Ruby's Rocking Reviews Ep.08
London Youth Games - Cross Country
Recently I took part in London Youth Games Cross Country. An estimated 1500 young Londoners representing 33 borough teams take part in the November event that takes place at the iconic Parliament Hill Fields in London.
To gain entry I competed a cross country race with other schools in the borough.
Waking up on a crisp Saturday morning at 6:15am to board our coach at 7am myself and the rest of the Havering Hurricanes cross country team gathered ready to try on our race tops and board our coach. I felt tired but very excited, boarding the coach all together was a fun start to the day. Supporting us on the coach were members of the Havering Sports development team.
Some people slept on the journey, but I felt wide awake ready to start the day! Upon arrival we had a team photo, cheered our team on and walked across the fields to get a sense of the course and set up our base for the day.
I had a small wait for my race as it was just before midday, so I used the time to relax, walk the course, eat and do some warm up exercises and of course cheer on my team mates, it's so important to encourage and support each other.
The start of the race line can be abit of a hustle and I looked up the hill eager in anticipation.
I ran outdoors across natural terrain including dirt, mud, grass and gravel. Every runner tries to win points for their team's overall score. Havering girls came fifth out of thirty-three London Boroughs and the boys seventh. I first took part in London Youth Games in 2019 and Havering girls came first and achieved gold!
Last year was very different, because of the Covid pandemic the games took place virtually, so it was great to get back outdoors. It was an amazing event and a wonderful setting for the race, with a vibrant atmosphere and I felt a fantastic sense of achievement taking part. The finish line brings a mix of emotions some people smile, some cry, some sprint or even walk across the finish line!
I smiled, I finished 65 out of 205 in a 2K it was tough but a great result for our team.
London Youth Games is reckoned to be the largest annual youth sports event in Europe. Notable past participants include four-times Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, Premier League and England Footballer Raheem Sterling and World and European sprinting gold medallist Dina Asher-Smith.
Ruby Xx
Rubys Rocking Reviews Ep.07
Put Shack
Hi everyone, Ruby here. This week I'm going to let you know about the fun you can have at
Puttshack in Lakeside, which is why I have been there multiple times, even for my birthday party this year!
Puttshack is an interactive mini golf wonderland with a twist because they have adapted traditional golf. Instead of using paper and pen; the trackaball technology will register your ball and you’ll see your scores on a screen with the points you’ve won from each hole.
You can burn around 300 calories from playing a game of mini golf. It can also help children with coordination, balance, maths, problem solving and even decision making.
You have the option of four different courses, which are: Ruby, Violet, Emerald and Diamond. On your way through the course watch out for hazards, which will deduct points. However, here is a protip, if you putt your ball through a super tube, some will be a hole in one and as a bonus you receive 10 extra points. On one particular hole you can win a free pizza, drink, another session or even points if you can get a hole in one. I have once done this and I won a free drink!
If your birthday is close, why not book it at Puttshack, perhaps you could even try their Christmas package, where you can purchase some festive food.
Due to how great the experience is, it has brought me back many times, because of how enjoyable and how it makes me feel really happy when I spend my time here with my family and friends.
“Perfect putting awaits at Puttshack"
Ruby Xx
Ruby's verdict: 10/10
Overall experience: Fun holes with different aspects of interactive obstacles.
Price: May vary from £8 - £10 for an adult, same for a child aged 13-17 and around £7.50 for
children aged 7-12.
Fun factor: Mixture of holes to win as many points as you can.
Contact: www.puttshack.com/uk/guest-booking or 020 3912 9400
Ruby's Rocking Reviews Ep.06
Rock Up Climbing
Hi everyone, it's me Ruby. Recently, I discovered a rock-climbing centre in Lakeside called Rock Up. It’s a fantastic climbing place where you can release your inner monkey and scale towering walls, plus there’s even a soft play area too!
I feel it’s great for children as it’s very exciting and as you walk in you come face to face with the high climbing walls you’ll be challenging. You can take on any of the 27 epic climbing walls reaching over 8 metres high and you can take different routes to make it to the top.
The session you book is roughly an hour and a half and this includes a thirty minute time slot where everyone is helped by the staff to put on your harness and to watch a safety video once everyone arrives. Once the safety checks are completed, you can begin climbing and there is always assistance around in the climbing area to clip yourself in or if you are stuck. Adults can climb if booked in or they can watch a short video explaining how to clip their children in and let them enjoy the fun.
The climbing is supervised, and you’ll hopefully gain confidence with every climb. I really enjoyed the sense of adventure climbing gave me, it felt amazing to be trying something new. My favourite climb was on the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ which was a bit different as you didn’t need to use your hands to climb!
Never been climbing before? Don’t worry- everyone from 4-year-olds to adults of any age or ability can climb. Climbing helps you with your balance, hand and foot coordination and agility.
Make sure you wear comfy clothes as you’ll be wearing a harness and closed toe shoes such as trainers.
“Reach for the stars”
Ruby Xx
Ruby's verdict: 9/10
Overall experience: Great to try different things.
Price: ( Age 4-17 years may vary from £9.95)
Fun factor: You can record and beat your climb time.
Contact: www.rock-up.co.uk or 01708 560080
LYG Archery Success
LYG Archery Success!
A very successful weekend at LYG after a very uncertain 2021 season.
Michael Pearce and the Havering Team consisting of Samuel Galvin, Jonathan Mallet, Eleanor Bridger-Richardson, Amelia Chumber & Taylor Cunningham did incredible well on home turf at Noak Hill Sports Complex winning an overall Team Bronze in the pan London event.
This was alongside the individual medal won by the team. A gold medal for Samuel in the Short Windsor, a silver medal in the Windsor for Amelia. Also 2 gold medals from the Junior Windsor Category for Taylor and Eleanor.
Its great to see our Havering young people back out competing at London Youth Games and I look forward to bringing you more results throughout the East Hub Weekend this week.
Ruby's Rocking Reviews Ep.05
Tigers Junior Football Club - Wildcats
Hi everyone, Ruby here. Hope you're enjoying the last couple of weeks of the summer holidays and are looking forward to going back to school, I'm looking forward to starting a new school year.
Last year during the summer holidays, I decided I would like to join a football team. I had a bit of experience from being part of my school football team but wanted to develop my skills set. My mum found a local team under Tigers girls and I started to train with them twice a week but due to Covid restrictions the training wasn't as regular. Unfortunately, that team had to fold so I was a bit disappointed. However, under the Tigers umbrella I was able to join the Wildcats, where I was able to train with a group of girls who enjoy football.
The Weetabix Wildcats is for girls aged 5-11, who are willing to make new friends, play football, have fun and potentially join a team. Due to the large number of girls that played in my age group, Tigers was able to form another team that would be competing in league and cup games this upcoming season. So even if you want to attend for fun or for the opportunity to get into a team, it's a great way to spend Saturday mornings.
My experience of the Wildcats was really enjoyable, I learnt lots as the coaches were always willing to help and give tips. I was made to feel extremely welcome by Keith and Terry and all the team members so if you do feel a bit nervous; don't be as it's very encouraging. During my time at Wildcats, we did mini drills, such as rotating and passing, and my first session was a mini tournament, where we even got to play against an established team, which was exciting. I enjoyed having older girls, help coach as the group can aspire to them, that could be us when we're older!
"Best foot forward"
Ruby Xx
Ruby's verdict: 10/10
Overall experience: It was a fun and educational experience as I was learning new skills every Saturday and improving as a player.
Price: First taster session is free, then, £1.50 per session
Fun factor: Learn skills from drills.
Contact: www.tigersjfc.com
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Home Pitch Locations.
Bretons Outdoor Recreation Centre
Rainham Road
Hornchurch
RM13 7LL
Fun fact: Tigers JFC is one of the largest youth football clubs in Essex!
