Two pupils have been selected, this year, for the Independent Schools Football Association international teams. Competition for places for these teams is intense, and both players had to progress through a number of regional trials. All ISFA teams include players from premiership academies, and they are both are more than holding their own. They have made excellent contributions to CLS Football this season and staff in the PE Department have been impressed by their work-ethic, resilience and ambition.
Moving onto windsurfing, this pupil started the sport at the age of 11 and joined the Techno 293 racing fleet, initially at club-level at the Queen Mary Sailing Club. He soon graduated to regional and UK national competitions and was selected to join the RYA’s demanding regional winter training programme. In the past two years, he has represented the British team at the Techno World Championships in Hungary, Athens and Rome. Needless to say, to have progressed so quickly in this sport has required an extraordinary level of commitment from him, often training in freezing conditions in the middle of winter, which shows the dedication he has given to it.
Finally, to Chess, and this CLS pupil is quite an exceptional player. He started playing at the age of 5 and his first breakthrough came in the New York State Championship. He moved to London just before his 11th Birthday, and won the British Nationals, breaking the 2000 over-the-board rating in the process. In his playing career he has also won the German U25 Championship, and most recently (and the principal reason for International Honours award), was selected for England to play in the World Championships in Paris. The event, held in the Eiffel Tower, was live streamed across the Globe with grandmasters commentating and analysing every move. The team finished fourth place – quite an achievement!
Congratulations to the pupils involved, to achieve so much alongside school studies is no mean feat.
