The U18A lacrosse team trip to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst was a fantastic opportunity for the team to spend time training, bonding and learning. As well as meeting current cadets who play lacrosse, our team learnt about strength and conditioning from military trainers, gaining an in-depth insight into areas where we could further develop our sporting performance.
Spending Sunday morning with a double Olympic gold medallist, Heather Stanning, was a highlight the team will not forget. Heather was inspirational and, with the many twists and turns in her sporting journey, captivated everyone.
A big thank you to Major General Cowley and Mrs Cowley for hosting the team at Sandhurst.
Here Baylee E, Upper Sixth, reports on the experience:
‘On Friday (27/2/26), the U18A lacrosse team had an amazing opportunity to visit and train at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. We arrived in the afternoon and were welcomed by Major Lower, who gave us a guided tour of the grounds. We learnt about the typical life of a cadet, as well as gaining insight into other areas of the military, including the room reserved for royals during events. Walking up the iconic steps of Sandhurst was a thrilling experience.
Following our tour, we headed to the sports pitches for lacrosse training, going over set plays and completing some fun and engaging drills in preparation for our tournament on Saturday. Afterwards, we enjoyed a talk on physical training from the Head of Physical Instruction at Sandhurst, which was particularly interesting as we discussed the importance of teamwork and recognising that everyone has different strengths that can contribute to a team. He also spoke about nutrition and physical training at the academy, giving us an insight into the training undertaken by the cadets.
On Sunday, we started the day with an inspirational talk from double Olympic gold medallist Heather Stanning, who shared her experiences as a professional rower. She spoke about her journey and preparation for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, with her main takeaway being the importance of controlling the controllables in sport. She highlighted this when describing the biggest setback in her career, explaining how she had to focus on the things she could influence rather than those beyond her control. It was an incredible talk and we were very fortunate to hear about her experiences and challenges as an athlete.
We ended the morning with more training, including shooting practice and going over attacking moves. This was a fantastic experience for our team and we are very grateful to have had this additional training opportunity in the lead-up to Lacrosse Nationals.’
Mr David Abini
Head of Lacrosse
