Could you tackle life at a rugby academy?
HARRY Pitt loves the adrenalin rush he gets from being on a rugby pitch.
So it’s ideal that the 16-yearold flanker is able to combine his love of the sport with studying for a college diploma in Sports Performance and Excellence.
Harry’s main goal is to improve as a player, something that his course at Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet) enables him to strive towards.
He is one of 35 students at BMet’s Rugby Academy. ‘We train together two days a week and have match days which we fit around our lessons,’ he says.
‘Our training involves a lot of drills and game-based scenarios. We split into forwards and backs and complete different manoeuvres, practising tackles and how we respond to them.
‘Our lessons are with students training in other sports such as football and golf.
‘We sometimes joke about which is the better and tougher sport to play. Naturally, our rugby team gives out the best banter!’
While many sportsmen and women discover their talent from the moment they can walk, Harry was never sporty as a child.
‘An Xbox was more my thing,’ he says. ‘i’d seen bits of rugby on tV but didn’t really understand everything that was happening. it was only when i started playing it at 13 during PE that i found i enjoyed it.’
Harry joined Wednesbury Rugby Club in the West Midlands, going from the under-14s and under-15s teams to second row position for the under-17s team.
He says: ‘Playing rugby outside school and in college has made me want to take this forward as a career. We’ve learned about coaching and refereeing in college, so these are roles i can take up in future, depending on how things work out for me as a player.
‘Studying is still important, so i have been looking at degree courses in sport at universities in the UK and abroad.’
He adds: ‘Year two of my course will be a busy one for setting out these next steps. We are looking forward to next season.
‘We’ve got a good idea of what we’re up against from local teams and how we match them, so we’re confident about what we can achieve and of course, how we can all keep on getting better.’ For more information about BMet, log on to bmet.ac.uk