St Leonards-Mayfield School in East Sussex has become the first all-girls’ school in England to launch a Modern Pentathlon Squad. In doing so, it is building on its long-standing excellence in equestrian sport and helping to challenge the perception that disciplines like shooting and fencing are ones best left to the boys. Five members of the Squad entered their first ever competition on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October. The Sealions and Whitgift Modern Pentathlon and Tetrathon in Croydon, and performed remarkably well against more experienced athletes.
The Squad is made up of pupils aged between 12 and 17, who train at School in all five events: riding, shooting, fencing, running and swimming. The Squad’s aim is to reach the National Pentathlon Championships in June. The Sealions and Whitgift Modern Pentathlon and Tetrathon represents the first step on that journey, and Millie Bresnahan, Ellie Walker, Flora Hickish, Katie Aspinall and Marianne Blaxland learnt a great deal from competing against the 14 other competitors.
With the trophies to prove it, Mayfield has a blossoming reputation for sporting successes: the riding squad has won the National Schools Equestrian Association Championship in no less than seven of the last fifteen years, and many girls are invited to join county and national squads in sports ranging from hockey and netball to water polo.
PE teacher, Miss Sophie Mead, said: “It’s so easy to associate girls with particular sports, and assume that in others they cannot compete with boys. We have some outstandingly talented sportswomen here at Mayfield, who are looking forward to challenging this perception in the modern pentathlon.”