Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52CONCLUSION 50 As the world prepares for the excitement of the Rio Olympic Games it is perhaps worth noting the contribution which former pupils of Handsworth Grammar School have made to the Olympic Games over the years. With the school having a long and proud sporting tradition it is no surprise to learn that as far back as 1956 at the Melbourne Olympic Games in Australia, the Great Britain team contained an athlete who was a former pupil of the school. John Salisbury was one of the country’s finest 400m runners and competed for Great Britain in Melbourne in the 4 x 400m relay. Born in 1934, John Salisbury was at HGS in the years immediately after the end of the war and showed his athletics prowess at the famous Birchfield Athletics club. He was part of the relay team in Melbourne which won a bronze medal and he subsequently won a silver medal in the 1958 British Empire Games, the forerunner to the Commonwealth games. John subsequently studies Physical Education at Loughborough and later had a long career as a PE teacher in Essex, as well as coaching athletes in the Chelmsford area. In the early to mid 1970s, legendary Handsworth Grammar School PE teacher Bob Marfel discovered Bob Weir who was to go on to represent Great Britain at three Olympic Games. Robert was the oldest of five brothers who all came from Handsworth and who all gained places at Handsworth Grammar School. Bob spent many hours at the school playing fields in Romilly avenue being coached by Bob Marfel and he made history by representing Great Britain while still at school in the Discus and hammer events. Immensely strong and athletic Bob won gold at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia in the Hammer and subsequently competed in three Olympic Games – in Los Angeles in 1984, Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000. He also competed in the 1997 “World’s Strongest Man” competition only being beaten by the eventual winner and runner up. Robert moved to the USA where he is one of the world’s leading athletics coaches. Jason John was another fine sprinter produced by Handsworth Grammar School and Birchfield Harriers. Jason began at HGS in 1982 and soon showed outstanding prowess as a sprinter. He won a silver medal in the 1996 European Indoor championships and in a fine international career he was part of the Great Britain sprint relay team which competed in the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. Jason was also a fine all round sportsman and was known in later years as a footballer who played for the HGS Old boys’ team here his speed was a real asset. He is now a teacher in the West Midlands. So, there may be some of our current pupils who are inspired buy these legendary former pupils and who may one day themselves, compete in the Olympic Games. WHICH SPORT WOULD YOU WANT TO ADD TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES? “Maze running! That would be cool!” – Yousuf 8A “Chess! Mental strength is as important as physical. Baseball and Ice-Hockey would be great additions too.” – Sam 8A “Hunger Games style survival game! Ooh, and Slap-boxing – it’s such fun to watch! Bag-Fighting so that school children can take part. Cheap and fun!” – Subasith 8A “Jousting, two skills in one as you need to be able to fight and ride well.” – Mijanur 8A “Quidditch because it’s really funny!” – Mrs Harvey “Tea-bag throwing. A ‘sport’ traditional to the North of Germany which I think should be world-wide! It would suit a nation of tea drinkers!” – Mrs Fiess “Welly-wanging because I like pretty, different coloured wellies so it would be beautiful!” – Ms Vaughan “Walking football. There are no activities for older sports people in the Olympics so it would be a good addition.” – Mr Campbell “Cricket!” – Mr Mohsin “Staring and Taxidermy.” – Mr Duck Ex Handsworth Grammar School Pupils at the Olympic Games