Other Sports

Athletics Club runs throughout the Summer Term and is open to all from Junior 1-Form VI. The club provides an opportunity to refine and extend the Athletic skills and techniques learned during PE classes. Multiple coaches allow small groups to focus on their chosen activity on any given afternoon.

Badminton Club is open to all pupils in Forms II – VI and experienced players in Form I. The aim of these sessions is to prepare players for competitive play in a fun and challenging weekly session. The club offers varied match-play in both singles and doubles games and is an excellent opportunity to improve match practice. The club runs several tournaments during the year at three different age levels for boys and girls, as well as both the Academy’s Cranfield Cup Inter-house tournament and a Staff vs. Pupil mixed doubles event. There are opportunities for players to represent the school in the Central Schools Tournament and further national events. Friendly matches are also arranged between Dollar and other schools in Central region. At the end of each term, tournaments are played, with players receiving handicaps to allow younger or less advanced players to compete on equal terms. Players who perform well in these fixtures are selected to play in team matches, and to represent the school in the above events. The club has been highly successful in recent years and has won several trophies.

Basketball Club is open to pupils in Form I and Form II, and no previous experience is necessary. Members take part in informal basketball games, with coaching and friendly matches arranged throughout the year.

Curling club is open to all pupils in the Senior School, no matter what their level of ability or experience. There will be a ‘come and try it’ sessions for complete beginners. We enter several cup competitions and a league against local schools for anyone with a little more experience. Training takes place at Kinross Curling Rink.

Fitness, including Les Mills Virtual RPM Spinning Classes, is available for pupils use at various times throughout the week in our state of the art Fitness Suite.

This is a popular sport at Dollar offering fresh air and exercise to enhance physical fitness and co-ordination, and develop the qualities of teamwork, leadership, motivation and commitment.  Coaching and regular games are on offer to boys and girls in the Prep and Junior School from P4, with a focus on learning basic skills and fair play.  In the Senior School, football is offered to all boys, regardless of ability, with training and regular fixtures. Dollar Academy has seen pupils selected to represent their national youth teams and first team selection for local league sides.

Gymnastics is a great activity for developing strength, suppleness and discipline; pupils have the opportunity to create sequences with others; perform partner/group balances; work on vaulting, individual floor work and apparatus work. There is an annual Gynmastics and Dance Display performed at the end of Term 2 for pupils and parents. Our Gymnastics Club is open to all boys and girls in the Junior and Senior School.

Hillwalking Club is open to all pupils in Form III-VI. The aim is to undertake occasional, weekend hillwalking days in Scotland in the non-winter months. Pupils will take part in planning these trips and have the opportunity to practise their mapwork and navigation skills (useful for those doing DofE) on the hill. They will be accompanied by ML-trained and qualified staff.

Horse-riding is a wonderful sport with many health and fitness benefits.  All our Junior School and Senior School pupils can take part in our riding club.

Pupils sign up for one-hour lessons and ride in an outdoor or a covered arena on Tuesday evenings. The cost is £30 per lesson. Riding hats are provided and we will attempt to provide lessons for pupils of all ability. Classes are limited to a maximum of 8 pupils and are run by qualified teachers. Riders learn how to tack up, walk, trot, canter and jump over the course of one or two years. They will also spend an occasional lesson hacking in the countryside. Once experienced, riders can enter a number of Scottish Schools equestrian competitions provided they have access to their own horse or pony.

Judo Club is taught by Lee Calder, GB Coach and his two sons Reece and Cailin – both black belts and winners of UK and European tournaments.

Senior girls are welcome to our Netball Club and benefit from this excellent opportunity to become fit, active and to meet new friends.  This sport is open to all abilities and includes the opportunity to represent Dollar in fixtures against other schools.

All our Senior School pupils are welcome to join the school running club, and can benefit from this enjoyable and relaxing activity whilst improving their fitness. Weekly runs will explore the area around Dollar, often on tracks and trails, with a chance to practise time trials, hill reps and interval training.

Senior pupils from Form II to Form VI can learn the sport of shooting; the group focuses on the skills required to enjoy target rifle shooting in a safe and friendly environment, making use of our indoor range and nearby outside facilities. We provide detailed weapon-handling training and our pupils must pass this assessment before they can begin training.   Pupils can learn Rifle Safety, Range Management, Marksmanship skills and, for those who wish, there is the opportunity to sit a formal exam.

The activity is open to all pupils through Dollar Academy’s CCF contingent in Form II, but progressively becomes more selective as pupils move up through the school.  The school’s 1st squad participate in Scottish, British, and Commonwealth competitions throughout the year. Dollar has seen significant success in this sport with regular selection of pupils onto the British Cadet Rifle Team.

Over the course of the school year, our Ski Club offers lessons at all levels from complete beginner to parallel skier. Regular sessions take place at Firpark Ski Centre in Tillicoultry – a ten-minute minibus journey from school.

The Prep School club is open to Prep 4 and 5, while Junior 1 to Form VI pupils are welcome after school on Mondays. Attendance is by prior booking only as the slope has a strict capacity.

All Senior School pupils are welcome to join our Surf Club, which runs a block of four lessons in the Autumn and Summer Terms in conjunction with Coast-2-Coast Surf School in Dunbar. We travel to Belhaven Bay; a beautiful, safe and uncrowded beach where the C2C instructors take our pupils for a two hour surfing lesson.

We can offer classes for complete beginners to intermediate level surfers. Each lesson costs £20 and includes transport, hire of a board, wetsuit and instruction. During the 4 week beginners’ block, pupils will be taught how to paddle a board, catch a wave and (hopefully!) how to ride white water in to the beach. They will also be taught basic water safety and wave etiquette. The lessons are great fun and provide the opportunity to try something new. C2C operates their own grading system which allows them to certify pupils at progressive levels.

We are very fortunate to have an excellent swimming facility with an indoor 25m swimming pool on campus.  This makes it very easy for us to teach swimming as part of our PE classes, with lessons starting from Prep 1.  Pupils are accompanied into the pool by qualified swimming teachers and Form VI pupils who have their lifeguard qualification.

We also have a school swimming club, which runs over our autumn and spring term and is open to Prep and Junior pupils who can already swim and is well attended by all ages and abilities. This activity takes place in our 25m school swimming pool and caters for those wishing to swim competitively, as well as those who want to improve stroke technique and fitness. Pupils are involved in sprint training, speed and endurance programmes, and starts, turns, diving and change over techniques.

Swimmers have the opportunity to represent the school in galas against other schools, as well as being selected to swim at Central and Scottish Schools events

This is a great opportunity for boys and girls in Form VI to try this totally new sporting experience. ‘Ultimate’ is a fast-moving team sport enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of players the world over. Although frequently compared to sports like football or American Football, Ultimate has some unique features that set it apart: there are no referees, and it’s played with a flying disc.

The ancient discipline of yoga is accessible to everybody, and provides an excellent way to stretch and tone muscles safely.  It is also a marvellous way to relax properly.  This activity is open to girls in all age groups.