Larbert Gymnasts Vault into the Nationals

On the 2^nd of December Larbert High took part in the Falkirk Schools Gymnastics Competition at Hallglen Sports centre in Falkirk. Whichever school finished 1^st and 2^nd went to the finals in Perth in 2015. There was a range of pupils at the event from primary schools to secondary schools and a range of abilities from level 1 to 3 (level 3 being the top performers).

 

Larbert Gymnasts successfuly qualify for the National Finals

 

Zoe, Abby, Claire and Romy started on the floor, each of them needed to do 8 moves on the floor for level 1. The girls did very well in each of their own routines and were happy with themselves confident that they done well enough to earn a place in the finals.

Ross, Jordan, and Emma were on straight after for the level 2 Larbert High team. Ross started well with impressive flips, balances, and jumps, as did Jordan and Emma. This team looked very convincing to go through to the finals, and potentially even snatch 1^st place.

After lots of amazing performances from Larbert High they took a break to get something to eat and drink and to replenish energy.

After the break Laura, Amy, Charlotte and Ellie were doing the vaults. They all had a few practice runs and jumps over the vault, and it paid off, with them putting a great performance in the level 1 group.

Ross, Jordan, and Emma were on the vault straight after for the level 2 team. Another good performance and they would surely go through to the finals. As they approached the vault, they looked relaxed and it was obvious they were going to do well. All three performed some amazing handsprings and landed them with expertise making it look easy.

 

The Larbert gymnasts get used to the top step of the podium

 

 It was time for the results, 1^st and 2^nd place in each section were to go through to the national finals. Larbert finished 1^st in the Level 2 section. It was well deserved victory from Ross, Jordan, and Emma.  Next up was the Level 2 team results. Abby, Zoe, Clair and Romy came 2^nd, so they too earned a place at the finals. All the teams who competed for Larbert High will be going through to the finals at Perth in 2015! 

What a performance, and what a day for the Larbert High gymnastics squad.

 

 

by

Owen Lake and Blair Mallis

Cameron Dick's Review of 2014

Sporting Moment of the Year

2014 truly has been a great year for sports.   So far this year we’ve seen the dominant Germans progress through the rounds to win the world cup. We’ve seen Real Madrid win their 10th champions league. But one of the most intriguing events for our nation was to hold the commonwealth games.

For me personally, my sporting moment of the year was the 2014 world cup final where we saw the mighty Germany bagging a late extra time goal to win the greatest award in football.  Argentina came agonisingly close to breaking the 18 year long wait for a world cup trophy.  It’s fair to say that Germany deserved the trophy of trophies by playing some extremely attractive football during the world cup months.  It was Mario Gotze in particular who dug the Germans out of a massive hole in the final, coming on as a substitute and scoring the only goal of the game (not including Gonzallo Higuan’s offside goal) and truly made himself the German hero.

Mario Gotze's historic world cup winning goal

 

Sports Person of the Year

This year has been outstanding for sporting people with Novak Djokavic winning his second Wimbledon championship and Cristiano Ronaldo won his second ballon d’or (European player of the year award). This time one of our nation’s best was Europe winning Ryder cup.

One person in particular that stood out for me was Colombian sensation James Rodriguez.  After having a spectacular world cup, scoring a fabulous chest and volley - which was my favourite finish of the year - James went on to play for one of Europe’s biggest and best teams Real Madrid. After heading over to the Bernabeu Rodriguez has improved massively and will only get better with time. In the next few years he could be well up in the rankings with players such as Bale, Ronaldo and Messi.

 

Performance of the Year

There were some great matches played this year and the football was out of this world, almost every match I watched I was on the edge of my seat and wanted to watch more.  Some of the great matches were the Manchester derby, always a good one, Real Madrid vs. Athletico Madrid in the champion’s league was a great game to watch also.

One of the most fascinating matches I witnessed was the thumping of the Brazilians by the Germans with a 7-1 victory in the world cup semi-final.  With goals scored by Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, Klose, Khederia and Schurle, this thumping of Brazil kicked the hosts out the cup and propelled the to-be champions into the final

In 2015 You Should Watch Out For…

Can 2015 be Jack Wilshere's year..???

2014 has been some year for sport and 2015 will hopefully be a good one too.  2015 will be a big year for emerging young football players such as Raheem Sterling, and Ross Barkley.

One in particular is Jack Wilshire the young England star who plays for Arsenal.  Back in 2008 when he joined the gunners everyone said he was going to be Arsenal’s next superstar but after suffering a severe ankle just after joining the club his talent has been delayed and diminished.  After recovering from the injury, Jack never seemed like the same player he was back when he was 18. Wilshire needs some improving and 2015 is his to prove he is the man.

So, 2014 truly has been a great year, and with the New Year coming up who knows what will come? Liverpool might win a game, Christian Benteke might go a whole game without getting sent off.  2015 will soon tell.

 

 

by Cammy Dick

Alan McLagan rounds up some of the Weekend's big matches

Rooney Secures 3 Points for Man-United

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney secured three points to put Manchester United 4^th just behind Manchester rivals Manchester City. The Red Devils started with former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney at the centre forward position. Luke Shaw limped off in the 17^th minute adding to Manchester United manager Luis Van Gal’s injury problems this season. Arsenal’s Jack Wilshire reacted to a challenge by head-butting United’s Mauroane Fellaini and was lucky to avoid a red card.  Kieran Gibbs own-goal gave Manchester United the lead and then Rooney made it two with 5 minutes left to play.  Oliver Giroud marked his return to Arsenal with a good finish in injury time but it was too little too late and the game finished 2-1.

Ronaldo Scores Two in a 4-0 Win Against Eibar

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals while James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema also got themselves on the score sheet. The club’s victory gave them their 14^th win in a row in all competitions which keeps them top of the la liga table, just two points in front of arch rivals Barcelona. Before the game Eibar goalkeeper Xabi Irureta described Cristiano Ronaldo as ‘unstoppable’ in front of goal, and he was prooved right when Ronaldo doubled the score.  Soon after Benzema scored with his 50^th goal in a row and Ronaldo finished it off by netting a late penalty to bag another 3 points for the capital club.

Champions City Walk all Over the Saints

Manchester City picked up a precious 3 points on their travels with a 3-0 win over Southampton at St. Mary’s stadium. Goals from Yaya Toure, Frank Lampard, and Gael Clichy was enough to give the 10 man Man City team a valuable win. Yaya Toure rocketed the ball into the net for the first goal which came early in the second half. Two goals in the last ten minutes secured the win although having Mangala sent off in the 74^th minute and Vincent Kompany suffering a serious injury it wasn’t a perfect day at the office for City. With Chelsea only managing a draw against Sunderland City slowly creep up the table.

 

 

Jamie Forrester's European Round Up

Munich Galacticos Get the Win.

The Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich thrashed Hoffenheim 4-0 at the formidable Allianz Arena in Munich last Monday night.

Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski gave Bayern a comfortable 2-0 lead at half time with late goals from Arjen Robben and Sebastian Roder making sure there was no doubting Bayern’s superiority. Adam Szalai got a head start to the changing room with a red card for Hoffenheimin the 70^th minute.

That win extends Bayern lead to 7points above Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach.

 

Madrid Extend their lead and Unbeaten Run.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid made history with their 16^th win in all competitions after beating Malaga 2-1 at la Rosaleda in Malaga.

The goals came from Gareth Bale in the 18^th minute and Benzema in the 83^rd minute but Malaga got a goal back in injury time with Santa Cruz scoring just after Malaga’s Isco was sent off for Malaga in the 86^th minute.

Madrid were made to work hard for the points and a 2-1 victory, but the unstoppable Los Blancos kept their winning run going.

 

You Can't Stop the Zlatan

 

Paris St-Germain made it nine wins in a row in all competitions after beating Nice 1-0 at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first league goal since August scoring a 15^th minute penalty which was the only goal of the game. After a stuttering start to the campaign the win moves PSG to within 1 point of leaders Marseille.

Cammy Dick's Three Match Round Up

Ten-man Manchester City moved up to second in the Premier League table with a convincing 3-0 win at Southampton on Sunday afternoon.

Despite a goal-less first half and Manchester City defender Mangala being sent off, it was the second half goals from Yaya Toure, Frank Lampard, and Gael Clichy that sealed the win.

Both sides also had great chances to break the deadlock in an evenly contested opening 45 minutes. Southampton’s frontman Graziano Pelle failed to beat City keeper Joe Hart from just six yards out in the opening stages.  A miss that proved costly as Man City took control of the game in the second half with some cool and clinical finishing.

In the end Manchester City move into second place behind Chelsea with 27 points.

 

Man City claw back Premier League leaders Chelsea with a valuable 3 points at St Mary's

 

Tottenham staged a superb first-half comeback as they came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Kevin Mirallas put the visitors in front inside the opening quarter of an hour with a stunning curling effort, but Christian Eriksen levelled things seven minutes later before Roberto Soldado completed the turnaround in first-half stoppage time with a cool and composed finish.

In the end Tottenham earned another 3 points, a valuable win that puts them up to 7^th in the table. Man of the Match was given to Tottenham’s striker Harry Kane.

Everton fall to Tottenham despite a miraculous over from Kevin Mirallas

 

 

Manchester United beat struggling Hull City 3-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon thanks to goals from Chris Smalling, Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie.

After beating Arsenal the previous week, Man U surprised many by changing the successful formation and reverting to a back four.

But that change had no impact on United's fluency as they dominated proceedings right from the kick-off, and it was no real surprise when centre-back Smalling gave them a 16th-minute lead following a Juan Mata corner on the left.

Another two goals followed from Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie who put in a game winning perfromance. In the end United emerged into 4^th place and the Man of the Match was given to Manchester United’s Ander Herrera.

Manchest United moved into the Champions League positions after a good perfromance away to Hull.

 

 

 

Mitchell Wallace's Football Brain Teaser

Think you know football.....???? Check out Mitchell Walace's Football Quiz, tweet us @larbetsportjour and let us know how you get on..!!

FOOTBALL QUIZ

1) How many times has Lionel Messi won the Ballon Dor..??

2) How many times have Argentina won the World Cup..??

3) How long did Arsenal go without a trophy before winning the 2014 FA Cup...??

4) Danny Wellbeck scored a recent Champions League hat-trick against Galatasaray.  Who are the other 5 English players to have scored a Champions Legague hat-trick..??

5) How many premier league titles have Manchester Untied won..???

6) Who won the Premier League in the 2012 season..???

7) Which international team won the world cup in 2006..??  

8) Which team won the Champions Leauge in  2011..?? 

9) How many goals did Pele score in his career..????  

10) In what year did Liverpool win the Champions league..???   

Answers: 1) 4 times 2) twice 3) 7 years 4) Mike Newell Blackburn, Andy Cole ManU, Michael Owen Liverpool, Alan Shearer Newcastle, Wayne Rooney ManU 5) 20 6) Manchester city 7) Italy 8) Barcelona 9) 1281 10) 2005

 

Larbert Blow Boness Away on Bonfire Night

Larbert high kicked off on the 5^th of November at home to Boness Academy and came away with an ‘explosive’ 9-2 victory.

Larbert U-14's put in an Explosive Perfromance against Bo'ness

They had a good start with their first shot on target in the first 5 minutes. The communication was great from Larbert and Bo'ness were getting frustrated with the Larbert possession.

Max Rintoul made a great run down the wing and crossed it to Cameron Sneddon to volley it in to make it 1-0. Straight from the restart Sneddon scored again to make it 2-0 and Bo'ness heads were down.

5 minutes later a good counter attack made it 3 with Sneddon getting a hat-trick in the first 15 minutes from another great cross from Max Rintoul.  After kick off there was a great save from the Bonness keeper but Jamie Forrester pounced on the rebound to make it 4-0.

Jake Shearer and Benjamin Sneddon came on for Max Rintoul and Jake Milne. They got off to a great start coming on and passing the ball nicely.  Shearer had a great touch then shot from just outside the box to make it 5-0. Larbert were now playing with 10 men to give Bo’ness a chance but Blaine Colquhoun just barged through to make it 6-0. It was half time and Bo’ness hadn’t managed to produce a shot on target.

The second half began and Bo’ness were looking a much better team. They started very well with 2 goals in quick succession to make it 6-2. But it was too little too late to make any kind of comeback. Larbert got a wakeup call and started keeping the ball well. All that paid off when they attacked and Jamie Forrester scored to seal the win and make the game 7-2. Just to finish it off Jake Milne and Benjamin Stewart scored to rub the salt in Bo’ness wounds and it finished 9-2 at Larbert high.

by Alan McLagan and Owen Lake

Larbert Swimmers Sink the Opposition

This past Thursday the LHS swim team travelled to Grangemouth swimming centre for the annual schools swimming gala. There was a lot to compete for as Larbert had won the overall title the past two years and were hoping to retain the trophy.  Larbert swam extremely well and won lots of medals, gold silver and bronze.  In the end Larbert walked away with the hat trick of titles taking trophy home once again.

 

The Gala started off with the Relay races and Larbert got off to a great start with the S1 and S2 boys winning bronze and the S1 & S2 girls winning Gold. The relay events finished off with the S5 and S6 girls also winning gold.  Larbert were doing fantastically well and kept it going in the singles events.  The first Singles event was the Back stroke and Larbert High’s James Ablett  won a silver medal. Larbert were on fire at this point and Kimmy Buchanan and Nina Johnstone followed up James’ success by swimming into first and second place.  The next event was the breast stroke and straight away back stroke gold medallist Kimmy Buchanan bagged gold and Holly Newlands won silver in the same race

 

It was sink or swim time for the Larbert Swim Team

So far, the gala had been a great success for LHS. The poolside was hot and the swimmers were ready to get back in action. At the halfway point Larbert were in the lead by 17 points, but could they continue their form after the break?

The 2^nd half of the events went in Larbert’s favour with lots more medals.  It was time for the butterfly.  Daniel Woods bagged a bronze and Julie Nimmo earned silver, at this point LHS were still leading with a total of 204 points!

The day was coming to an end but there were still 2 more events to take place. It was the freestyle events. Larbert kicked off the freestyle events brilliantly with Nina Johnston bagging her 2^nd medal of the day and Daniel Woods swam into 2^nd place. Larbert were on fire Lucy Allan added to the occasion by bagging gold in the freestyle!

Larbert Dive to success at the Schools Swimming Gala

 

The last event was crucial as it was the mixed relay and this event was worth double points. At this point in the day LHS were still in the lead on 284 points! St Mungos were 2^nd with 266 points and in 3^rd place were Denny with 216 points.  It could have still gone either way.  The first mixed event was the S1 and S2 team of 8. The 8 swimmers made it into first place and getting the extra points to top things off. Next up was the seniors who finished in a tight 3^rd place.

 

All the events were over and Larbert had retained the trophy for the third year running.  Overall it was a great day and the Larbert Swimming Team was left celebrating their third success in a row.

by Cammy Dick

U-13's Brae's Bounce-Back

Larbert bounced back with a good display at home and a 2-1 victory over Braes High School after been knocked out of the Scottish cup 4-1 by Bishopbriggs academy the previous week.

 

The Larbert U-13's showed they had 'bouncebackability' on Tuesday night.

In the opening few minutes Lewis Dawson had an opportunity to break the dead lock with a superb strike early in the game but the Braes keeper pulled of a great save.  This was then followed by LHS student Sam Kinney hitting the post just minutes later.

 

With 20 minutes played Braes then put in a great cross and scored from a good header at the back post to make it 1-0.  5 minutes later Larbert bounced back with Sam Kinney passing the ball across goal and Ryan Dewar scoring into an open net.

 

At half time the score remained 1-1 with no major chances created by either team in the run up to half time.

 

10mins into the second half Larbert had a great chance to go 2-1 up but Michael Baba-Yemi put the ball just past the post.  Braes were hanging on in the second half and the Larbert defence was solid.  With 12 minutes to go in this tense match Larbert were again denied by the on-form Braes keeper saving from a great strike from Lewis Dawson.

 

In the closing minutes of the match Cameron Doonan headed the ball through to Michael Baba-Yemi who placed the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-1 to Larbert, which it finished, giving Larbert a good bounce-back victory. 

 

 

by Jamie Forrester

 

 

Kristian Kinnon Talks Taekwondo - 'A Way of Life'

Kristian was hard at work in Graphic Communication when we interrupted him and asked him to answer few questions about Taekwondo. Kristian came out of class with a smile on his face and seemed happy to talk to us about his sport.  Once we finished with the introductions we got on with the questions.  

Kristian Kinnon is a senior at Larbert High and a top level Taekwondo athlete

Who inspired you to take taekwondo?

 ‘’I inspired myself to take taekwondo, it has always been something I wanted to do’’

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

‘’I have always thought of being an actor or an athlete at huge taekwondo competition’’

What does taekwondo mean to you?           

‘’The way of life, it’s my way of life’’

How many times a week do you train?

‘’I train five days a week with three sessions a day’’

What age did you start?

‘’I started at the age of 11 but I wish I started a bit younger’’

Have you ever had a serious injury?

‘’Yes I tore my hamstring and I couldn’t do taekwondo for a few weeks’

Thanks Kristian, the whole of Larbert High School and the sports journalism team wishes you the best for all your future Taekwondo competitions.

 

 

by Alan McLagan and Jack Donaldson

Lauren's Commonwealth Aspirations

Lauren McKinlay is a successful Taekwondo Player and LHS second year student.  Lauren competes at Taekwondo, a Korean martial art and the national sport of Korea.  Taekwondo is practiced all over the world and has been progressively increasing in popularity over the last 60 years.

I spoke to Lauren McKinlay in the library last Tuesday and I asked her a few questions about Taekwondo and her preparations for the Taekwondo commonwealth games.                                                              

Blair Malis interviews top TKD star Lauren McKinlay

 

 

Who inspired you to do Taekwondo?

Beaming with pride Lauren tells me it was her coach at school that inspired her.

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Lauren sees herself competing in big competitions. She sounds confident you feel that she could really fulfil her dream. “I am really hoping to go to the commonwealth games in 2018”.

What does taekwondo mean to you?

“It means a lot to me because I really like it and I enjoy it a lot.”

How many times a week do you train?

Lauren trains everyday so she can become the best possible Taekwondo player she can.

What is the atmosphere like at a fight?

Lauren said “the crowd is very supportive when I’m fighting”

Have you had a bad injury before?

 She laughed and said “no big injuries just some bruises.”

Everyone at Larbert, and in particular the LHS Sports Journalism team, hope that Lauren can reach her goal and make it to the very top of her sport.  After speaking to her on Tuesday Lauren seems determined and committed and I’m sure Larbert High will be celebrating Lauren’s Taekwondo successes in the near future.

 

by Blair Malis

 



Hassan Haider Gets a Kick Out of Taekwondo

Hassan Haider walks into the interview with a smile on his face, you can tell right away how passionate he is about Taekwondo and how motivated he to go to the Taekwondo Commonwealth Games. Hassan is a senior in the school and is happy with himself and his sport. I interviewed him on Tuesday morning at Larbert high school’s library.

Cammy Dick Interviews TKD Superstar and Senior in LHS Hassan Haider

Over to you, Hassan……

Who inspired you to take up Taekwondo?

“I used to go with my cousin to his TKD classes and when I was old enough I went in with him once and ever since then I’ve loved it and stuck at it”.

 

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

“In the future, I’d like to see myself as a professional athlete I would love to do Taekwondo as a job.  I love competing, especially in major competitions around the world”.

 

What does Taekwondo mean to you?

"It means everything to me, I just love competing, traveling abroad and meeting new people”.

 

What are your achievements in Tae Kwon Do?

“I’ve won a few medals internationally and I’ve won a bronze 1^st class medal which I’m particularly proud of”.

 

How many times do you train a week?

“I train 5-6 times a week, usually 6”.

 

What is your training like?

“It depends what time of year it is, in the summer we do a lot of running and strengthening right now however we are doing a lot of sparring in preparation for the commonwealth games”.

 

Have you had any major injuries?

“I’ve not had any major injuries, just a few knocks here and there but nothing major”.

 

Thanks Hassan..!!

 

It’s great to see how passionate Hassan is about Taekwondo. All of us here at LHS hope he does well and achieves lots in the future.  Good luck to Hassan and the rest the LHS pupils making their way to the upcoming Taekwondo Commonwealth games!

by Cammy Dick