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Girton table tennis stars taking on the best!

In recent weeks, the Girton Table Tennis Team has been out and about representing the school with pride and bringing their best skills to the table.

 

On Tuesday 6 August, our Year 7 and Year 8 teams headed out to the Eaglehawk Stadium to take on the best players in Central Victoria. Our Year 7 Boys team of Archer Yuen, Meer Brahmbatt, Hughey Smith and Raph Correa were first-time competitors in the Sandhurst Tournament and they hit the ground running by winning their first match convincingly. A feature was the boys’ play in the doubles. After practising for the past few weeks on Friday evenings, the boys were very fast on their feet, taking it in turns and setting up a number of easy points. Eventually the boys came up against a very strong BSE outfit and were outgunned, coming second on the day, which was an excellent effort. 

 

After illness ravaged the team at the last minute, our Year 8 boys put up an excellent fight but were unfortunately unable to place on the day. Uvi Arora was supported by three Year 7 boys who jumped in bravely at the last minute to go into battle. Tate Cantwell, Benjamin Bowles and Harry Kilby performed skillfully and calmly on court against their more fancied opponents. The behaviour of all boys was excellent on the day and this experience will hold them in good stead for next year, where we are sure to come out firing with a little more experience under our belts.

 

On Wednesday 14 August, Girton’s Senior Boys team travelled to the State Finals at MSAC in Melbourne. After winning the tournament in previous years, this year Girton was undermanned, with our team comprising Henry Bain (Year 11) as well as Henry Martin, Max Henderson and Louis Wood (all Year 10). This year's competition was one of the most challenging in recent memory, with several schools' teams comprising some of Australia’s very best players. One boy in particular was the number one player in Victoria, with a goal to make the next Olympic team. Needless to say, the results did not go our way on the day, but all our boys dug in and gave it their all. In one game, Henry Martin took seven points off the number one player in Victoria, which was an excellent effort. Congratulations to these boys for their efforts and behaviour on the day.

Our next tournament is on Tuesday 3 September, where we will have two Year 9/10 Boys teams and a Year 9/10 Girls team competing against the best schools in Central Victoria. We wish all our players the very best of luck on the day. 

 

Good hitting to all our Girton table tennis players!

 

Mr Daniel Williams

MiC Table Tennis

Volleyball Grand Final

During the first week of the mid-term holidays, the Girton Lightning Volleyball team played and successfully won their Grand Final. Please congratulate the following students when you see them:

  • Claudia Cook (10 Frew)
  • Angus Diss (10 Frew)
  • Amy Smith (10 Frew)
  • Daniel Noble (10 Jones)
  • Jasmine Mann (10 Jones)
  • Mietta Livingstone (10 Frew)

Absent on the night: 

  • Madeleine Ching (10 Frew)
  • Coco Cutri (10 Aherne)
  • Olivia Maher (10 Jenkin)

Swimming for success

On the weekend of 10 and 11 August, a number of Girton Junior School students representing various swimming clubs in Bendigo made their way to Traralgon for the Victorian Country Short Course Championship. Junior School had Owen Barnes (6 Frew), Stella McIntosh (6 Jenkin), Lauren Davenport (6 Jenkin), Sophie Lee (5 Jones), Rae Anwyl (5 Jenkin) and Aria Hendrix (5 Jones). Collectively, all achieved at least one personal best, with Owen and Stella achieving a clean sweep of six PBs across the weekend and all students coming away with qualifying times. 

 

Aria, Rae and Sophie competed strongly as 10-year-olds in the 11 and under age group against girls 12 months older than them, which was an incredible achievement. All Girton swimmers had some amazing swims against the tough Country Victoria competition and gave it their absolute best. Lauren returned to Bendigo with five medals: one gold (50 fly), three silver (100 IM, 50 free and 100 free) and one bronze (50 back). Stella brought back one silver (50 fly), Sophie one silver (50 breaststroke) and Owen one bronze (50 free). These were phenomenal achievements given the level of competition noted by commentators across the weekend. In addition to these medals, there were a significant number of top 8 finishes across a number of races, ranking these students at the upper end of the state in their age group. Also over this short course season, Lauren and Sophie broke the records for District 15 in their age groups. 

 

Stella, Lauren, Owen and Rae are now preparing to travel to Darwin in the September school holidays for the National Country Championships, where each of them will have a number of races each day over five days of competition. These kids might be small but they are mighty, with each training 8+ hours a week in the pool in addition to other commitments such as the Sports Excellence Program, basketball and netball.

 

Senior School was represented by Azia Fong-Sutton (8 Aherne), Andreas Ginis (11 Riley) Hamish Knight (year 9 Aherne) Riley Sterenberg (year 11 Riley) and Tadhg Hughan (10 Jones), with Azia coming first in the 100 free and second in the 200 free. 

Girton Equestrian Team Showjumping Clinic

On 13 August, the Girton Equestrian Team had the opportunity to attend a showjumping clinic led by renowned trainer Alan Mitchell. The clinic, which was eagerly anticipated by riders, proved to be an exceptional opportunity for skill development and community building within the equestrian co-curriculum.

 

Alan Mitchell brought a wealth of experience to the clinic. His feedback and exercises helped the students to develop new skills and knowledge, with riders including Harrison Walls, Francis Walls, Maggie Walmsley, Charlie Walmsley, Caroline Batters, Annika Hall, Harriet Williams, Charlotte Burnside and Leah Pickering. All the attending riders benefitted from Alan’s personalised teaching and the great community bonding experience.

 

The clinic was well attended, with riders ranging from beginners to advanced competitors. Each session lasted an hour and was tailored to address specific needs, horses and goals. This was the second of two clinics with Alan, which allowed many of us to build on what we learnt in the first lesson and was an amazing day for all, especially for Harrison Walls and his horse Red, who did their first 110cm jump!

 

The Girton Equestrian Team expresses their gratitude to Alan Mitchell for his time and expertise, all the participants who made the event a success, and parent Jody Pickering, who organised much of the day. These clinics not only provided valuable learning experiences but also strengthened the sense of community within the team.

 

Annika Hall (7 Riley)