Possibly the most exciting and much-anticipated highlight in the St John’s annual calendar is the infamous House Pancake Race! Pupils from across the School excitedly took part in the annual house competition on Tuesday 21 February, with junior, intermediate and senior teams of four relaying around The Quad, cheered on by the whole school.
The event is very popular amongst pupils and staff, and this year was no exception. Spirits were high as huge crowds gathered to follow the thrilling action and cheer on their house, after enjoying visits to the delicious pancake station at lunchtime!
Pupils from each team were poised at each corner of The Quad to run and flip as fast as they could, with the hope of taking the coveted first place. The event is taken very seriously, and competition is fierce. Marshals were placed at each side of The Quad monitoring the quantity and quality(!) of pancake flipping and ensuring fair play.
This year’s overall ‘flipping champions’ were…
First: Haslewood House
Second: Churchill House
Third: Gloucester House
The House Pancake Race is one of many competitions that take place throughout the School year. Amongst the endless chances for inter-house competition are sports including rugby, netball, hockey, and rowing, croquet, water polo, plus cross country, debating, chess, film, singing and much more!
The House Pancake Races are a fantastic event that we enjoy as a school community every year. The first recorded pancake race in The Johnian Magazine was the prefects pancake race in 1973, and the present inter-house pancake race around The Quad was first introduced by the Reverend Clive Case (Chaplain 2008-2011) in 2009.
