SPORT plays a massive part in island life and we should count ourselves lucky that there are so many facilities available in such a small area. Children in the UK simply do not have the opportunity to take part in half the sport in which our youngsters do. It might mean a 30-mile drive to the nearest hockey club or swimming pool instead of the 10-minute journey to any sports facility from any part of the island that we enjoy.

Sport – it does not really matter which one, so take your pick – also teaches us about sportsmanship, teamwork, communication, friendship and competition. It also keeps us fit and healthy and builds confidence and self esteem and you do not have to scale the heights of the elite performers to find achievement. Personal goals are just as important.

I can remember trying kayaking and simply staying in that ridiculously unstable piece of plastic was my goal.

Then there was the achievement of sand racing on a motorcycle – staying on two wheels and emerging with all limbs intact was most definitely one of my finest hours. Colin de Jersey was much quicker, but I was just happy to have been there.

The key is starting young.

I was always encouraged to get out and get stuck in whether it was swimming, football, hockey or rugby. No, scratch rugby, because that normally involved hospitals and plaster casts.

School is where it must start but, increasingly, there is competition in the form of computer games and TV. So meeting some youngsters who place physical activity, as opposed to couch non-activity, high on their to-do list was both refreshing and encouraging from a Guernsey sporting perspective.

As the end of another busy school year looms I took the opportunity to meet five children, all from Hautes Capelles School, who take part in various sports at differing levels and found out what sort of year it had been for them and school sport in general.

With them were the Education Department’s lifelong-learning manager, Alun Williams, and Sarah Day, a teacher and member of the Sports Commission and someone who took on one of the greatest challenges and succeeded – rowing the Atlantic.

Lauren Mauger, 11, said: ‘I like athletics, really, and it is good to meet new people and it is great fun.

‘I think the best part was representing the island in athletics and swimming.’

‘I think the point is that sport in island schools is alive and really flourishing,’ said Day. ‘We are really pleased about the input from the sports development officers for all the sports. We have had great support.’

The diversity of sport is something that Williams was keen to illustrate.

‘We are fortunate that we have all the facilities over here but, perhaps more importantly, the clubs are very supportive of everyone – not just the elite athletes,’ he said.

Nine-year-old Kristina Neves is a very promising swimmer with the Beau Sejour Barracudas.

‘I enjoy butterfly but do the other strokes as well, but I really enjoy swimming for Guernsey and winning my races,’ she said.

George Collenette, 10, loves football but also lists cricket and hockey as firm favourites. He is not averse to a spot of fishing, either.

‘My dad encourages me to get involved and I enjoy it all. I think the best part was going away to England with Rovers,’ he said.

To further illustrate the opportunities available, Laura Duport is on hand to talk about her carriage driving and showjumping. She has been in the saddle since the age of three and has never looked back.

Now, at nine, she is the island’s youngest carriage driver.

‘I like winning the trophies, but I think the best part is the showjumping and getting bucked off,’ she added with a grin. ‘The hardest part is learning to steer a horse, but I really just want to carry on getting better and learn how to build up horses for carriage driving.’

‘At this age, all the kids are very enthusiastic but they are all a credit to the island and really appreciate the opportunity to go away and perform. When they take part, they get to meet others who are involved in different sports as well,’ said Williams.

That point is not lost on 11-year-old Josh Cowdrey, whose ambition is to represent Guernsey in the Commonwealth Games.

‘I like seeing friends and people who are not at the same school,’ he said.

The talented athlete is currently ranked third in the whole of Great Britain in his age group at the high jump.

‘Sport is a big part of my life, but the best part is doing the high jump and winning it,’ he said.

Williams revealed that on a recent trip to London, the opportunities for children were not as good as in Guernsey.

‘They may have to commute, etc., and another problem is while locally the clubs welcome everyone of every ability, over there they only seem to take the elite performers,’ he said.

Role models are also crucial to children in school. ‘The level of expertise among the teachers is excellent.

‘Children need role models – that is really important and to have all these people around who all talk with a love of sport is great,’ said Day.

Competitions such as the Specsavers Youth Games all encourage children to get involved and also give them an opportunity to try something different.

‘We have the games coming up and all Year 5 and 6 pupils can choose a sport they do not normally play and they compete in regions as opposed to schools,’ said Williams.

Day added that there are four to six weeks’ training before the games for the children to learn new skills.

It is encouraging that in a recent survey, Guernsey school children proved to be fitter, did more exercise and enjoyed sport more than their UK counterparts. With publicity about child obesity running high in the UK, it is good to see that sport plays such a big part in the curriculum in Guernsey.

Coupled with the number of sports catered for outside school hours, you can see why Guernsey children enjoy more activities.

‘Guernsey has a strong sporting culture and it is great to see that this is being carried through to the island’s young people,’ said Williams, who is also the island’s junior schools’ athletics team manager and chairman of the Guernsey Adolescent Smokefree Project.

It looks as if Guernsey’s diverse sporting traditions are in good hands and we can look forward to years of coverage in these pages of their achievements.