SPORT 

Armidale Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival Wrap Up

Under clear skies at the Tamworth Athletics Centre, 24 students proudly represented St Patrick's at the Armidale Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival. The day began with a ceremonial march past led by Josie and Rebe, before track events officially kicked off with the 800m races. Tallulah and Harriet were our first to compete, finishing 19th and 25th overall. In the 11 Years Girls section, Lucy delivered an outstanding run to claim 1st place overall. Josie represented us strongly in the 12 Years Girls 800m, placing 4th, while Archie and Archer finished 12th and 15th in the Junior Boys. To wrap up the 800m events, Benji and Shaun put in fantastic efforts in the Senior Boys, placing 5th and 7th overall.

The vast majority of our team then lined up for the 100m heats, with every student putting in an exceptional effort—many only missing out on the finals by the narrowest of margins. In the U8 Boys, Levi and Archer both ran admirably to secure spots in their final. Overall, four of our sprinters successfully qualified for their age finals, with Phoebe finishing 5th, Eve taking 6th, Archer placing 5th, and Angus coming in 8th.

Our students then competed in the school relays. Our four teams that competed performed very well as we were the youngest team competing in each of our heats as well as the smallest school, where we had to compete against schools from Tamworth, Armidale, Gunnedah, Moree, Inverell, Glen Innes, Narrabri and Wee Waa.

Throughout the day, our students showcased their talent across a range of field events, securing several outstanding top-ten finishes. In the jumps, Josie took second place in the Senior Girls Long Jump, while Thibaud delivered a fantastic performance to win the Junior Boys High Jump. Benji placed seventh in his High Jump before earning second place in the Senior Boys Long Jump. In other jumping events, Harriet finished fourth and Archer came eighth in their respective Junior Long Jump events, Levi placed 16th in the Junior Boys Long Jump alongside a strong effort in High Jump, and Phoebe placed seventh in the 11 Years Girls Long Jump.

Our throwers were equally impressive, led by Josie, who placed second in the Senior Girls Shot Put and shattered the ACS record by over six metres with a monumental throw of over 31 metres to win the Discus. Audrey also shone in the throw events, taking ninth in the Junior Girls Shot Put and third in Discus, while Lucy earned third in the 11 Years Girls Discus and fifth in Shot Put. Harriet placed fifth in her Shot Put event, and Rebee delivered a strong throw to finish third in the Senior Boys Discus. Following these incredible results, Josie, Audrey, Thibaus, Benji, and Rebee all earned selection in the Armidale Catholic Schools squad.

Next came the 200m and a number of our students were placed in the top three of their respected heats. 

The final running event of the meet was the 1500m and our four participants went very well.  Benji came 2nd in the Senior Boys,  where he gained selection to represent the Armidale Diocese in this event at the Polding Athletics Carnival that will be held in September.

As previously noted, Josie experienced an exceptional day, securing first place in the Senior Girls Discus, as well as second place in the Senior Girls Long Jump and Discus. Her accomplishments were recognised with the award of Overall Champion in the Senior Girls Section, marking a remarkable achievement.

A huge thank you to all the parents and grandparents who came along to support our students on the day—your presence and encouragement are deeply appreciated! We wish Audrey, Benji, Josie, Rebee, and Thibaud the absolute best of luck as they represent the Armidale Diocese at the Polding Athletics Carnival in Glendale on Friday, 11th September.

Todd Woodbridge Cup at Inverell

We would like to send our absolute best wishes to our team of Year 5–6 students who will be competing at the Todd Woodbridge Cup in Inverell next Friday, 14th August.

Mr Hyatt is finalising event logistics with Tennis NSW and will send out detailed information to all participating families early next week.

Best of luck to our players—serve up a great tournament!

Handball Competition Reaches the Grand Final!

The excitement on the playground has been electric as our Handball Competition draws to a thrilling conclusion! Even though we are running a little behind schedule, the competitive spirit has remained sky-high.

Most of the tournament matches have now wrapped up, with all positions from 3rd down to 10th officially decided. That leaves just one final battle! The highly anticipated Grand Final will be played this upcoming week to crown the overall champions of what has been a fantastic and hugely successful competition.

The sporting fun doesn't stop there! Once the handball champion is named, our Year 3–4 students are already gearing up for St Patrick’s very own Football World Cup! Planning is well underway, and more details regarding team selections and schedules will be shared very soon.

Good luck to our Grand Finalists this week!

2026 SPORTS DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR

Friday 14th August- Todd Woodbridge Cup at Inverell

Friday 11th September- Polding Athletics at Glendale

St Patrick's Primary Sports Handbook

St Patrick's now has an official sports handbook, which has recently been updated following our school swimming carnival. Additionally, the handbook has now been revised to include the new records set by Josie, Lucy, Phoebe and Thibaud at our recent athletics carnival. This book is designed to give all members of our school community a clearer understanding of when our various sporting carnivals are conducted. It also outlines the processes and qualifying times required for students wishing to represent our school at Diocesan sporting events, alongside an explanation of the representative sporting pathways your child can undertake in their respective sports.