insideKENT Magazine Issue 22 - January 2014 | Page 40

kent children are being ‘actively brilliant’
this year thanks to the launch of the

kent school games 2014
THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE ‘SPORTING LEGACY’ OF LONDON 2012 WITH
A MIXED PICTURE ACROSS THE UK. HERE IN KENT, HOWEVER, THE ‘SPORTING LEGACY’
OF THE OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS IS NOT ONLY ALIVE AND KICKING, BUT IT IS
POSITIVELY ‘GOING FOR GOLD’ AS A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN
ARE RISING TO THE CALL TO ‘BE ACTIVELY BRILLIANT’ IN 2014. AND IT’S ALL THANKS TO
A FANTASTIC INITIATIVE CALLED THE KENT SCHOOL GAMES.

If the opportunity for 35,000 children to try their
hand at 35 different sports sounds too good to be
true, then we probably would have agreed with you
until we heard about the Kent School Games 2014,
which is being made a reality in Kent for the fourth
time thanks to organisers KCC’s Sport and Physical
Activity Service and the support of Sainsbury’s.
The 35 key sporting events embraced by KSG
reads like a who’s who of sporting opportunity from
athletics, cycling, football and tennis; through
badminton, basketball, boxing and beach volleyball;
to hockey, KWIK cricket, new age curling, the
panathlon, rowing and rugby and the Games are
open to all age groups, abilities and disabilities,
with the Primary Games, Secondary Games and
the Disability Games.
Paul Carter, leader of Kent County Council,
said: “The Kent School Games 2014 is a dynamic
example of the Olympic and Paralympic legacy
being made a reality. With the backing of KCC and
thanks to the sponsorship of Sainsbury’s, about
35,000 young people will be taking part in the fourth
Kent School Games.
“We are passing on the legacy to the next
generation of children and giving them a sporting
chance to get competitive, achieve their sporting
potential and be actively brilliant.”
So the big question is: do you have to be
brilliant at sport to ‘Be Actively Brilliant’ and take
part in Kent School Games 2014? We asked Danny
Crates, Paralympian and world record holder, who
recently launched the 2014 Games.
Danny Crates said: “Before I became a
Paralympian and world record holder, I too was just
a regular school boy who loved rugby and athletics.
It’s all about being bold enough to take that first

40

step onto the racetrack at school or join your school
sports team for the first time. Whether you have a
dream to achieve something great or you simply
want to try out a new sport for the first time, the
key thing is to go for it!”
The unique three levels of the Games make
it especially easy for children to get involved as
Kent School Games participants can first grow their
confidence within school, which also gives schools
an opportunity to discover their most enthusiastic
and talented young sportsmen and women. The
best competitors from each school then progress
to one of 16 regional School Games Areas’
competitions or regional events, whilst the winners
of each region will then move to the star spangled
Kent School Games finals in July 2014.
Kent School Games 2014 will culminate in an
exhibition and competitive showcase on Wednesday
25 June, as part of a 20-day finals programme at
top sporting venues in front of hundreds of school
students, parents and teachers, together with a
star-studded cast of former Olympians,
Paralympians and the county’s dignitaries.
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
If you want to get your school participating in
the Kent School Games 2014 contact your School
Games Organiser on
kentsport.org/SchoolGamesOrganisers or for further
news and information about KSG 2014 visit
, or follow them on
www.kentschoolgames.com
Twitter @KentSchoolGames and
Facebook/KentSchoolGames.