Sporting News

Grappling with Grace

by Grace Soe, 7K

Hi, my name is Grace Soe, and I participated in a competition called ADCC and I am thrilled to share my experience with you. ADCC stands Abu Dhabi Combat Club and it's a grappling competition. ADCC is commonly referred to as The Olympics of Grappling and is a very prestigious competition. Competitors win by submission, points, referees’ decision or disqualification of the opponent. This is an open competition and it's open to competitor's training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Freestyle Wrestling and Judo.

I won my semi-final match by points, and my final match by submission. It was an amazing experience and I really enjoyed it! I have been training in BJJ since I was six years old, I enjoy this sport because it is fun, and it has made me a more confident and resilient person. BJJ has helped me make many new friends which I see daily, and these friendships have been nurtured through our respect of each other while training on the mat.

Sports report: Athletics Day and wins galore!

What a ball of a term we’ve had at Preston! Students hit the ground running - well, swinging - when Cohort 2029 stepped up to the plate for NMR Baseball. They gave it their best shot, but unfortunately struck out just shy of the next round.

Next up was our second whole-school sporting event: Athletics Day! The sun shone, the students thrived, and the energy levels were sky-high. From sprinting to shot put, everyone gave it their all - it was truly a track-tacular day, with Acacia taking the big points home. You can browse some of the photos from the day below.

From in-house athletics to an interschool hoops-fest, our Cohorts 2025–2026 kept the momentum bouncing with a slam-dunk Basketball run. The Girls team only lost one game all day in a nail-biting decider, while the Boys/Mixed team dribbled their way to a solid second in their pool.

In Senior Soccer, Mr McCaughey summed it up best:

" We finished second in our group, playing valiantly all day and maintained a competitive yet respectful attitude that represented PHS in a glowing light that they should be proud of. The team improved with every game in structure, game play and maturity, and by the end we pushed the eventual finalists to a (very controversial) draw."

In Senior Football the girls were fierce, flying into every contest like it was the grand final. The boys marked their territory with strong play and great spirit. 

While neither team made the final, they booted doubts aside with their passion and teamwork.

Later this month, Cohorts 2028–2027 kicked off the interschool soccer campaign. The girls lost only one match all day! The boys made it all the way to the grand final, narrowly missing out with a close 2–1 loss. Both teams showed the Kingfisher spirit—playing with pride and promising to come back next year even stronger.

To top it all off, we ran away with success at Division Cross Country at Mount Cooper. Despite the chilly, dreary morning, 36 students braved the conditions, and 26 qualified for regionals! Talk about going the extra mile.

The remainder of this term has even more sport to come, with all Cohorts Netball, Junior and Intermediate Footy and Badminton and Junior Soccer!