Did anyone do the school cross country in freezing conditions?


Some of the matches I played in as a kid would be classed as child abuse now. Snow blizzarding across the open pitches of seaham. Get flashbacks every time I go past on the train.
 
I’m another one that loved it.
A few of us called at our house and I shinned up the bathroom drainpipe to get in the small opened window to let them in!
As you ran through the deep snow in the countryside the ice that had formed on the surface knacked the back of your legs!
Good memories of 60+ years ago. 👍
 
We did it in snow as well as rugby. The worst bit was the conditions were always muddy and required us to run in football boots, but there was a long sloped concrete bridge we had to cross over all tippy tappy.
 
Aye. We used to do football and rugby between September and the October half term and then do cross country between then and Xmas. Why couldn’t we do it say between May half term and the start of the summer? Sick way to get your kicks from whoever came up with that schedule.
 
Down Hylton Bank, along the auld railway line, up to Offerton then back down to railway line and finish with a bastard of a climb back up Hylton Bank.
 
We did it in snow blizzards.
The teacher would make us stand there for 2 hours, not moving until we all looked like snowmen then he'd tell us to start running.
We had to run non-stop for another 2 hours and by this time most of those who managed to set off eventually melted their snow covering.
Those who never started were already frozen to death and had to be taken away and thrown into a heap until such a time when the better weather thawed them out.

I remember doing mine in a string vest and Stanley Mathew shorts that I'd had taken up by my mother to look like navy blue Brendan Foster ones.

Aye, those were the days.
 
Always remember there was a cheeky short cut on our cross country course which would split the distance in half but our PE teacher would stand and wait for anyone using it out of sight and catch them cheating and send them back to do the rest of the full course :lol:
 
I’ve taught PE for nearly 30 years. Sorts out the resilient kids from those who give up easily.

When our school fields are wet/muddy in the winter it’s the perfect outdoor sport.

And yes - I still love to run alongside the kids, albeit towards the back of the field these days. Some of my younger colleagues in PE will just watch the kids run in their winter coats …..:confused:
Aye. We used to do football and rugby between September and the October half term and then do cross country between then and Xmas. Why couldn’t we do it say between May half term and the start of the summer? Sick way to get your kicks from whoever came up with that schedule.
Perfect scheduling.
 
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Yes, in New Kyo near Stanley - shorts and tshirt running along the bypass in arctic conditions. Wasn't just cross country, remember playing football on frozen pitch with a netball one PE lesson (no idea why or where the football's were) and remember jumping to block a clearance and getting the ball smashed right in to my face :lol: my face was so cold I didn't really feel too much. Those were the days, eh?!

Are you old enough for Annfield Plain Secondary Modern?
 
Not quite I was there when it was Greencroft Lower School, mid 90s.

I was there from 1965/66 till 1970. There was no bypass running coz, there was no bypass. There was, however, some sort of triangular cross country route that went over fields and alongside rail tracks. I vaguely remember freezing my tits off during PE and I also have a recollection of the good discus throwers attempting to time it just right so they could get one in one of the freight trucks for the trains running the line at the bottom of the playing/sports field. I suppose that was all gone by your day. I thought the buildings were all gone by the 90s to be honest.
 
The teachers loved it too as they sent us out on our own ( ie no staff). Doubt today's children would be allowed?

We were sent out alone as well. We were supposed to follow a route, but really we just ran to the play park and played on the swings and stuff, then sprinted back so we were sweaty and out of breath ☺️
 

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