“Our goal is to ensure that every pupil finds joy, belonging, and belief in what their body can do.”
We’re excited to announce our first-ever Christmas Skills and Challenges Week! The week will be run by our Strength and Conditioning Coach, Maria Omma, who will work closely with pupils to make sure they get the most that they can out of it.
The week will run in the last week of term, starting on 15 December. Pupils can come in before school or during lunch to take part – they can also bring a friend or a teacher to challenge.
In the same week, Maria will be running performance sports and baseline battery testing, so it’s a brilliant chance for anyone curious to pop in, see how everything works, and cheer their peers on.
Maria Omma has almost two decades of experience in the health and fitness industry – both as an athlete and a coach – with a background in handball, rugby and Olympic weightlifting. She recently spoke to us about her approach:
My journey has taken me from grassroots and youth development to working alongside high-performance and Olympic-level athletes. Yet, no matter the level, my philosophy has always remained the same: to see the whole person behind the performance.
My approach to Strength and Conditioning goes beyond the gym floor. It’s about education, curiosity, and ownership—helping pupils understand how their bodies move, how to train safely, and how to build a lifelong relationship with physical activity.
Why are you running a Christmas Skills and Challenges Week?
We want to highlight that the S&C suite is a welcoming, inclusive space that’s fun and supportive for every pupil, not just performance athletes.
This week of fun activities and challenges will help us show the wider school community that anyone can use the S&C facilities to help grow their confidence and work on core movement skills and fitness. You don’t need to play a sport to take part!
Fun, pupil-led challenges are a great way to get pupils involved, without creating an intimidating atmosphere. It’s also a great chance for pupils across different year groups in the school to interact and get to know each other in a supportive and exciting environment.
What makes these challenges different from normal sessions?
Normally, I will lead strength and conditioning sessions – helping pupils decide what they want to work on, as well as providing encouragement and positive feedback.
This Christmas Skills and Challenges week will be a bit different. Pupils are tasked with creating their own challenges using the equipment available in the S&C suite. They will then complete these challenges with their peers in their sessions, or at break and lunchtime.
We’ll also be using some of our new equipment – including the force plates, which allow us to measure counter-movement jumps and assess power output. That’s just one of the many things this new kit can do, and it’ll be great for pupils to have a go and see some of the data in action.
Why should pupils lead their own challenges?
I want to help our pupils develop confidence in themselves – and a big part of this is letting them take the lead. This, in turn, helps them gain ownership of their own athletic development and gives them more confidence in their own abilities. This is especially important for pupils who may not use our gym facilities often.
Some of the challenges pupils have suggested include planking, pull-ups, Blaze Pod and climbing wall competitions, box jumps and forward-jump variations.
The aim is to get pupils to a stage where they are more invested, willing to try new things, and feel connected to the space. It also encourages creativity – showing that training doesn’t have to be a rigid or fixed process!
Will teachers and support staff take part?
Yes! Our pupils suggested this, and I think it’s a great idea. Not only does it bring an extra competitive edge to the challenges, but it also helps build connections throughout the school. We’d like to get a range of different teachers and staff involved throughout the week – integrating S&C culture beyond just the gym.
What will pupils gain from this week?
I hope that at the end of the week, pupils feel more confident, included and willing to try something new. I’m also hoping that it will encourage some pupils to come and try the strength and conditioning suite for the first time. It’s a fun, inclusive environment for everyone to work on their general health and fitness.
Above all, we want them to feel at home in the S&C suite.
Want to learn more?
View our full range of co-curricular clubs here – many of which use our strength and conditioning facilities. If you have any questions about strength and conditioning at Dollar Academy, please contact us.
