Other Sports

Our Athletics Club is open to all boys and girls in the Junior and Senior School. We see the benefits of the age groups working together: younger pupils try to emulate their senior peers, who, in turn, provide encouragement and support development.
Athletes are given the chance to learn and practise their favoured track and field events. Most sessions include a sprint clinic and there’s a separate team relay practice on Thursdays. There is also the opportunity to gain team selection to compete in inter-school, district and national events.
Our Athletics Club is open to all boys and girls in the Junior and Senior School. We see the benefits of the age groups working together: younger pupils try to emulate their senior peers, who, in turn, provide encouragement and support development.
There is a sprint clinic and training for middle distance runners in the evening. Athletes are given the chance to learn and practise their favoured track and field events. There is also the opportunity to gain team selection to compete in inter-school, district and national events.

All Junior pupils are welcome to attend our badminton club and have fun playing this fast and energetic sport.

This activity is open to all pupils in Forms I, II, beginners and less-experienced players.  It offers an opportunity to learn the rudiments of the game.  The club offers development of skills and fitness, besides the chance to make new friends.  There are openings for talented players to experience match-play and advanced coaching on Fridays.

The aim of these sessions is to prepare players for competitive play in a fun and challenging weekly session.  Open to all experienced badminton players in Forms II to VI, this activity offers varied match-play in both singles and doubles games and affords an excellent opportunity to improve match practice.

The club runs a competitive singles championship at three different age-levels for boys and girls, as well as the Academy’s Cranfield Cup Inter-house tournament.  There are opportunities for players to represent the school in the Central Schools Tournament and further national events. Friendly matches are also arranged against local schools.

At the end of each term two tournaments are played, with players receiving handicaps to allow younger or less advanced players to make a major contribution. 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.

Ballroom Dancing offers an ideal opportunity to relax, have fun, meet friends and keep fit.  Classes offer all Senior School pupils the opportunity to learn a variety of Latin American dances as well as Rock ‘n’ Roll.  The beginners’ class works towards Bronze medals and more experienced pupils attempt Silver, Gold and Scottish Awards.  This is a very popular activity at the school, with many pupils reaping the benefits of co-ordination and fleetness of foot.

Cost £34.60 per term.

All Senior School pupils are offed the opportunity to be involved in informal basketball games.  Coaching and friendly matches are arranged throughout the year, with a tournament for Form II in the summer term.

Climbing trips are arranged to the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, Ratho.  In the summer term, trips may be organised to an outdoor venue near Crieff.

Croquet is an exciting and competitive sport and is played by boys and girls of all ages at Dollar Academy.  We teach the rules and tactics of the game and provide the opportunity to put that knowledge into practice in regular competition.  Croquet is open to all our Senior School pupils and offers them a friendly and relaxed outdoor activity during the summer term.

This activity, often referred to as “chess on ice”, is a tactical game requiring a good sense of ‘touch’ and a reasonable degree of fitness.  Weekly practice sessions are offered to all senior school pupils, and regular fixtures are on the calendar.

Curling has been played in Scotland since the 1800s and we are proud to offer our pupils the opportunity to learn this historic sport. Training takes place at Kinross Curling Rink.

Under the auspices of the Scottish Sub Aqua Club, we offer pupils (aged 16 years or over) the opportunity to learn the skills required for scuba diving.  Tuition takes place in the school swimming pool until pupils are ready to progress into open water situations.

Pupils can work towards gaininginternationally-recognised scuba diving qualifications. Those already holding some level of qualification will be awarded credit under the SSAC system to build on their foundation knowledge to progress towards their instructor qualification.

Cost:  £42 per term (includes SSAC fees and kit)

Our fencing club is run by a former British champion and Level 3 coach.  He is devoted to introducing the sport of fencing to school children, by developing their skills in a safe and enjoyable environment.  The classes are well structured and offer a mixture of games, balance and mobility exercises and blade skills to help children understand the sport and improve their balance, co-ordination, speed and timing.  Through developing these skills, children will also develop their confidence and self-discipline.  Fencing is offered to all Prep and Junior School Pupils from P4.

Cost:  £55 for 11 weeks.

Our ‘Four Tunas’ fishing club runs excursions at various times during the year.  The fishing opportunities surrounding Dollar are an angler’s dream with over twenty fisheries within an hour’s drive, most with fabulous scenery.  We also run sea fishing trips from Arbroath.  Trips offer a very pleasant and relaxing experience.  The club is open to all pupils in the Senior School.  All levels of experience and ability are welcome.

Cost: £5 – £20 per trip.  All kit can be hired/borrowed from school.

Flag football is a non contact, 6 a side version of American Football. Trainings are on Mondays after school, and there is also an encouraged film session at 1230 in P5. This is a relaxed, mixed sex sport, that culminates in competitions against Stirling schools every February

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.

All Junior School pupils can come along 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.

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.  Lessons are taught by qualified riding teachers and take place in the large outdoor arena at Drumbrae Riding School in Bridge of Allan.  Pupils learn how to tack up, walk, trot, canter and jump, and spend the occasional lesson hacking in the countryside or at a trekking centre. Once experienced, riders can enter the Scottish Schools equestrian competition series, provided they have access to their own horse or pony.

Cost:  £18 per hour-long lesson.

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.

All Junior School pupils are welcome to join the Scottish Dancing club.  This is an excellent excuse to learn new dances and enjoy old favourites – all of which comes in handy for Dollar’s school dances.

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 triumphs at the Ashburton competition in 2005 and 2013, and regular selection of pupils onto the British Cadet Rifle Team.  Former Pupils from Dollar Academy include shooter Jen McIntosh, the double Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Olympian, and Seonaid McIntosh, who, along with her sister, competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Our Ski Club offers a wide range of activities, including lessons for complete novices and regular practice sessions at Firpark Ski Slope in Tillicoultry, as well as practice sessions at Midlothian Ski Centre (Hillend), Edinburgh.  We also run occasional trips to the indoor snow slope at Xscape, Glasgow.  There is also, of course, the highly popular week-long biennial Ski Tour to the French Alps over Easter, which has been attended in the past by over 110 senior school pupils.

The Ski Club is on offer to pupils from Prep 4 to Form VI during the autumn and spring terms.

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.