Sports news

Junior Sports report

On the weekend of 19-20 October, the Southern Regional Junior School Championships were held at various venues across southern Tasmania. Kate Jordan and I (Fiona Rhodes) had the pleasure of attending and cheering on our girls as they competed against other southern primary schools throughout the weekend. St Mary’s College had three teams competing across the Years 5/6 and Years 3/4 Division 1 and 2 rosters. As you would expect, a considerable amount of time and preparation goes in to these tournaments and I would like to extend a very big thank you to coaches Kylie Anderson (Year 5/6 Division 1), Daniel McKenzie (Year 5/6 Division 2) and Natalie Geard (Year 3/4 Division 1), along with team managers Grant Holloway and Louise McKenzie.

All teams played their hearts out in every game and each student who participated should be congratulated on the way they conducted themselves and how well they represented the College. Daniel McKenzie, who coached the Year 5/6 Division 2 team, summed up his team’s performance perfectly: 'I think the phrase ‘a picture tells a thousand words’ is a perfect reflection of the way the young lady’s approached the weekend. The way each young lady approached the weekend truly reflected the SMC values of Relationships, Resilience, Respect and Responsibility.' This team was indeed an absolute pleasure to watch!

The Year 3/4 Division 1 team had a hard draw but never stopped competing, or smiling, once – something that made both Kate and I extremely proud to watch and be associated with. I think the team was pretty chuffed to be cheered on by Mrs Lack on day one too!

The obvious talent and skill of the Year 5/6 Division 1 team was on display in the grand final where they took out the premiership in a very convincing fashion, the win was never in doubt. It should be said that even with such big wins (in all pool games and the grand final) this team played with humility and humbleness and always showed great respect for their opponents. Along with the Year 3/4 team (who finished third), they will contest the state tournament in Launceston on 30 November - 1 December. We wish these teams the very best for that tournament.

As well as thanking the coaches and managers, the role that families play in these tournaments cannot go unmentioned. Thank you to all families for the way they supported our teams throughout the weekend.

Well done to the following students who played in the tournament:

SMC 3/4 Division 1

Coach: Natalie Geard

Charlotte Pritchard, Eliza Fehlberg, Isabella Purves, Leila Geard, Meila Bromfield, Summer Richardson and Aoife Kelly.