By George Jessup
IT’S not just the United States of America that has been going wild for American Football, a school in Studley has also been getting into the Super Bowl spirit.
St Mary’s C of E Academy, New Road has its very own American football team – the ‘Studley Bearcats’, who received national recognition last week, appearing in features on both BBC Breakfast and Newsround where they showcased some of their skills.
The team, formed by coach Roger Smithies, trains every Thursday and the squad are looking forward to playing in the national leagues competition which begins in April.
“The boys describe the sport as a mixture of tag rugby and chess and there is no contact involved in this version of the game at all,” said school governor Wendy Williams.
“We have been putting on taster sessions for all the pupils during their PE sessions and there has been a huge interest; the sport is great for team building, great for fitness and great for having fun.”
The school is currently interested in looking for a sponsor for the team as at the moment all the costs and expenses are completely self-funded.
There are 11 players on each team in American Football with the aim of moving the ball towards and ultimately into the opposition’s end zone.
This can be achieved by either running with the ball until tackled or throwing the ball down field to a team mate.
The Bearcats will be participating in the Under 12s category in the central region of the annual national league competition.
Pupils ageed seven to 15 years take part in the league each year with the all important final game taking place in August.
