There are lots of options when it comes to sports at Ridley.  There’s an extensive array of competitive sport options to choose from.  Annually, Ridley fields more than 45 competitive teams from under-12 softball in the Lower School to first team basketball. Some teams play in only one term of the school year while others compete or train in all three terms.

Alongside Ridley’s competitive offerings, there’s also a Sport for Life program offered in all three terms.  Students who participate in SFL programming may focus on one activity or rotate through a couple of different sports throughout the term.  In the past, SFL participants have tried activities like fitness bootcamp, field hockey, sailing, yoga, spin classes, power walking, and golf.

As a former Ridley student, I had the opportunity to try all three options – competitive sports, Sport for Life, and non-sport options.  Since grade five, I’ve played on the field hockey team at Ridley.  Once I got to Upper School, I started playing on the First (varsity) Team.  We practiced for about an hour and a half every day after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays with our coaches.  We had both home and away games on certain Wednesdays and Saturdays.  One of my favourite Ridley memories was the trip our team took to Victoria, BC for the CAIS Field Hockey Tournament in my grade eleven year.

In all four years of Upper School, I spent the second term participating in the winter musical.  In my grade nine year, I played Amber in Hairspray, and from grade ten to twelve, I stage managed Little Shop of Horrors, Blood Brothers, and Once Upon a Mattress.  I enjoyed performing, but I especially loved learning how to run lights and sound in the Mandeville Theatre while coordinating the other technical aspects of the show.

In the third term of my grade nine and ten year, I tried rowing.  Ridley has a long and proud history of involvement with the sport.  We’re lucky to have our own boathouse on Henley Island as well as an ergometer room in the Griffith Sports Complex and an indoor rowing tank offsite.  In my grade nine year, I rowed in the senior women’s four, and in my grade ten year, I rowed in the junior women’s four and eight. We spent a lot of time rowing on the water in Martindale Pond, and also did cardio and strength training as well as ergometer workouts on land.  Ridley rowing is an example of a sport that runs all three terms and may include additional practices early in the morning for athletes as they train for ergometer competitions and regattas throughout the year.

In grade eleven and twelve, I participated in the third term Sport for Life programme. The SFL season starts off with participants rotating through the different SFL options in order to help them decide which one they’d like to sign up for.  In my grade eleven year, I participated in the SFL field hockey/cardio training option and in my grade twelve year, I joined the fitness bootcamp/power walking group.

I think the most important lesson I’ve learned from my Ridley sports experience is the importance of staying active and involved in the community beyond just the classroom. Whether you already play on a competitive team or are totally new to the world of sports, Ridley has a place for you to participate, develop athletic skills and be physically active.

To learn more about Ridley athletics, please click here.