Wednesday 22 February 2023 On Saturday 4 December 2022, GSAL hosted the English Schools Athletics Association (ESAA) Cross Country Cup Final, with runners from over 100 schools and thousands of spectators coming together to compete and support. And on this occasion, the guests of honour included a very special alumni double act: former ESAA chairperson Jill Wright née Flockton (OG55) and her brother Ken Flockton (OL53). Along with Olympic triathlon gold medallist Jess Learmonth, the siblings awarded prizes to the winners and passed on some words of praise and encouragement. “The Cup Final is always a great event,” says Jill, reflecting on the day. “Unlike at county level, the students are running with their school friends, and they have their teachers there to support them. It makes for a lovely atmosphere.” Jill made the trip up to Yorkshire for the final from Berkshire, where she spent most of her career as a PE teacher. “After Leeds Girls’ High School, I did a year in Switzerland before taking up a place at Chelsea College of Physical Education. I taught for 29 years before taking early retirement to focus on organising, judging and officiating events. It’s always been my passion,” she says. Both Jill and Ken were involved in athletics at school. “The Cup Final programme featured some nice photos of us, including Ken and his friend behind a table of trophies they’d won at a Leeds Grammar School sports day,” says Jill. For girls, though, things were different. “Hockey was the main thing. Lots of athletics events were considered ‘unsuitable’ for young women, so there were fewer opportunities.” Nevertheless, as a teenager, Jill ended up competing for Yorkshire and, in 2019, she was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for her service to athletics. The nomination came from a young man she knew through a local athletics group, whose son later competed for the same club. “It’s so much nicer that it came from a personal connection instead of a committee,” she says. The ‘family affair’ element of the occasion was particularly poignant for Jill and Ken, who still lives in Yorkshire. “Our father always inspired us to work hard at sport,” says Jill. “And after we’d awarded the prizes, I think we both felt that Dad would have been pretty proud looking down at us back where it all started.” Pictured: Jill Wright (left) and Jess Learmouth with one of the race winners. Alumni
