Sport News

By this point in time, I am hoping you have all had an opportunity to read the following message on the College APP, regarding Term 3 sport training recommencement:

After consultation with QCEC (Queensland Catholic Education Commission) we have been given permission to continue all sports training on College grounds, conducted by the normal staff employees. Normal staff employees incorporate all our current employed coaches.

Subsequently, all training will recommence as normal from 3:30pm, Tuesday 10 August. 

All coaches must comply with the following COVID Safe practices:

• Wear a mask
• Maintain physical distancing
• Maintain good hand hygiene
• Get tested and stay at home when sick
• Use the Check in Qld app

Please note - students do not have to wear masks when doing physical activity. On the way to and from training, they MUST be wearing their masks. Students who are not participating need to be wearing masks at all times.

Obviously, the Government has made the decision for no community sport to be played for the next two weeks, but at least with training occurring we can hit the ground running when we are cleared for fixtures/carnivals to recommence and the boys can be engaged in some form of physical activity up until that point in time. 

There may be personal reasons why some boys can’t or don’t wish to participate in training over the next couple of weeks, and we will be flexible and understanding with these families. The boys have been provided with a number of ‘at home’ activities via the College APP that they can work on during these uncertain times to maintain their level of fitness.

Olympic Magic Moment - MCA Track and Field Coach Eric Brown

Many of you would have witnessed the special Olympic moment with Australia winning a bronze medal in the Men’s Decathlon Bronze. 

Eric Brown (Marist Specialist Jumps Coach), coached Ashley Moloney to an Olympic bronze medal and new Australian and Oceania area record in the decathlon. The first Track and Field medal for Australia at the Tokyo Olympics and the first Australian to reach the podium for an Olympic decathlon. Well done to Eric and his athletes - including Cedric Dubler - who finished 21st, despite being injured. The iconic video and photo below shows Cedric supporting his teammate – a wonderful lesson for us all. We are truly blessed to have Eric as part of our College coaching team. 

Thanks to the wonderful coaching from our own Eric Brown, Ashley made his Olympic debut and produced strong results in the 100m sprint, long jump, high jump, 400m, 100m hurdles and pole vault disciplines in the gruelling decathlon event. Last Thursday night, Moloney went into the ultimate event, the 1500m, needing a strong run to stay in third. He ran a personal best 4:39.19, to clinch bronze. While the glory will understandably go to Moloney, he also owes a debt of gratitude to his more-experienced “teammate” Cedric Dubler, who defied a hamstring injury to finish the competition, providing valuable guidance along the way.

An example of what the team means to Eric’s athletes came in the latter stages of the 1500m, when two-time Olympian, Dubler, was seen barking some timely instructions at Moloney, who subsequently lifted to finish strongly and win an Olympic medal for himself, his family, his country and his team. 

The joys of lockdown were watching the Olympics and catching up on some reading. Subsequently, I got an opportunity to read a book called ‘Winning’ by Tom Grover. It was a decent read but could be summed up by the following points which I hope resonate with some of you: 

If you want to win, you must have the courage to do three things:

1. Back yourself
2. Leverage your dark side
3. Live an unbalanced life

Back Yourself

"Over the years, I've thought a lot about what made Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant special. They had skill and talent, work ethic, intelligence, commitment, and resilience. But above all, they had this in common: They each possessed an unshakable confidence in themselves that never wavered."

In 1990, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs, and critics said Jordan would never handle the Piston's physical play. That summer MJ added 15 pounds of muscle, but critics said all that muscle would ruin Jordan's shot. Jordan improved his shooting percentage and defeated the Pistons en route to the Bull's first championship.

When someone doubts you, they're betting against you. Winning wants to know: Do you have the confidence to take the other side of that bet and bet on yourself?

The more emotional capital you're willing to bet on yourself (i.e., the more pain you're ready to endure if you come up short), the more likely Winning is to give you the combination to your next win.

Leverage Your Dark Side

Everyone has a dark side. But not everyone admits it. Kobe had a dark side so big it required its own personality: the Black Mamba. Kobe became the Black Mamba when he needed to shut out distractions and take his performance to the highest level. Jordan tapped into his dark side by remembering the disappointment of being cut from his high school basketball team.

"Take all the disappointments in your life—everyone who said no, everyone who teased you, every job you lost, every game you lost, every time someone said you weren't good enough, every relationship that ended badly—and imagine laying them all in front of you. Just spread them out all over an imaginary table. Now: Hold your hand over each one, mentally reconnecting with how each made you feel. Warm… nauseous… cold… nothing …radioactive hot. That's the one. That's your fuel.”

When you tap into your dark side, you receive a jolt of energy that feels like anger but quickly turns into intense focus. Your dark side can provide the surge of energy you need to obliterate internal obstacles and take your performance to the next level. Winning wants to know if you're willing to go to a dark place to win.

Live an Unbalanced Life

“Winning wants all of you. It doesn't recognise love or sentiment, it doesn't care about your other responsibilities and commitments. It demands obsession, or it will find someone else to consume… The more you pretend you can handle everything and 'have it all,' the less chance you have of having anything at all."

If you want to win, you won't have as much time as you like for family, friends, vacations, hobbies, or leisure time. Winning requires you tip the balance of your time so severely to one side of your life that people will call you obsessive, selfish, and neglectful. Can you live with that? Winning wants to know.

Why go through hell to win? We were born to win, that's why our brain rewards us with an intoxicating rush of satisfaction and pride after a win. But more importantly, winning is immortality. Your wins represent the contributions you've made and the impacts you’ve had on people around you. As you get older, the wins remain fresh in your memory, and the losses fade away. You can cherish your wins till the day you die. And after you're gone, the stories of your wins get passed on.

If you want to experience the immortality of winning, you must live with a sense of urgency. Grover says, "Stop watching others win while you stand on the sidelines wondering when it's going to be your turn. Your turn is now. Long‐term goals are great… but 'long term' isn't promised to anyone. Your skills and opportunities have an expiration date. If you want something, go get it now. The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time. I frequently talked with Kobe about this. How I wish I'd been wrong. Remember him when you think you have plenty of time. I think about it every day."

Tennis  Logo Competition

We are looking for a Marist student to design a logo for the Marist Tennis Club! 

First place will win a term's worth of FREE private tennis lessons.

Please see click on the attached below for more information.