Kingussie High School
UPDATE (September 2020):
We have nearly tripled our numbers participating in Rugby at Kingussie High School over the last three years which has led to a lot of our youngsters making the step up to play for Highland Rugby Club. This shows that not only has it benefited our school but it has had an impact on the growth of the game in the Highlands. Because of our geographical location we have a lot of travelling by minibus to play games/tournaments. The funding has allowed us on numerous occasions to take an extra bus so that everyone who wants to play gets the opportunity - sometimes taking up to three teams to competitions. We have also been able to purchase more equipment to allow for meaningful training sessions for everyone who comes to training in the hope that we can keep improving all of our players.
We have launched a School of Rugby Programme at the school in partnership with Highland Rugby Club which has further developed our S1-3 players. This has led to us being very competitive in the local tournaments that we have competed in with many people commenting on the progress our teams have made.
Our aim is to continue to improve the Rugby program at Kingussie High School and have a positive effect on the growth of the game in the Highlands. This is made possible due to the support of Friends of Scottish Rugby.
Callum Carson: Kingussie High School
UPDATE (May 2018):
The boys have had a great year and have really got stuck in on the pitch.
They have made great use of the strips provided by Friends of Scottish Rugby by playing in the Scottish Cup and getting to the semi finals of the plate. They were bitterly disappointed to lose out at this stage but they did very well to get that far.
We have also been a part of an ‘Inverness Area’ league. The boys have done well in this and are punching well above their weight by competing with schools more than double in size.
In the Inverness Area league we play Millburn Academy, Culloden Academy, Nairn Academy, Grantown Grammar School and Dingwall Academy. We are currently doing pretty well in the league having won 2 games and lost 2 games. We beat Millburn and Nairn convincingly but sadly lost to
Culloden and Grantown. The two games we lost were very close encounters and I was very proud of the effort the boys put in.
In our Scottish Cup run we played a combination of Breadalbane/Pitlochry/Perth in the first round where we won in tremendous fashion. The boys played some fantastic rugby. We then played Linlithgow but unfortunately came up short against Marr College, who are a fantastic outfit. The
Kingussie boys did get stuck in however, we were just out classed in the second half. Although the boys were down about losing, the atmosphere in the changing room after the game was very much positive - we talked about how much we could learn from playing a team of that standard and how it
was a superb showing of character to keeping working hard for each other even though we were up against it.
I am immensely proud of the boys for their efforts this season.
We have started to really build on numbers in the junior years and are hoping to have enough for an U14 team next year. Because of this we are introducing a 'School of Rugby' which will hopefully boost numbers again and improve the skill level of each individual.
Thank you again, Friends of Scottish Rugby, for your support which goes a long way to helping us provide the best experience possible for every young person involved.
Callum Carson: Kingussie High School
Kingussie High School (September 2016)
Kingussie High School is a small (under 400) rural school – our nearest high school is 28 miles away and any fixtures involve extra time and commitment - as well at 56 mile round trip.
This season we have managed to galvanise an U 16 team who have played five times and although they have yet to win a game they are bursting with enthusiasm and keen to become an U 18 team next session.
Our last game involved one of players having his shirt cut off at Raigmore hospital as they investigated a shoulder injury. Our pool of shirts now has dropped below 15!
The exams have interrupted our training but we are set to get ahead before next season as Under 18’s. This grant has given the squad a real boost and a couple of the boys have worked on the shirt design and shared things with the other squad members. They are so excited about the forthcoming season.
We rarely get a large enough group to play competitive fixtures as we compete with Shinty and Football groups. The support this year has helped get the players to commit to training hard with a view to being more competitive. They are proving a great example to the junior school.
We are delighted to receive the support of FoSR and very happy to have incorporated the MacPherson logo on the new kit recognising the support of Lady Jean MacPherson.
Daniel Donald Team Captain
Kenny Deans; Kingussie High School. Teacher I/C.
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Kingussie High School