Many of our pupils take part in exciting and interesting extra-curricular activities outside of school, and Year 11 pupil Bertram is no exception.
For the past couple of years, Bertram has been training weekly in canoe polo, which is water polo with the aid of kayaks, and he is now training with the Team GB development team.
He said, “I started canoe polo a couple of years ago when a friend invited me to try it, after I had been learning to kayak.
“I really enjoyed it and was asked if I would like to play for the Kingston Kayak Club in their youth team.
“Shortly after, I was spotted by coaches and invited to join the development team for Great British canoe polo.
“I now train in Liverpool every month in hope of getting asked to join the main team.”
Bertram trains twice a week at Albert Avenue baths with his team in preparation for local, national and international matches, plus monthly in the North West for his Team GB commitments.
Alongside this, he also ensures he eats well and attends extra fitness and stamina sessions to remain in peak physical condition for his sport.
The team train both in swimming pools and on outdoor waterways, and Bertram relishes the challenge in changing his environment.
He said, “It’s much more enjoyable to train and play outdoors, but it’s also much harder.
“We often use swimming pools as our training base, but sometimes we use lakes and waterways for training and matches.
“Canoe polo is a great sport to take part in; I particularly like it because it is quite tough and aggressive.
“Hopefully, if I keep training hard, I’ll see success with Team GB.”