By Liam Gill - Director of Sport & Teacher of Outdoor Education

Amali Excels in the US

Amali Torney travelled to the US in late September to compete in the Invitational Cross Country Championships.

Her first race was the Music Mountain Invitational in Peach Springs, Arizona. She competed in the 5,000m Open Women's event and managed to come away with the win! She was shocked but absolutely thrilled with her result - her time was 19:00.85.

Amali's second race was a much bigger meet at the Vegas Elite Twilight Invitational with races for each Year level as well as an Open Elite race. Based on her seed time she was put in the 5,000m Open Elite race. A very late night- as there was some flash flooding the races were postponed by an hour and her race was the last of the evening at 10.20pm! After a bit of leap-frogging scored herself a 2nd place to an American athlete and placing 1st Aussie with a time of 19:43.

She had to back it straight up as the third race was early the next morning at 8.30am at the Thunderbird Invitational in Indian Springs, Nevada. Amali raced in the 5,000m Open Women's Varsity and again managed to take out the overall win, with a time of 21:49.

Amongst this there have been training sessions with US High schools and early team training runs as well as plenty of sight-seeing at Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Cirque de Soleil, Shopping at the Las Vegas Strip, Disneyland, Universal Studios to name a few.

After a whirlwind trip of a lifetime, Amali had the most amazing time and made many new friends through this amazing experience. It is fair to say she will needed to come home for a big rest!

Eleanor Represents Australia in World Virtus Games

Congratulations to Eleanor for her phenomenal performance representing Australia at her first World Virtus Games!

The amazing list of her achievements are:

4th - 100m with a time of 14.77

3rd - 400m with a time of 1:09.71

1st - 800m with a time of 2:37.51 - PB and to be ratified para u17 Australian record

1st - 1500m with a time of 5:34.44

4th - 200m with a time of 31.74

3rd - Long Jump with a distance of 3.61m

800m and 1500m also Virtus World records.

Youth completion was a points based competition with Eleanor finishing second overall.

We couldn’t be prouder. Well done Eleanor!

Brianna Represents Victoria in the 2025 Pony Club Australia National Championships

In an article written about the event by Pony Club Victoria it commended Loreto College student Brianna Ballesty on her outstanding efforts on the National stage:

'In Dressage, Victorian riders excelled, with notable contributions from the Sub-Junior, Junior, Senior, and Open teams. Standout performer Brianna Ballesty from Loreto College Ballarat placed 1st and 4th in her riding phases, securing 2nd overall in her Dressage division. She also helped her team to 2nd place in Formal Gymkhana and earned 3rd overall in the Quiz competition. Adding to her accolades, Brianna received the inaugural National Welfare & Soundness Award for her exemplary horse management practices, including hoof health, nutrition, and wellbeing monitoring.'

To read the full article, click on the link here: https://newsletters.naavi.com/i/N6Zn6RN/issue-2/page/3

Additionally, earlier in the same week Brianna rode in the Pony Club International virtual dressage show, in the Prix Caprilli class. This is the third time she has ridden at an International level and we await the results of this event.

Congratulations, Brianna — a shining example of riding talent along with being a compassionate and true advocate for putting horse welfare first.

Eve Selected for the U/19 Victorian Cricket Team

Congratulations to Eve Righetting for being selected in the Victorian U/19 Cricket Team.

We look forward to seeing where it takes you.

Outdoor Education Camp

By Imogen Mann - Year 11

From 1-3 September, the Unit 2, Unit 4, and VCE-VM Outdoor Education classes went on camp to Anglesea. We began with a 15km mountain bike ride at the You Yangs with GORATS, tackling uphill climbs, downhill curves, and a bike park track. It was one of my favourite activities - challenging, scenic, and something new. Afterwards, we set up our tents at Eumeralla Scout Camp and cooked pizza wraps for dinner, a fun change from the usual Trangias.

The next day started with a 6km walk into Anglesea before our 'Sea to Summit' program with Ecologic. On a 4km hike in the Otways, our guide Linton explained how human activity, mining, erosion, and bushfires affect the environment. Later, we went canoeing on the Anglesea River and learned about the local ecosystem before snorkelling in the ocean. Even though visibility was low, it was exciting to try something different.

On the final day, we packed up and visited Bells Beach before heading to Cosy Corner for a surfing lesson with Southern Exposure. Surfing was so much fun, and I improved a lot by the end.

The camp was an amazing experience full of adventure, teamwork and learning about the environment. My favourite activities were mountain biking and surfing, and the three days flew by.

By Isabella Burston - Year 11

Our Anglesea camp was a fun and memorable experience filled with outdoor activities like mountain biking, snorkelling, canoeing, hiking, and surfing. Despite the cold, windy weather and a bit of rain, we made the most of every moment.

On the first day, we tackled a tough 3-hour mountain bike ride in the You Yangs with GoRats and felt a great sense of achievement at the end. That night at Eumerella Scout Camp, everyone cooked together and relaxed around the fire. Ava and I made delicious burgers on the Trangia before ending the night with card games in our tent.

Day two included hiking with Sea to Summit, canoeing in choppy waters on the Anglesea River, and snorkelling in icy waves. Even with low visibility, the snorkelling was still fun thanks to the waves and makeshift water slide. That night, Alice, Ava and I cooked gnocchi, we sang songs by the fire and played more card games.

After an early 6:30am start, we packed up for our final activity of surfing in Torquay with Southern Exposure. Despite the cold, everyone joined in, trying tricks and double-ups with help from the friendly instructors. We wrapped up the trip with Maccas and a quick look around the shops.

Each activity pushed us out of our comfort zones and gave us the chance to try something new. Overall, camp was exciting, challenging, and a great way to connect with friends and the outdoors.

Thank you to Mr Andy Blackwood, Ms Lucy Hudson and Ms Steph Jenks for attending.

Ballarat Junior Golf Academy - Scholarship opportunity for NEW golfers!

The Ballarat Junior Golf Academy is getting ready for a big Spring and Summer of Junior Golf at Midlands Golf Club. (Play our way) Junior girls scholarship program is offering opportunities for new participants to enter the game of golf with golf training and playing experiences guided by the coaching team at Ballarat Junior Golf Academy at no cost!

To enrol in the program click the link here: Mygolf program - Golf Australia

Just a reminder of what we do:

train champions; our record is great!
win State and National awards for our support of Juniors!
support Ballarat District Golf with tournaments for kids all year round!
provide transport and opportunities every month for higher level tournament play across metropolitan and other country regions!
support every junior golfer regardless of skill level or age!
consult to and work with Golf Australia, Westvic Academy of Sport, State Schools of Victoria and various other Golf clubs.

Any questions about junior golf, please contact Andrew Cartledge at acartledge@pgamember.org.au or on mobile 0409403276.

Career News

In this month's Career News: