College sports students have been getting to grips learning about safety during an outdoor adventure day when they were exposed to activities involving calculated risk.

The activities were part of their BTEC sports course at Barking and Dagenham College where they were marked on how they displayed their skills and daring.

Several got rather wet on the water roller inflatable cylinder on the trip to Thriftwood Scout Camp in Brentwood.

Some fell in the water kayaking while trying to balance standing up — getting a right soaking into the bargain.

“Most had little experience of outdoor adventure when they joined the course,” college sports tutor Lucas Michael said.

“Placing them in these challenging environments to confront unfamiliar fears and obstacles allowed us to witness their progress in how they overcame these challenges.”

The inflatable cylinder challenge at Thriftwood Scout Camp (Image: Barking & Dagenham College)

College sports students have been getting to grips learning about safety during an outdoor adventure day when they were exposed to activities involving calculated risk.

The activities were part of their BTEC sports course at Barking and Dagenham College where they were marked on how they displayed their skills and daring.

Several got rather wet on the water roller inflatable cylinder on the trip to Thriftwood Scout Camp in Brentwood.

Some fell in the water kayaking while trying to balance standing up — getting a right soaking into the bargain.

“Most had little experience of outdoor adventure when they joined the course,” college sports tutor Lucas Michael said.

“Placing them in these challenging environments to confront unfamiliar fears and obstacles allowed us to witness their progress in how they overcame these challenges.”

The teenagers also faced their fears by being strapped to a harness and jumping off a 25ft-high platform onto a trapeze to learn about the safety measures used in sport.

They admitted finding it all challenging — but better than being stuck in a classroom just learning the theory.

The outdoor activities for Jamie Friend, from Dagenham, was “a much more favourable form of assessment”.

Jamie added: “It was a fun experience to take part in, doing sports activities that we don’t do often and more favourable due to the teamwork and comedy aspects.”

So was the target rifle range that they all had a go at, perfecting their skills at precision and aim.

Team-mate Marc-Antonii Balan, from Barking, got practical experience “rather than just theory” which he said gave him better understanding of how sports are supposed to be performed and what safety measures and precautions are needed.

Gabriel Silva, from Hornchurch, revealed how he overcame his fears, while Brandon Hardwick, from Collier Row, admitted it was “a nice change from the classroom” trying new outdoor adventures.

The college runs many higher level technical and professional training courses as well as sports, from entry to level 7 that prepares for jobs or for university, with industry-standard facilities and training for all age groups.