Hoop Time Regionals

Future Star Hoop Time Success at State Level!

On Thursday 4th December, a group of our talented Year Three and Four students: Ana, Willow, Audrey, Quinn, Lexi, Scarlett and Evie (Holly was unable to make the event) and their fantastic Year Six coaches, Mia and James, proudly represented Essendon North Primary School at the Future Star Hoop Time State Finals. This is an incredible achievement in itself, but even more impressive when you consider that 193 teams from across Victoria entered the competition, and our ENPS team finished in the top 10.

The girls played five tightly contested games, demonstrating skill, resilience and teamwork throughout the entire day. One particularly memorable moment was their remarkable comeback victory, overturning a 10-point deficit to win by just one point. Their determination and composure under pressure was truly outstanding.

Since August, the team has been training once a week during lunchtime. A huge shout out and thank you also goes to Mia and James, the girls’ coaches, who generously volunteered their own time to support the team’s development and prepare them for the state competition, demonstrating passion, care and leadership qualities - what ENPS is all about and being true role models and Leaders in Action.

We wanted to once again, share an email we received earlier in the year from St Joseph’s Collingwood following our first Hoop Time competition in August:

“Dear Essendon North Primary School, I’m writing to extend a heartfelt thank you on behalf of St Joseph’s Collingwood following yesterday’s Hoop Time event. We had a slightly rough start to the day, with our girls’ team feeling quite disheartened after a few scoreless games. However, playing against Essendon North completely turned things around. The kindness, encouragement, and sportsmanship shown by your students, and the support from your staff were the highlight of our day. Thank you for modelling what school sport should be about. Please pass on our thanks to the students and coaches involved.”

This message beautifully captures what we value most at ENPS. While strong results are something to celebrate, school sport is ultimately about sportsmanship, teamwork, and having fun. Our students embodied all of these qualities at the State Finals, and we could not be prouder of the way they represented our school.

Congratulations to the team and their coaches on an incredible achievement and for reminding us what it truly means to participate in sport.

The Physical Education Team with Lana Thomas and Josh D'Souza (ENPS Basketball Coaches)