SSP NEWS

Link to Purchase Sport Uniform

* For SSP and AAP students only

https://indigowolf.com.au/whcssp

NEWS:

FREE Parent-Carer Information Session: Fuelling for sport and school performance (nutrition)

We are pleased to announce that we are running our Term 3 parent-carer event. 

Renowned Sports Dietician Sam Coppinger will be the lead presenter on the evening. Sam is an Accredited Practising Dietitian & Sports Dietitian, currently working as the sports dietitian for the Western Bulldogs Football Club & the Melbourne United Basketball Club. Sam has experience working with athletes at both the elite and recreational levels in numerous sports, including netball, AFL, soccer, horse racing, athletics, endurance/ultra events and many more. Sam privately consults clients from everyday active individuals to elite athletes. Sam is currently the WHC SSP sports dietitian consultant, delivering nutrition education to our student athletes. 

Please see the details below and register via the event flyer (attached) QR code.

Date: Tuesday 9th September

Time: 5.45pm-7.15pm 

Location: PAF, Western Heights College

Topic: Fuelling for sport and school performance (nutrition)

Cost: Free of Charge

Topics covered: 

• Fuelling for sport and school performance 
• Lessons from professional sports, what can we learn and utilise at the youth athletic development level 
• The student-athlete’s training week – how to plan & prepare nutrition for high performance  
• How to fuel yourself on a budget
• Supplementation - what works, what doesn't, when is it appropriate and at what age level 

We hope to see you all there to support this wonderful event!

Please see attached documents for our SSP news and information for the fortnight: 

Travel to and from SSP Training Venues Friendly Reminder:

Every child, regardless of their postcode is expected to travel with their class to and from practice venues, as a part of our Duty of Care. Students are not to arrive late or leave early from venues. In 2025, there will be no permanent ‘late’ arrivals or ‘early’ departures issued. It is expected that choosing WHC and the SSP, means you are committed to our 9am-3pm school hours – every day of the week. 

If, your child is required to leave early or arrive late (on the odd occasion), due to an appointment, please contact Anthe Petrovics our Attendance Officer via email to arrange this, so that it is visible on compass (for all staff). This is not to be arranged via Sport Coaches or Teachers.

Anthe Petrovics: Anthe.Petrovics@education.vic.gov.au

Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation in the Adolescent Athlete

Please see the attached link for the Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation in the Adolescent Athlete Presentation and PDF: 

Other information

Drawstring Bags and SSP:

We are requesting that all student-athletes continue to bring their drawstring bags to SSP for all of time tabled sessions. No WHC backpacks should enter into the green building – ever! Back packs are to be stored in student lockers. Drawstring bags and boot/shoe bags are permitted for training in the green building. Please remind your child of this process.

SSP - Competition and Team Selection Friendly Reminder:

It is an exciting time for our program with over 600 students across the four pillar sports: AFL, Basketball, Netball and Soccer. However, this also creates complexities around team selection for tournaments and competitions. It is simply not possible for all student-athletes to be selected.

Please understand that although student-athletes are a part of the SSP, this does not guarantee automatic entry to any WHC interschool or representative team. Head coaches are responsible for team selection and many factors contribute to this process, including; skill, ability, team dynamics, effort, behaviour and attendance across the entire College.

We know that non-selection can be difficult for parent-carers, but we thank you for your understanding and support of our program and all student-athletes, whilst we move in to a heavy phase of competition over the next three terms.

If you or your child has any concerns about selection or non-selection, we would encourage all of our student-athletes to have direct conversations with their coaches regarding feedback for improvement.

We thank you for your continued support. We love that your child is a part of our program, and please endeavour to remember the program was established for our student-athletes to reach both their academic and athletic potentials. It is about growth in both learning and sporting pursuits, not who is or isn’t selected for a team.

Key Contacts for the Specialist Sports Program

Renee Lane – SSP Leader Renee.Lane@education.vic.gov.au

Cate Johnson – Operations Manager Cate.Johnson@education.vic.gov.au

Nick Richardson High Performance Manager Nicholas.Richardson2@education.vic.gov.au

Please contact the appropriate staff / coaches at each of the Year Levels below if you have any concerns regarding your child’s athletic performance;

AFL Program:

Thomas Hunter (Yr 7-9): Thomas.Hunter@education.vic.gov.au

Will Sexton (Yr 10-12): William.Sexton@education.vic.gov.au

Basketball Program:

Ashley Arnott (Yr 7 - 8): Ashley.Arnott@education.vic.gov.au

Kaleb Sclater (Yr 9-10): Kaleb.Sclater@education.vic.gov.au

Kris Blicavs (Yr 11-12): Kris.Blicavs@education.vic.gov.au

Netball Program:

Ainsley Corrigan (Yr 7-8): Ainsley.Corrigan@education.vic.gov.au

Stacey Dodds (Yr 9-10): Stacey.Dodds@education.vic.gov.au

Susan Meaney (Yr 11-12): Susan.Meaney@education.vic.gov.au

Seth Tomlinson: Seth.Tomlinson@education.vic.gov.au

Soccer Program:

Joseph Didulica: Joseph.Didulica@education.vic.gov.au

Sean Mahon: Sean.Mahon@education.vic.gov.au

Please note: Any mainstream concerns are via the relevant Sub-School Leader or Learning Community Leader through Compass

Soccer: 

Champions Again! 🏆⚽

Our Year 9/10 Boys Soccer Team has claimed yet another title – this time taking out the Melbourne Victory Schools Cup!

In a tightly contested final, the team secured a 1-0 win over Rowville, with Will Wright netting the decisive goal in the second half. A huge achievement and the perfect momentum-builder ahead of their European tour kicking off on September 10.

Meanwhile, our Year 9/10 Girls Team also made it to the final, where they put in a dominant performance but narrowly went down to Rowville. An incredible effort and a game full of positives – we’re proud of you all!

Congratulations to both teams on their outstanding efforts and sportsmanship!

Joey Didulica-Soccer: Specialist Sports Program 

Netball: 

Important dates: 

It’s been a very successful fortnight in the Netball Program. We had 2 WHC athletes Hayley Evans (YR9) 17&U and Lexie Whatley (AFL YR 11) 19&U were part of the final 50 players in their respective age groups trialling for the Victorian State Squad of 25 in their respective age groups. Both players performed well on the day and should be proud of their efforts. Congratulations to Lexie Whatley who was selected in the 19&U Squad who will now be part of the NV Elevate Program training with elite Victorian Coaches in the lead up to Victorian Selections in December. Way to Go Lexie!!

Last Tuesday our Intermediate (2 teams) and Senior Girls Netball Teams competed in the preliminary rounds of the Netball Victoria School Championships in Melton. In the Senior Section the Girls played well all day and were just beaten in the final deciding game by Loretto Ballarat. In the Intermediate Section our Navy team finished 4th in their Pool and our Orange Team finished 1st and will progress to the State Finals a fantastic achievement in a dominant day of performances. We also thank Milla Saltalamacchia, Matilda Bruni and Jack TePaa for umpiring and doing an awesome job.

We have commenced our skills testing around footwork, agility and ball work as part of our practical assessment and planning of individual programs. It has been great to see the progression made by students.

Susan Meaney | Head of Netball

Specialist Sports Program

Basketball: 

It’s been one of the busiest months on our basketball calendar, with strong representation across multiple divisions in the Champions Cup and SSV District competitions.

Champions Cup Results

Under 15 Girls: Our U15 girls faced a tough day with losses to Rowville SC, Maribyrnong Sports Academy, and Methodist Ladies College. The team showed improvement as the day progressed and will look to carry those lessons into the upcoming SSV tournaments starting this term. 

Under 17 Girls: The U17 girls advanced out of the preliminary rounds with a 2–1 record. After a tough opening loss to Edinburgh College, they bounced back with strong wins over Beaconhills College and Catholic Ladies College. In the crossover round, they held a 9-point lead at halftime but eventually went down 37–28 to Lowanna College, narrowly missing out on the Elite Eight.

Under 17 Boys: The U17 boys had a dominant day, going 3–0 with wins against Templestowe College, Berwick College, and Lowanna College. Their defensive pressure was outstanding, holding opponents to an average of just 36 points. The boys now advance to the Elite Eight on September 3rd.

Under 19 Girls: With several players backing up from the U17s, our senior girls performed admirably, finishing pool play 2–1. They fell in a tough first game against Kilbreda College but rebounded with wins over Flinders College (last year’s Intermediate National Champions) and Luther College. Despite their efforts, they fell just short in the crossover match against Haileybury College, losing by four points.

Under 19 Boys: The senior boys also had a successful day, going undefeated (3–0) with wins over Templestowe College, Beaconhills College, and Salesian College. Their resilience was on full display in a comeback victory against Beaconhills, where they overcame a 12-point deficit with just 8 minutes left to win by eight. They now progress to the Elite Eight on September 4th.

SSV District: Year 7

Both Year 7 boys’ and girls’ teams went undefeated through pool play before notching strong semi-final wins to set up grand finals against Surf Coast Secondary College. Both contests were close at halftime, but Western Heights pulled away in the second half to claim district championships in both divisions. The teams represented the school tremendously and now advance to the regional stage at Altona Stadium in Term 4.

Ash Arnott- Basketball: Specialist Sports Program 

AFL: 

Over the past 2 weeks, our Intermediate Boys put in a huge effort at the State Competition recently, battling their way through some tough matches and making it all the way to the final 8. While they just missed out on progressing further, the boys showed great determination and teamwork throughout falling short to Emmanuel College Warrnambool. 

The Year 8 Boys also had a fantastic run, reaching the Western Metropolitan final before falling just short against MSA. Both teams should be really proud of what they’ve achieved. Both matches were played in great spirits and all players from WHC were very respectful.

With just over four weeks left in Term 3, things are certainly ramping up! Training sessions have had a big focus on nailing down the fundamentals and applying those skills in match play. Junior Finals are now upon us this week. Girls and boys have been putting in the work, and it’s exciting to see all that effort pay off when the games get underway.

A special shout-out also goes to Daniel May in Year 9, who recently had the incredible opportunity to represent Victoria in the Under 15 Boys State Football Carnival. Not only did he get to wear the Big V, but his team went all the way and took out the title – an amazing achievement and one that deserves huge congratulations!

We’re really looking forward to seeing how all our students perform in the weeks ahead. Best of luck to everyone competing!

Cheers Perksy and Spoorsy- SSP AFL