Co-Curricular - Junior Sport Stage 3

At the beginning of this week, I was fortunate enough to attend the AIS Sport Leaders Conference. It was a really positive experience coming together with like-minded people who all have the same goal, improving the opportunity of students in sport. 

There were a number of keynote speakers. One being Alisa Camplin-Warner (Australia’s first female Winter Olympic Gold Medalist) and another being Professor Philip Morgan. Both speakers were incredibly insightful, engaging and inspirational. They covered myriads of topics; however, all were based on the importance and benefits of being involved in sport. Looking around the room, it soon dawned on me that everyone in attendance had benefited in some way from their involvement in sport.

Often our focus when we talk about sport is on becoming a professional athlete. The reality is that only one percent of Australians will make it to this level. I wish that of this one percent a large number come from our student body. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. When you consider the variety of skills that are developed through sport and the network of people that sport introduces us to over time, many of us may attribute our success to what we gained through our sporting life.

I am often questioned about the importance of school sport. In a time where many are challenged to move or are pressured to make choices early about their sporting pathway. School sport can be seen as a burden, rather than an opportunity. However, when we switch the lens and think about the opportunities school sport can bring us, such as a wide network of people, the opportunity to train and play with autonomy and explore, rather than be directed and told what to do, some clarity can be found. School sport plays a large role in the formation of the individual. It allows sport to provide students with a variety of opportunities to learn and evolve as individuals and not just focus on professionalism in a chosen sport. In the end it comes down to our values and positivity that determine if sport is of benefit to our children/students.

The way we conduct ourselves as coaches, parents/carers on the sideline and as support networks, plays an untold role in the power of sport. It is important to realise that no matter what the level or the outcome, a positive attitude and positive modeling are far more important than the numbers on the scoreboard, win or lose. 

Last Wednesday a small group from the Junior School competed in the annual IPSHA Athletics Carnival, held at SOPAC. On a very busy day and one that seemed to have all the seasons, our boys competed very well. There were many ribbons that were won and a few PB’s set. Our boys made us all proud. Congratulations to the following boys for qualifying into the IPSHA team, who will compete in the CIS Carnival this Friday 5 September.

We look forward to hearing about your experiences at the CIS Carnival and I know that the community will join me in congratulating these boys and the Junior School Athletics Squad.

"Sport is like a double-edged sword. Swung in the right direction, the sword can have tremendously positive effects but swung in the wrong direction it can be devastating. The sword is held by adults who supervise children's sports". This highlights how the positive aspects of sports (like skill development) can turn negative if supervision or values are poor.”                                                  Ranier Martens

John Locke 

Head of Stage 3 Co-Curricular