Co-curricular - Junior Sport

What a whirlwind Week 1 has been. Sport trials, camp meetings, campus tours, all in only three days. With the boys on camp over the next two weeks, there is no sign of slowing down. All boys will need to make sure they are aware of training days and are expected to attend all fixtures after being away on camp.

All sports have now completed trials and teams selected. Boys should be aware of their teams and when they are training for this week. A full training schedule will be put out once both Year 6 and Year 5 have completed camps. Each week, I place a hard copy of the draw up in every Junior classroom along with the training schedule. Boys are to write in their diaries the time they are playing on Saturday. A draft draw, training schedule and the weekly draw can all be found on the College App.

Unfortunately, with the Summer sports there are many boys that miss out. This is largely due to the number of boys we have compared to our competing schools. There aren’t enough teams to supply us with competition. For those boys that missed out, they are guaranteed a spot in a Winter sport. For those boys that missed out, we will be running the Summer Sport Skills Program this term. The program is run each Saturday morning at the College during the Summer season. Boys practice a range of skills and use them in non-traditional games, such as Dodgeball and Capture-the-Flag. It is a great way to meet some new friends and develop your skills. Boys will be able to sign up from Thursday at my office. Boys from Year 6 that are interested can email me.

With the first round of Summer sport starting this Saturday 11 February, all boys need to visit the College Uniform Shop to purchase their playing uniform for the weekend. I am aware of the tight turnaround, especially with the Uniform Shop being closed this Friday due to the Opening School Mass and High Achievers Assembly. Your efforts to obtain the correct uniform is appreciated.

Basketballers need to be aware that I will supply them with their playing singlet. This is hired for the season (Term 1 and 4) and parents/carers of students will see a charge of around $20 in their school fees. Singlets are to be handed back at the end of Term 4. Any loss or damage to a singlet will incur the cost of replacement. This is upwards of $65 dollars per singlet. 

Boys playing Softball will require long white socks, shinpads and a mouthguard. Without the proper protective equipment, boys will not be able to take to the diamond. Those in Cricket are recommended to have their own groin protector and gloves for hygiene purposes. 

In the coming days, I will call for boys to nominate for swimming trials. The trials serve two purposes. One is to place boys into championship events for our Annual House Swimming Carnival. The second purpose is place the fastest swimmers into the Junior School Swimming Squad. The Squad will represent the College at the BPSSA Carnival and the IPSHA Carnival. The IPSHA Carnival offers the boys the opportunity for further representation. I will confirm the dates via the College App and swimming trials will be held after school in the College pool. 

I look forward to seeing all the boys involved in Summer sport out of the fields this weekend. I am especially interested to see how we all perform in our first outings, representing the College for 2023.

Good luck! May 2023 be the year where we get back into our sport with no more interruptions.

John Locke

Junior School Coordinator of Co-curricular