Sport News

It is hard to believe that we are in Term 4 already. The year is just flying by. Although we are on the run home for sport we still have a number of events to go, the AIC Track and Field Championships are this Thursday and Friday, we have AIC Water Polo and Touch carnivals in a few weeks and for the first time, the AIC has added E-Sports to the program. Sign-up has already happened for Water Polo and E-Sports and we will be posting details for touch on the College App later this week.

The holiday period was another busy one with 70 of our track and field athletes attending the camp at the Gold Coast Performance Centre at Runaway Bay, along with holiday training and mini meets at the University of Queensland Athletics Centre. A huge thank you to our dedicated Track and Field staff, led by our amazing head coach, Mr Robin Martin, for your commitment to the boys training and development. The level of competition for the Marist track and field team is incredible, this is a talented, dedicated group of young men and the depth is reflected in the quality of athletes who have unfortunately missed out on a position on the team. Boys who have been selected in the squad have received notification by now with instructions for the rest of the week and expectations. We are excited about the challenge ahead. While the track and field camp was on we had a team in the CBSQ basketball competition on the Gold Coast. The growth and development in these boys, where we blended some current 1st V players with some emerging talent, was outstanding. It was great to see the boys improve and learn to compete at a more skilful and physical level.

This week we welcome Mr Richard Graham to the Sports Department. Mr Graham is well known to the Marist community as both an Old Boy and a current parent. Mr Graham takes on the responsibility of Head of Rugby and Athletics, overseeing two of our premier activities in the college. His past experiences have included - Australian Rugby Union Wallabies - Assistant Coach, Western Force – Head Coach, Queensland Reds – Head Coach, Georgian Rugby Union – Coaching Co-ordinator / Attack and Backs Coach, Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque Rugby Union – Consultant, NEC Green Rockets (Japan) – Coaching Co-ordinator / Attack and Backs Coach, Black Rams Tokyo – Assistant Coach Defence. Richard was captain of the Track and Field Squad in 1990. He has started already and jumped headfirst into track and field training.

Track and Field

Three days to go!!!

This year has proven to be the most challenging yet for our coaching staff as we select the Marist team for the AIC Championships. Our season started in Term 2 with the College Athletics Day, though for many of our athletes' training goes all year long. We have had home mini meets, AIC meets, District and Met North championships, holiday meets, a training camp and 5-6 training sessions per week over the last three months, culminating in a final walk through on the competition track on Tuesday and a team meeting on Wednesday afternoon. It is fair to say we had a thorough preparation for the championships and I am eternally indebted to the outstanding leadership, commitment and work from our Head Coach, Mr Robin Martin. Rob as an Old Boy is extremely passionate and committed to the Marist Track and field program, which is reflected in our recent success in the sport, which began through the hard work and commitment of previous Head of Sport, Mr Dave Miles.

The senior track and field team took part in a camp during the holidays at the Gold Coast Performance Centre at Runaway Bay. This was an opportunity to hone our skills and technique, work with our elite coaches in more depth, develop our strategy for the championship and bring the team together and build a bond amongst the group. After an AIC meet the night before, we started with some testing on day one followed by lunch and then a solid technical session on the track in the afternoon and some well-earnt ice baths. The evening was an opportunity for Rob to speak with the whole group where he shared his experiences and motivated the boys for the challenge ahead. Day two was a mini meet followed by another quality training session where the boys worked hard, especially our relay teams who worked on changes and race strategy. On the second evening, we were split into two groups, the AFL fans and the rugby league fans as we enjoyed both finals. Our final morning was a light session, packing up and heading home for some well-earned rest. As a frequent sports camp leader, I was thoroughly impressed with the boys, I am yet to see a group be so respectful and diligent in our actions and our communication, they were a credit to the College.

Thank you to the coaching team for the work that has gone into the boys, Mr Rob Martin, Mr John Lambourne, Mr Josh Mulligan, Mr Laurie Boustead, Ms Maddie Spann, Ms Meagan Cook, Mr David Meehan and external coaches Mr Des Davis, Mr Bill Prole, Mr Eric Brown, Lee Martin, Mr Corey Anderson, Mr Paul Kearney, Mr Cam Pfeffer, Mr Carl Martin, Mr William Burkett, Mr Jeremy Davis, Mr Dan Drew, Mr Harry Hunter and Mr Brendan Saunders. 

Good luck to all boys competing this week. May your results be a reflection of your efforts. 

Student Achievements

Congratulations to Zach Newsham who has been selected for the Australian team to compete at the upcoming World Mountain and Trail Championships in Thailand. Zach is a member of our successful AIC Cross Country team and will be competing in the Track and Field Championships this week.