Volleyball Program
The Australian Schools Cup
In December last year, just before the end of term, ten of our students from the Volleyball Program took part in the Australian Schools Cup, a six day, national volleyball tournament, held on the Gold Coast. The volleyball team consisted of eight players from Year 10 – Fred Culham, Connor Murray, Gus Kossatz, Aaron Fuaux, Kotaro Taniguchi, Matthew Longden, Luke Piscioneri and Jack Donegan. Most of the players have been participating in the NHS Volleyball Development Program since Year 7 and have always aspired to attend The Australian Schools Cup on the Gold Coast.
Alicia Chant and Amelia Mensingh who graduated from NHS at the end of last year, coached the Year 10 team. Alicia and Amelia demonstrated maturity beyond their years throughout their coaching role, and had great insight and experience with the tournament, as they had represented NHS in 2019, when they won a gold medal. Jonny Koureskas from Northern Volleyball, mentored the Year 12 coaches throughout the tournament and was a great support throughout the six days. Pauline Dridan our Sports Administrator is also an integral member of the NHS Development Program team.
Pauline, Jonny and I were so impressed with the way the students worked as a team and how much their skills improved throughout the tournament. It was also fantastic to witness Alicia and Amelia’s confidence develop with each match, along with their coaching style. The students were an absolute pleasure to travel with and made the trip SO enjoyable and fun for the coaches and staff.
We were beyond thrilled and proud of the Year 10s for bringing home a silver medal!
A big thank you to Pauline Dridan and Jonny Koureskas. Without you this trip would not have been possible!
For any students who are interesting in joining the NHS Development Program in 2023, there will be a meeting in the GMR, next Tuesday 14 February, at recess. This is where I will discuss the fees, commitments, and training times.
Emma Hales
Northcote High School Volleyball Coordinator
