taxi4ballet Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 DD came home from school today after having a go at the hurdles for the first time. I asked her how she got on, and she said she didn't even bother trying the low and medium ones, the high ones were easy, she just did grand jetes over them! Has anybody else's DD/DS found an unexpected use for ballet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petipacat Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I Have a fear of hurdles ever since i was at secondary school . I had just been accepted into RBS , jumped over the hurdles for sports day landed very badly and sustained a very bad injury, 7 months in and out of hospital for a pioneering op ,had to give up my place ( things did turn out well in the long run ) So when DD askes me to write a note for PE I always oblige lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Well I'm sure the stamina and general fitness that develops from a lot dancing contributed to my daughter's greatest athletic achievement to date. When she was in primary school they did a sponsored run for charity. The run was around the school field and sponsorship was per lap. We reckoned she'd probably do about 5, so my husband and I sponsored her £1 per lap each. We went a bit of a funny colour when at the end of the day she presented us with a little card that said. "Your child completed 37 laps of the field in today's sponsored run"! On the back was a note from the teacher saying "Sorry. I tried to get her to come in but she just wouldn't stop." 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Physio has banned dd from hockey, football, running and hurdles. Daughter quite delighted as hurdling hurt her achilles last summer. She swims like a fish though, very graceful and travels a long distance on a very economical stroke, so she's always pleased when it's swimming at school. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 26, 2012 Author Share Posted April 26, 2012 Mine is banned from doing rugby, cheerleading, and the trampoline in her friend's garden. It's not hurdles next lesson, it's the shot putt - can't see her making much of an impression there... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Oh yes, I forgot about rugby and trampolining! Thankfully there is no cheerleading at dd's school! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sassy girl Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Funnily enough my DD came home from school yesterday & said that her PE teacher wants her to represent the school doing high jump! That's definitely come from her ballet training! I'm sure the 7.30 am start for high jump training before school will put her off! She loves her bed too much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliepops Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 DD has been told by the instructors that teach rowing at school that she is "a natural". Apparently her coordination and timing on the slide even as a novice are better than far more seasoned club rowers. High jump,long jump and hurdles are also respectable. J x 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie 2 Milner Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 We had problems as Martin was very good at the high jump. Represented the school and local club but caused him big physical issues. Something to do with the different turn in and out required. So much to the schools horror we had to say no to athletics. Went down badly but we had no choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moneypenny Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Before dd went to vocational school, fortunately she didn't have to do sport as she was able to substitute sport for dance, with the exception of house sports events and I have to say, I used to dread it when she occasionally took part in hockey. Dd also used to swim competitively, but gave it up as her thighs started to get a bit over developed. Ski-ing is now also out of the question! I (and dd) would have been devastated if she had sustained a sport injury that would have prevented her from dancing for months on end. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I don't have any DCs (DCn?), but I can tell you from personal experience that ballet is very useful when you're defending in netball! The ability to stand in arabesque on demi-pointe with one or both arms raised in the air without moving too much is mighty helpful 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurora Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 What's the concern about cheerleading? It's just dancing with pom poms isn't it? Unless you're thinking of stunts but would the actually do those in school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I had a number of ballet students who sustained injuries while cheerleading. The probem was that there was little or no warmup before some strenuous and demanding movements - such as splits. Also generally, especially when outside they are working on cement/concrete - even grass - all hard surfaces and/or not suitable for such activity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 When dd (now 11) went for tennis lessons the coach asked if she was a dancer. Apparently she has a number of juniors who had dancing training and she could spot the correlation between them - she said they were well co-ordinated and used the balls of their feet when moving. Dd loves sport and is a vey fast sprinter- unfortunately vocational school has said no sport from Sept as health scheme membership invalid if she has a sports injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w445403 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 DS chosen for triple jump (2nd longest jump in school year at 2nd attempt!) and long jump, trampolining team and athletics team when really he just wants to dance and play cricket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I'm surprised at all this being banned from certain school sports. How do schools react to this? My DD is off the scale when it comes to the bleep fitness test, something she puts down to ballet training. She also was picked for the cross-country running team (good stamina!) She didn't want to do it, though, much to the school's disgust! She's hopeless at anything to do with a ball, though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 When DD was banned from rugby (to the utter dismay of her dad, a rugby player), the school was not too happy so she was made a referee and had to learn the rules properly and sit through a season of training! She was sooo bored but happy not to be in the (dangerous) action!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliepops Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Just reminded me Rowan, they do stress tests in PE which really focus on core strength.DD wipes the floor with the other girls in her year - including the county hockey,netball,athletics ones and two who are in the England development programme for tennis.The PE teachers are bemused - DD told them core strength is very important for ballet. J x 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swe Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 My dd not particularly sporty but despite being the 'skinniest' in the year she is the champion arm wrestler!! lol x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 The physio has banned dd from "hurling herself around a field full of rabbit holes, while wearing football boots" (which rules out hockey, orienteering - done at a sprint at dd's school! - rugby etc. on the basis that sticking very hypermobile ankles into a pair of football boots and pounding around on uneven ground is not going to do them any good. Ditto hurdling etc. and anything too high impact. Dance, swimming etc. is all fine and like Elliepops' dd, my dd's P.E. teacher is always astonished when anything involving core stability/strength, balance, grace or flexibility is involved. Fortunately, school now lets her do homework in the library instead of getting changed and watching 2 out of 3 PE lessons a week, which given that she dances 5 days a week has been a Godsend. Win win! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Well my 15 year old son,who doesn`t dance, hates PE at school,and is forever asking me to write a note for the teacher saying he has twisted his knee or some excuse or other. Of course, by now, and four years into secondary school,the PE teachers are well used to his excuses and sometimes don`t even ask for a note. Concerned that he isn`t getting any exercise, just yesterday we went and he chose a new bike for himself, the first one he has had in about ten years. I`m sitting looking at it now in our hall. He`s said he`ll be able to cycle to school each day there and back when he gets the hang of it.To be honest, i`ll give it a month before the novelty wears off, but at least then i`ll be able to take over ownership of it and have a go myself.! In his defence i hated PE at school too, although the teacher did notice some gymnastic ability because of my ballet training. Everything else, i was useless at. I guess my son takes after me, so i can`t really have too much of a go at him.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Our school never allowed my DD's to miss P.E and yet for endurance they wiped the floor with most of the others. Both loved swimming and trampolining and my youngest liked hockey, too. Talking of ballet, I just jeted over something to avoid knocking it over! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moneypenny Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I don't think schools are very happy about kids pulling out of sport ... my dd had been encouraged to go for a sports scholarship at her previous school, but went for a dance one instead, much to the sports department's disappointment. At the end of the day though if ballet is the passion and a career ambition, why would you risk sustaining a nasty sport injury which sets you back months and could put an end to that ambition. I realise that accidents can happen in any walk of life and that sport is a wholly good thing, but for a potential dancer if you don't need to partake in activities where there is a bigger risk of injury, then don't. I remember when dd sustained a dance injury a few years ago and was laid up for weeks ... that was stressful enough, but we would have been even more gutted if it had happened on a sports field. I'm definitely in agreement though that good dancers do seem to excel in many sports too and are usually ahead of many others in their school year in terms of fitness and stamina! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin64 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 DD got the Y7 school record for long jump last summer, having never done it before! Down to years of dance I think. I don't think she has tried hurdles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moneypenny Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I know of a dd who had a very nasty hurdling accident so I'm glad it's something my dd has never had to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 The PE department at my DD's school is very co-operative and helpful: at the last parents' evening the PE teacher was even talking about the different muscular development of ballet dancers compared with the general pupils. Unlike the performing arts department, strangely, that teacher is very dismissive about ballet. DD also has an unlikely talent for the climbing wall.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I always found dds school very difficult whenever I tried to explain about her ballet and why she shouldn't really do certain activities. I'm sure they just had me down as one of those overly fussy protective parents. However once she started her GCSE they were allowed to choose their activiies and when dd explained herself what she actually did and they saw that she was working hard they became very supportive. She concentrated on activities like aerobics and usually opted to go to the gym where she just used the floor mats to do pilates/limbering. In the end she got an A for GCSE PE so everyone was happy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 Don't remember the source, but I heard that cheerleading accidents are the greatest single cause of injuries in teenage girls... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Speaking of cheerleading, one of the girls in dd's ballet school broke her leg very badly in several places being dropped from a throw in cheerleading. This was during a session at her Junior School! I wouldn't let dd touch it with a bargepole now but fortunately her school doesn't do it. The PE dept were also much more understanding when they found out how much dancing dd does and her ambitions for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 A few years ago, I had the thankless task of manning the bouncy castle at DD's school fete. One of the kids fell over and another one landed on her ankle. I heard the bone crack. Good job I'm a first-aider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famcandance2 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 DD has been told not to run because of risk of hamstring injury. The school are very unhelpful and insist that in Scotland it is a legal requirement for students to do 2 hours of PE a week. Never mind she does much more than that in dancing! She injured her coxsix before in gymwork because they were to lazy to put out enough mats, and being tall, she fell off the end of one doing a roll. She couldn't dance for three weeks and missed an audition as well. I'm not prepared to allow her to injure herself any more and I know that they don't do proper warm-ups either. I will fight as hamstring injuries can put you out of dancing for ages. Sometimes they never heal properly and you always have a problem. The PE teacher says she is the best in the class, but I am just not prepared to jeopardise her future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 "Have you been injured in an accident that wasn't your fault?" Perhaps the school should be reminded of their legal requirement to keep children safe. With you all the way on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitschqueen_1 Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 We had problems as Martin was very good at the high jump. Represented the school and local club but caused him big physical issues. Something to do with the different turn in and out required. So much to the schools horror we had to say no to athletics. Went down badly but we had no choice. Several years ago, my DD also discovered she was talented at high jump and picked for the county team. After clearing the bar, as she got up off the mat she went over on her ankle and ended up in a pot for 3 weeks!! She was gutted as she had just been told she could start on pointe. We also had to make a choice and dancing won, 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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