Sport Committee 

Sport at Mount Alvernia is a great way to socialise and spend time with friends. Not only is it a great way to stay active, it is vital to maintaining good mental health. I was fortunate enough to speak to one of my Year 10 peers, Sophia Papantoniou, who has excelled in her sport of hockey, being selected into the Queensland U15 outdoor team as well as the U15 national highest goal scorer. I asked Sophia the question, ‘Why do you play sport?’ She explained that she plays sport as it is a way to socialise with friends whilst competing in a competitive environment. Similarly, when she was asked ‘How do you stay motivated?’, her response was that she was able to stay engaged as she sees others around her succeed, reaching an elite level which motivates her to improve her skills and achieve higher. 

Although Sophia is committed to succeeding in sport, it is also essential that she is maintaining her academic success, which can be difficult to manage whilst playing a lot of sport. I asked Sophia how she manages to ensure that she can do her best in sport whilst doing well in school. Her response was, “Whilst I engage in a lot of sport throughout the week, I ensure that I revise over the school days content and really focus when completing work, minimising the time spent on the task. It is also essential that I am productive in class to ensure that I complete all necessary work, reducing the amount of work I need to catch up on at home.” Finally, I asked her the question, “What has sport taught you?” to which she responded that it has taught her to work as a team, adapting to changing conditions and utilising each individual's diverse abilities to achieve a goal as a team.

Sophia has thoroughly enjoyed participating in sport both at the college and outside of school. She is constantly challenging herself both in sport and academically, demonstrating her love for sport through her participation and her work ethic.