in Sydney I got in contact with Adam and we instantly rekindled our friendship and spent a few days together. This showed me the power of sport and it’s ability to create friendships all around the globe.

 

What is your proudest achievement while attending Caterham School?

My proudest achievement while attending Caterham School would be the day I got selected to represent England Counties U18. This was a dream that I always wanted to achieve. I can now proudly say I have 2 England Rugby caps. Blood, sweat and tears were exhausted to get to this point however it will forever be one off the greatest achievements. I wouldn’t have achieved this without the help of my family, friends and many of the coaching staff at Caterham School, I am forever grateful for all there hard work and dedication.

 

Are you still in contact with any of my team mates?

I am still in contact with every single person that played in the Caterham colours with. The amount of time and hard work that the boys and myself went through together simply makes these friendships endless. I am sure that every other peer that played with me over the 5 years I had at Caterham would quote this.

 

How has your experience of sport at Caterham School helped you post school?

Caterham School offered a huge amount of support to all off their pupils. I was fortunate enough to be part of the Elite Performance Program. This enabled me to have very good relationships with my coaches and also gave me a huge amount of advice that I consistently refer back to. Each player that was selected into the EPP was given mentors, my mentors were Mr Richards and Mr Taylor two members off staff that consistently looked out for me and guided me throughout my school career. I am still in contact with them today and I know that they are always willing to give there advice. This for me is the greatest experience of Caterham Sport as the support doesn’t stop once you’ve finished.

 

What advice would you give your school-boy self?

There are many lines of advice that I would give to a young boy in my shoes 5 years ago. The most important bit of advice that I would give refers back to the key values of rugby. Enjoyment. Take every opportunity you are given and make sure you give 100%. The last 5 years of my education was spent at Caterham and I would trade everything I have now to go back and do it all again. The one thing I realised when I left Caterham was how lucky I really was. Spending everyday with your closest friends for 8hrs a day never happens again, so cherish those times, make the most off the opportunity and enjoy yourself as that is what ultimately matters the most.