TOMASZ CHADWICK’S JUNIOR REPORT: Coaching Springhead School pupils is an ambition fulfilled

I’ve never worked with special schools before but it has always been an ambition of mine.

The students I coached were a delight, full of energy, enthusiasm, wit and charm.

The session certainly has a place in my heart as one of my fondest memories since moving to Scarborough.

So much so, following the session I took a “post-session selfie” of the group and myself as something to remember it by.

I’d like to offer my thanks to Springhead for giving me the opportunity to do this, it was certainly something I’d like to do again and would encourage more people to give it a go.

On Sunday our Junior Colts side took on league leaders Wetherby at home.

Knowing a loss could have ended any hopes for silverware this season, our under-17s side brilliantly led by captain Drew Govier put on a brilliant display of clinical and attacking rugby, coming out 25-7 winners.

There were notable performances all over the pitch, with Thomas Brookes catching the eye in the backline.

But the team effort is not to be faulted as the away side were not allowed to settle from the first minute.

This result now puts our under-17s top of the league with only three games left.

Next week our junior colts will be travelling to Heath hoping to further strengthen their league position.

Sunday will also see the return of Ben Martin who has recently been called up to play for Yorkshire, a fantastic achievement.

Ben Martin is one of a few players from Scarborough RUFC to have now broken into the Yorkshire set-up.

Tom Anderson, Sean Mould, Joe Marshall and Zoe Aldcroft have all now represented the county which not only speaks volumes for their ability as players, but shows how far our club has come.

We are here to provide a community service and offer a chance to play the sport, but we’re also now at a level where we can coach the finest talent in the county and ensure they have everything they need to excel.

This Sunday coming all of our junior sides (under-13s to under-17s) will be away except for our under-15s, who will be playing their first home game since the Christmas break.

This will be an 11am kick -off against Pocklington for anyone that would like to watch.

Sunday will also see our entire minis section (under-sixes to under-12s) returning to Silver Royd for another action packed training session.

Please remember that as we go through this cold period, some of the younger sides will be training in our sports hall from 10am to 11am to ensure the children stay warm and can continue to enjoy the sport regardless of the conditions outside.

I’d like to finish with a few of my thoughts from this week.

It’s no secret that it has been incredibly windy over the last fortnight.

The walk from my house to my car has become more of a challenge the windier it gets.

However something that dawned on me when I was driving to work earlier this week was that the wind is never a consistent force, it comes and goes.

Similar to the seasons we have on this planet.

We have cold spells and hot ones; nothing ever really stays the same for too long.

I think about my performance levels when I play and when I coach and there can be good times and bad.

If you have the time, it is quite interesting to think about how most things in life are cyclical in their nature.

This single thought made me think about the importance of consistency in life. Consistency in the way we eat, the way we train, the way we work and the way we live.

“We are what we repeatedly do, excellence therefore, is not an act but a habit” – Artistotle.

It’s no surprise that the great legends of sport have always been consistently good.

We’re all capable of that one perfect serve, that one great golf shot and hitting the bull’s-eye on the dartboard.

But those that make this a habit, are the ones that go far in life, and this will be my message to the players I coach this week.