Sport
Houses/Interschool Sport Report
Tuesday 31 July was an eventful day Koonung Interschool Sport teams.
Hockey Girls (Dr Mckie) and Hockey Boys (Mr Mangonis) convened/hosted the Whitehorse Competitions at Koonung and Elgar Park respectively. The girls finished 2nd while the boys 3rd. The squads fielded largely Year 9 students, which augurs well for next year.
Our school fielded three Boys Table Tennis teams (Mr Lim). The students tried hard and improved their level of skill throughout the competition but were defeated by older and more experienced opposition.
Finally, one Girls Basketball (Ms Howe) and two Boys Basketball (Mr Harte) teams competed on the same day. There was some gallant performances but Box Hill Senior SC proved too strong on the day.
The first of the Eastern Region Finals that Koonung qualified for took place on Friday 3 August.
Five Year 11 Boys (Jordy M, Hamish M, Abhi J, James W and Jason L) and one Year 10 student (Philip A) represented our school. Narrow victories against Yarra Hills, Ringwood and Mount Waverley saw us finish top of our Pool. A convincing victory against Balwyn HS in the semi-final resulted in a Grand Final apprearance. The boys battled hard but were outclassed by Year 12 students from John Monash SC. The boys are already looking forward to next year’s competition!
Four Year 11 girls (Siew Ting L, Emma F, Vicky M and Liliane M) also represented Koonung in this competition. They had lots of fun but found the competition very strong, losing all their matches.
On Monday 6 August, fifteen Year 9/10 girls represented Koonung in the EMR Football (Soccer) Finals. In windy conditions at the State Football Centre in Thornbury, our girls performed admirably. Wins against Lilydale (3-0), Ringwood (6-0) and Mount Waverley (2-0) earned us first place in our Pool. We gave Rowville (a sport school) a real run for their money but eventually lost 4-1 in the final. It was a gallant display by the girls and I was extremely proud of their efforts. Nanako’s tenacious interception from a goalkeeper’s pass and barging run into the penalty box to side foot the ball into the opposition net was the only goal Rowville conceded on the day and it was fitting that a Koonung student achieved it!
On Thursday 9 August, the Senior Girls Hockey team (Mr Kofoed) competed in the EMR Finals, winning through to the State Competition. Stay tuned for more details of this team in future articles. Koonung also had three junior teams competing in the SSV State Squash Championships (Mr Dailey) at MSAC and the Year 7 Girls squash team were runners up.
The only other sport event for this month is the Whitehorse Division Track and Field competition on Tuesday the 28 August. Close to 140 students will be representing our school at this competition. A reminder to these students to get consent/payment finalised 3 business days before the event if they wish to participate.
Please take time to read about our Sports Stars featured in this edition of the Newsletter. I am always keen to hear about the sporting achievements of our students so that we can share with our community. I encourage you to email me if your child is excelling in their chosen sport.
Andrew Mangonis
2018 Houses & Interschool Sport Coordinator
State Squash Championship
Our talented and courageous Year 7 and Year 8 boys and girls Squash teams battled the other competing schools at the State Championship at MSAC on 9 August.
In true Koonung spirit, they performed at their best against the other teams in tightly contested matches. The Year 7 boys’ team won their way through to the quarterfinals. They finished their Pool in second place but were unable to advance further. The Year 7 girls’ team won their way to the finals with great determination. There were eventually State Runners-up to the McKinnon (A) Team.
The Year 8 boys’ team were a delight to watch with their quick moves and solid games. Unfortunately, they were not able to advance past their Pool rounds, being defeated by the dominating McKinnon teams.
Thank you and congratulations on all your sportsperson like behaviour throughout the tournament.
Our talented Squash teams consisted of: Jonathan Dardoumbas, Ryan McDonald, Jacob Pargeter, Simon Petroulias (Year 8 Boys team), Taneka Huber, Holly Macfarlane, Natasha Ramfos (Year 7 Girls team) , Mitchell Bacon, Ronak Sen and Lachlan Tolliday (Year 7 Boys team)
Paul Dailey
Languages Domain Leader,
Student v Staff Volleyball
Today the SRC ran a very successful event to raise funds for new sports uniforms. Students and staff were invited to wear casual dress, with a sportswear theme supporting their favourite sporting team and donating a gold coin to participate. Other activities included a BBQ lunch, Bake Sales and a Staff v Students Volleyball match at lunchtime (with students enjoying a win!).
