Co-curricular - Junior Sport Stage 3

With all the rain around of late, it is a little disheartening for the boys playing sport not getting on the field. However, the delays caused by the rain do allow for some rest and recovery. I hope that all our athletes are taking advantage of this opportunity at the moment.

One group of students that have had no rest over the rain period are those involved in the College's Cultural Co-curricular activities: Chess, Debating and the Junior School Justice Group (JSJG). For boys involved in these activities, training and meetings go ahead rain, hail or shine. In part, this is due to their enthusiasm, commitment and passion, and also because they are always indoors. Nevertheless, these boys have been staying back each afternoon, where others have not. 

Many view these types of activities as less challenging and requiring less effort than their sporting counterparts, but this is not so true. The time it takes to carefully construct a compelling argument and anticipate the reply from your opponent can be exhausting. Learning, recognising and practicing moves, and counter moves in chess requires the same amount of effort as learning any set piece in rugby or football. And don’t get me started on how difficult is can be to “find the justice”, let alone bring it to someone’s attention and ask for action.

Boys involved in cultural activities don’t often get the attention or recognition they deserve. The activities are not put in the limelight to the same extent as the Saturday sports. Despite all this, the boys continue to turn up, learn, develop and represent their College with aplomb. Keep up the fantastic work that you are doing boys and know that your efforts, work and performance are valued!

As explained earlier in the year, after the initial trials, boys would be given the first three rounds of Winter sport to continue to show their skills and push for higher teams. Unfortunately, as we are heading into Round 5 this weekend, many teams have only played a maximum of two games. There are some teams that have only managed one game due to byes and washouts. This has made the process difficult for players and coaches alike. With this in mind, there will be movements made; however, the changes may continue a little further into the season than originally planned. This is the fairest way to reward the boys for their efforts and combat the poor start to the season because of the weather.

                                                ‘Teamwork makes the dream work.’                                                                                                                  Unknown

John Locke

Head of Stage 3 Co-Curricular