Episode 9 Ultimate Sports Day

It's grand final day.

Our four teams from Scotland, Northern Ireland, England

and Wales have battled it out over a series of epic matches.

The two highest scoring teams have fought their way to

a place in the grand final.

This is the moment we've all been waiting for.

As today, Team Northern Ireland take on Team England in the final

showdown to become Ultimate Sports Day champions.

Let the Games begin.

On today's Ultimate Sports Day grand final,

Team England go head to head with Team Northern Ireland.

Captaining Team Northern Ireland, we have Andrew.

And the rest of their team. Thomas, Sarah, and Phoebe.

CHEERING

And make some big noise for their mentor. He packs a punch.

Former boxing champion of the world, Barry McGuigan!

Barry McGuigan, a boxing superstar,

won gold as an amateur in the Commonwealth Games, when he was 17.

And went on to win the British, European and world titles as a pro.

Representing Team England, it's their captain, Allard!

Followed by Shanice, Leo and Emily.

And please welcome their mentor.

He's won medals at world and Commonwealth level,

the Dean Machine. Dean Macey.

Dean is one of England's most successful athletes,

having competed for over ten years in the decathlon,

and winning gold for England at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

They're all set. Let's get this show on the road.

There's a twist to the flagpole in the final.

Things were getting a bit too predictable.

So before our USD-ers climb up and down this pole,

grabbing all the rings in the process,

we have roped in their team mates to do a spot of rowing.

The 200 metre sprint will light up the tower

and only can will they race for pole position.

That's why we call it the Punishment Pole.

Let's see if our mentors have chosen well.

Allard, I'm going to put you on.

-You were the best rower on the first day.

-Yeah.

I need you to try and gain us a few seconds.

On this particular event, one second can make or break us.

My name's Allard. I'm 15. I'm from West Cumbria.

My speciality is hockey.

If I had to describe myself in three ways, it would be determined,

team player, and perfectionist.

Emily, let me tell you, you jump off better

and get up that pole quicker than anyone else.

My name's Emily. I'm 13 years old. I come from Tavistock in Devon.

My sporting speciality is triathlon.

My sporting hero is Alistair Brownlee.

The Punishment Pole is a flag pole.

I'm going to pick you, Sarah, to go up and down the pole.

I'm Sarah Strawbridge. I'm 14.

I'm from County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

My speciality is artistic gymnastics.

My sporting hero is Nastia Liukin.

You go first, then Sarah goes up and jumps off at the end.

My name is Andrew. I'm 14 years old.

I live in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland.

My speciality is athletics.

If I were to describe myself in three words,

it would be competitive, messy and loud.

Allard and Emily, Sarah and Andrew,

your challenge starts on the fourth and final beep.

Let's play Punishment Pole!

CHEERING

This is a game of two parts,

the first is a 200 metre rowing race between Allard for England

and Andrew for Northern Ireland.

Dean and Barry had picked their bigger boys and smaller girls,

so it could be close. Very evenly matched at the moment.

Allard perhaps just ahead by a fraction on the row.

Andrew's creeping back.

Dean is yelling like crazy at Allard,

he can see how close this is.

Emily is waiting for Allard to finish.

He's slipped off the seat! He has to row the last few metres

with just his arms. He's done it!

Emily can now race up that pole.

Andrew finished too, so off goes Sarah.

This is the second part of the game.

Emily and Sarah have to grab a ring from the top of the flagpole

and hand it to their mentors on the ground.

Steady, Emily and Sarah, up there!

Emily's got the first of her two rings.

So has Sarah, making sure she is steady before she comes back down.

Emily returns to solid ground, hands Dean the ring,

and she's off again.

Sarah hands over to Barry.

But there's a gap opening up between her and Emily

as she climbs up once more.

Emily is at the very top again

and reaches for the ring. Sarah has made up some ground.

Emily's got the ring and Dean's ecstatic.

Sarah has her second ring. Can she catch Emily?

Emily hands over ring number two and off she goes again.

One last climb for her.

Sarah's at the bottom, on her way up,

but Emily's just got to get to the top.

She grabs her team's colours and leaps to victory!

CHEERING

Let us hear it for Team England!

Awesome staff. Bring it in, guys.

Emily, you couldn't have dreamt of a better start.

The colours of England draped behind you.

It was really good. Allard got us the lead, which was really helpful.

We worked well as a team.

Allard, how was that for you? It was neck and neck, but you got ahead.

I was quite disappointed, cos I fell off the seat.

It was annoying, but it pushed me, made me go faster.

I just kept on pulling.

-Coming off was disappointing.

-Dean, what were you telling them

-before the start of the event?

-I told Allard not to come off the seat!

LAUGHTER

But he did it with 15 metres to go

and he did the right thing. He didn't panic or try to get back on.

We know today is going to be a very tough competition.

Those two guys over there were fantastic. It's not over yet.

You've got a maximum 30 points. Let's hear it for Team England!

CHEERING

Two rings for Sarah and Andrew mean Northern Ireland pick up 10,

but Allard and Emily get a bonus for winning, so they get 30.

England off to a perfect start.

Ahead of ours is 150 metres. An Olympic sprinter can cover this

in about 15 seconds. Can our two nations run the length of it

before The Chaser tracks them down?

If they do, they pick up points. But if The Chaser beats them,

they are out of the game.

All we need now is The Chaser.

The Chaser's his name, chasing is his game.

That's pretty much all we know about this guy.

One last race against The Chaser for the girls in this grand final.

Taking to the starting blocks are:

And here comes the ultimate dream wrecker.

It's The Chaser.

It doesn't get any easier for the athletes at the Grand Final.

Their head start over The Chaser has been cut back.

Get set!

And they're off. When they raced earlier, Shanice took the honours.

The other two girls got caught by The Chaser.

Coming round, it looks like Emily and Sarah are in immediate danger.

Emily has been overtaken, no points for her. Can Sarah outrun him?

Shanice it is in front, followed by Phoebe.

The Chaser's caught Sarah. She'll score nothing.

It's down to Phoebe and Shanice to bring home the points.

Shanice wins.

Does Phoebe beat The Chaser? It's close.

But The Chaser caught up with Emily and Sarah

and scuppered their hopes of picking up points.

He set his sights on Phoebe. Slo-mo shows he caught her on the line.

So, who sprinted up the leader board in our first Chaser run today?

Shanice's best time yet!

She's the only one to earn any points.

Scores now stand at 10 to Northern Ireland and 40 to England.

By now, you know our USD-ers will catch a ball

and throw it in the hoop.

Ooh!

And shoot it in the goal.

All the while getting more and more dizzy.

A lot to think about here, isn't there?

You, Thomas. Spin Shot. Half basketball and half football.

My name is Thomas. I'm 12 years old. I'm from Comber in Northern Ireland.

My speciality sport is rugby.

If I had to describe myself in three words,

It would be sporty, outgoing and bossy.

-Shanice, can you do it for us?

-Yeah.

I know you can come through. Put it in.

-Who are we?

-ALL: England!

My name's Shanice. I'm 14 years old. I live in East London.

My speciality is basketball.

My sporting hero would have to be Usain Bolt.

First, spinning for glory for Team Northern Ireland, it's Thomas!

CHEERING

Let's play Spin Shot!

This is a demanding game requiring agility and accuracy.

Thomas hurls that ball at the net but misses.

He tries a shot, which goes in. Three points for each goal.

Thomas is off the mark.

A bit more of a pause.

Barry telling Thomas to take his time,

Thomas fires that one in for another three points.

He leaps over and shoots.

That one misses. Back around to the goal.

Another great strike. Thomas clearly prefers

the football side to this game.

He's missed. Can he get back amongst the points with another goal?

Yes, he can. 12 points so far.

Can he get a basket? No. Barry still there, willing him on.

He hasn't missed a single goal. If only he could match those shots

with his hoop throwing. Another miss!

Barry keeps telling him to slow down, but he isn't listening.

Listen to your mentor, Thomas. The guy's a legend.

Finally, a basket. There we go.

Time for another goal?

Yes! That's 24 points in total. A great round for Thomas.

CHEERING

Can national basketball player Shanice

do any better for England?

A great star for Dean's team. 3 points on the very first hoop.

A first strike at the goal goes high.

She jumps the beam and shoots, but that one misses.

Back to the goal, she lines up a strike.

Oh, she takes a tumble. She's quickly back on her feet

and lining up for another shot at the basket.

Unlucky!

Dean knows how hard this game is.

A bit low, no goal here.

Go, go! Come on!

She launches another one in the air, but it just misses.

This is not the sort of basketball Shanice is used to playing.

Finally she finds the back of the net.

Another three points, taking her total to six.

Correction, make that nine.

Just a few seconds left on the clock. Can she score a goal?

No, that one's high and time is up.

CHEERING

Thomas, you nailed those footballs, didn't you?

Yeah. It was really hard, because they're just coming round.

-My basketball skills aren't as good as my football ones.

-Don't say that!

You did brilliantly. 24 points for Team Northern Ireland.

Shanice, nine points for England. Let's see the scoreboards.

Shanice scores nine points

and Thomas picks up 24.

Overall, Northern Ireland have 34 points and England still lead on 49.

That's no consolation to a gutted Shanice.

I need you to focus on the relay. Let me tell you, mate,

if you do what you did yesterday on the bike,

we'll win the relay, all right?

You were smashing yesterday, the best I've seen anyone do it.

-All right? Yeah?

-Yeah.

Emily, Leo, you're the only ones I can see who can challenge her.

We're banking on these points.

It's not a big point scoring event.

Hopefully, I'll keep up with Emily today.

My name's Leo. I'm 13, I'm from Essex. My speciality is judo.

My sporting hero is going to have to be Dean Macey.

Then we've got the hang bar.

Phoebe, you and Sarah are going to be doing that.

My name is Phoebe. I'm 13. I'm from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

My speciality is the high jump.

If I had to describe myself in three words,

it would be fun, sporty and determined.

As this ring rises to the roof,

our USD-ers will have to put mind over matter, and just hold on.

Whoever lasts the longest, picks up maximum points for their country.

Let's play Hang Bar!

CHEERING

Strength and control are the name of the game here.

The hang bar slowly rises into the air,

and our athletes have to hold on for as long as possible.

Sounds easy. But I assure you, it's not.

Focus on yourself, all right?

15 seconds have elapsed.

And all of these grand finalists know what's at stake here.

They've all played this game before. Both teams have good track records.

Emily, in fact, is unbeaten on Hangbar still.

BARRY: Nice and relaxed, Phoebe.

Relaxed all the way.

As they hit 30 seconds, the hang bar continues to rise.

All they can do is focus,

and concentrate as hard as possible on not letting go.

Barry and Dean are trying to keep their guys' minds in the zone.

I'm not sure shouting is the way to keep them focused.

As they reach the 45-second mark,

none of them is giving anything away.

If they are tiring, they're not showing it yet.

Remember, first one to fall gets nothing. Next one gets five points.

Third to drop gets 10 points. And the winner gets 20 points.

So, lots at stake here, as we hit 60 seconds.

The hang bar has stopped rising. Now, we just wait.

Their arms will be in agony now, as will their hands,

as they desperately try to keep a grip.

As we approach the 75 second mark, still no sign of anyone giving up.

Although Phoebe looks like she's in pain.

Now Leo is starting to squirm.

You stay there, Leo!

Leo is definitely feeling the strain now. His face says it all.

How much longer can he last?

And Leo has gone! He's had enough.

Emily is still in it for England, but she's starting to wriggle now.

Is her undefeated run about to end?

You're doing great, Sarah. Doing great, Phoebe.

Phoebe and Sarah, still holding on for Northern Ireland

as we hit 105 seconds.

Hold on, Phoebe!

And Sarah can take no more, she falls.

And still wins five points for Northern Ireland.

It's just Phoebe and Emily left now.

Who will win this incredible battle?

Oh, and Phoebe has gone.

Emily, triumphant again!

Let's hear it for Emily!

CHEERING

Emily, come on round. That was absolutely fantastic.

The more you do Hang Bar, does it get any easier?

No, not at all. When you're going up, you feel the pain straightaway.

When you're hanging, it just gets worse.

Phoebe. Just pipped there to the post.

I saw that you were really focused this time.

Yeah. I just wanted to get right up there and hold on as long as I can,

just for the team. But your hands hurt so bad.

It's awful pain.

Let's see who hung the highest digits on the scoreboard,

and have gone that one bit closer

to bagging the Ultimate Sports Day trophy

Emily's win means 20 points for England.

But Northern Ireland score 15 points for second and third.

In the grand final, England lead 69 to Northern Ireland's 49.

Right. That's not how it's done.

But, which of our ultimate sportsters will our mentors

pick to play Bungee Basketball?

Bungee basketball. This is a skills event.

I'm not putting pressure on you, I want you to have fun.

But be very serious when you're playing. We can do it.

I can guarantee Andrew for Northern Ireland is going to be in there.

He's been nigh on faultless.

Allard, you've been nigh on faultless as well, all right?

So it's down to you, both. Will do. Will do.

Aiming for the five.

Right, Andrew, Allard, let's play Bungee Basketball!

CHEERING

This is a game of strength and endurance.

Allard versus Andrew, and they both score with their very ball.

The highest hoops are worth five points.

The boys are concentrating on those. Andrew gets another.

And Allard drops one in two. Andrew going for the hat-trick.

Gets it. And Allard does the same. This is going to be very close.

Both these boys have scored highly in Bungee Basketball before.

And they are matching each other hoop for hoop, now.

That's five baskets each.

Neither of these boys wants to lose to the other.

And they score hoop number six.

They carried on for some time.

Andrew and Allard slam dunking their way from hoop to hoop.

There was nothing between them as the points racked up.

But then the fatigue hit home.

Allard was the first to show signs of weariness,

missing a couple of easy baskets.

Andrew also felt the strain. As the game neared its climax,

there were only three hoops separating the two.

Allard closed the gap from 22 to 24.

Then, much to the team's excitement, pulled it back to just one basket.

With 10 seconds to go, it couldn't have been much closer,

as Allard and Andrew fought to the bitter end.

Ultimately, it was Andrew who was victorious by just one basket.

And Barry was clearly a happy man.

CHEERING

Know what? Forget the athletes, I need a rest!

All those baskets

mean 125 points to Allard,

and 130 to Andrew.

The gap's closing.

So, it looks like The Chaser is ready to chase once again.

But can he reach this finish line before our chaps?

Well, we are about to find out.

If these guys ever wanted to pick up points against The Chaser,

now is the time.

Taking to their positions are:

Forget Usain Bolt, here comes the real demon of speed.

It's The Chaser!

-Set!

-And they're off.

Andrew, Thomas and Allard have never been caught.

Leo's had the misfortune of being picked off once before.

That's a mistake he'll want to rectify.

As they come out of the bend, The Chaser's gaining. Andrew's in front.

Thomas in second and Leo in third. Allard's going to be caught.

Oh, he gets his first taste of the Chaser's grasp.

Leo has been caught too. Disaster for England.

Just what Northern Ireland need in this grand final.

Andrew never looked in danger at the front of the pack,

but Allard and Leo weren't quick enough today to avoid The Chaser.

He passed them with ease and nearly took Thomas too. Wow!

I just thought, he's just beaten us. And being a good sportsman,

I just tried to say well done to him really.

Friendly rivalry from Allard, but The Chaser is friends with no-one.

So, the race is over, time to update our scoreboard.

Andrew's storming time of 17.68 seconds

wins him 10 points,

along with team mate Thomas.

Nothing for England, though.

So, going into the final game...

For the first time today, Northern Ireland lead with 199.

The final relay. It's all that stands between victory and defeat.

And it all starts fast, on bike power.

A 200-metre sprint powers the lights on our towers.

Then, we initiate the Skywalker.

Our USD-ers will start all the way at the bottom, make their way

up the five metres, across the beam, and collect all the rings they can,

before making their way down the ladder.

Then, time to get a sprint on, all the way over to the bungee tower.

And they'll bungee like they've never bungeed before.

And collect all three rings.

Not before they've done that will our cyclists sprint one last time

over the bike power, for one last 200 metres.

And then, it's our last event. The flagpole.

One last climb for pole position.

Who can collect the rings

and pull down the flag bearing their team's colours?

Will it be Northern Ireland? Will it be England? It's time to find out.

Are you confident in your own ability? At the end of the day,

I really think you could be USD champions.

It's the one we can win. We really can.

-OK? You up for it?

-ALL: Yes.

-Good. Let's rock and roll.

We know we can beat them inside. We just have to go out and show them.

We know what they're like. They're a good opposition.

With a bit more confidence, we can do it.

We're determined to do our best.

We need to concentrate more, and be more confident within ourselves,

because I think we can do it.

Failure's not an option, definitely.

After weeks of waiting, it's all come down to this.

With only five points between the teams,

we couldn't have dreamt of a closer grand final.

HE MOUTHS

Never before has it been so crucial

that Barry and Dean match their team's individual abilities

to the right leg of the relay.

This is it.

On the fourth and final beep, let's play the final relay.

CHEERING

So, it's come down to this.

England versus Northern Ireland, in the grand final.

Whoever wins this Ring Relay will be crowned

Ultimate Sports Day champions.

Shanice for England, against Thomas from Northern Ireland,

on the first leg, the 200m cycle race.

It's very close so far, with Thomas just edging out in front.

None of these athletes will want to let their teams down,

so they will all be giving it 100%.

Thomas gets there first. He leaps off the bike to tag Sarah.

Shanice is right behind him, and she tags Leo.

Sarah and Leo race up the Skywalker Towers.

Leo's pulled ahead of Sarah.

He grabs the rope and tries to drag himself onto the beam.

Leo's up, and he works his way towards the first of 11 rings

that need to be collected along this course.

He's got them. He grabs the first two.

They're worth five points each.

the team that finishes first gets an extra 50 points.

So, both teams know they have to win this relay to be sure of victory.

Sarah's got her two rings now. Leo is on his way down the ladder.

Gymnast Sarah catching up, as Leo gets caught up on the ladder.

Leo grabs the next ring, as does Sarah. This is extremely close.

They've got all the rings and need to tag their team mates.

Leo tags Shanice while he's on the floor.

She sprints off. Sarah tags Thomas.

He follows in hot pursuit. It's bungee time now.

Allard's got his first ring of three.

Andrew launches into play. We know how good these two are at bungee.

Allard's got his next ring. And here comes Andrew

after his second ring as well.

Allard takes his third. And Andrew is right behind him.

Shanice and Thomas can race back to their bikes,

and begin another 200-metre cycle sprint.

Shanice is first on the bike, and off she goes.

Thomas is in the saddle now. Can he catch up?

Thomas really going for it.

He knows he was quicker than Shanice earlier.

So he's really pumping the pedals now.

But Shanice isn't going to make it easy for him.

She's got the lead, and she wants to keep it.

Dean will be so proud, but who will finish first?

It's Shanice, she dives off the bike and tags Emily.

Just as Thomas finishes, and tags Phoebe.

So it's between Emily and Phoebe.

Emily is shinning up that pole, grabbing the rings.

Phoebe's not far behind. It's Emily that leads.

Dean's team, England, are the Ultimate Sports Day champions!

CHEERING

So, 50 points for Northern Ireland.

For all 11 rings, plus 50 points for winning,

Makes it 105 England. That means England beat Northern Ireland

by 299 to 249.

Team England, you are the Ultimate Sports Day champions!

CHEERING

Congratulations.

Will you please welcome two great champions themselves,

Amy Williams and Phillips Idowu.

Let's hear it for our runners-up, Team Northern Ireland.

And their mentor, Barry McGuigan!

. Well, here's a surprise for the runners-up.

No stranger to medals herself, Winter Olympic gold medallist

Amy Williams, handing out the silvers to Barry's team.

And now, to collect their crown,

let's hear it for our Ultimate Sports Day champions,

Team England!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Double World Championships gold medallist, Phillips Idowu,

with the honours for the winners. And what worthy champions they are.

Captained by Allard. Awesome on the bungee, he led by example.

Shanice, with her pedal power. The engine behind the team.

Leo. The force was strong in this one on the Skywalker.

And Emily, with her head for heights.

Always the England flag bearer.

Not forgetting their mentor, Dean Macey, the Dean Machine.

One more time, guys. Let's hear it for our winners, Team England!

An absolutely incredible result for Team England and Dean.

But that is it for this show. Next time, Amy and Phillips are back,

leading a dream team that will compete against the USD all-stars.

Don't miss it. Ciao for now!

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