Welcome back to everyone and I hope you had a relaxing and sporty summer! Hopefully, COVID-19 will stay away and we will be much busier on the sporting fields. We will have a continued emphasis on sport at the College and the Cultural Framework and Vision for our sporting program will be further entrenched into the ethos of the College.

Commitment – service, communication, teamwork
Passion – pride, enjoyment, determination
Character – mindset, resilience, initiative
Mastery – challenge, achievement, growth
Legacy – sportsmanship, role modelling, memories

All the regular local and inter-school competitions will be taking place, as well as potential new and exciting possibilities in our sporting program for students to be involved in at a higher level of learning and competition.

Racquet Sports (Tennis, Squash and Table Tennis) will be offered as a regular sporting opportunity during the year and continues to expand. Contact Mrs Katie Winter Cooke if you are interested in playing in the local competitions.

For more information concerning a sport during the year please contact the following heads of sport:

Ben Hawthorne - Boys Hockey
Kristen Waldron - Girls Hockey
Simone Brabham – Under 10 and 12 Basketball
Jarran Cook – Boys Cricket
Louise Williams – Girls Cricket
Amanda te Boekhorst – Horsemanship
Matilda McGoon – Clay Target Shooting
Jody Ogle – Netball
Andrew Hirst – Rowing
Julien Guez - Soccer
Katie Winter Cooke – Racquet Sports
Ben Singh – Swimming Coach
Rohan Garfoot – Athletics Coach
Leigh Alexander – Football, Swimming, Athletics, Cross Country, Senior Women and Men’s and Under 14, 16, 18 Basketball

We look forward to a vibrant and exciting year of Glenelg Division Competition as we will strive to once again win the big three events – Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country. The ICCES sporting events will continue to challenge our students and the keen Table Tennis and Badminton players at school can once again look forward to competing at the premier sports and aquatic centre in Melbourne – MSAC – on the same day as ICCES Swimming – Tuesday 2 March.

Families should also be aware that we are an affiliated member of School Sport Victoria which means that our students can nominate to attend selection trials for state sporting teams under this banner. If you would like to know more about this, please look on the following website – www.ssv.vic.edu.au to find important information and contact myself if necessary. Some sports have registration and trial processes underway which finishing at the end of February, so get on the website soon. Under this agreement our secondary students can also compete in the All SCHOOLS Athletics and Cross Country championships.

At this point of the year, I would like to remind you all that correct school sports uniform must be worn to all inter-school sporting competitions or students will not be able to participate. Please purchase the required items of clothing from the uniform shop, including tracksuit pants to venues on colder days. Coloured “House shirts” must also be worn to compete in any Inter-House sporting event so it will be important for all students to keep track of when these will be running on the special House Afternoons allocated in the school calendar and at lunchtimes.

The school’s sporting Code of Behaviours document, that includes our cultural framework/vision for the sporting program, has already been distributed to all families and we are asking that all current and perspective players, coaches, managers, administrators and parents involved in the College Sporting Program, please read, sign and return to myself ASAP and of course adhere to during the year.

The number of students playing team sports for College teams is very pleasing and I would dearly love to see even more students making the commitment to their school friends and the school itself to play at least one team sport for a College team in 2021. It is also vitally important that all students who put their name down to play a sport fully commit to that sport via the means of regular attendance at training and games. Otherwise they are letting their team mates and coaches down and it puts a lot of stress and extra work on team managers also. Communication and commitment are paramount for all sporting activities at the school.

If you have any questions about the sporting program offered here at the College, please call or email me at the school.

House Swimming Carnival

The annual Inter House Swimming Carnival will be held on Tuesday 9 February at the Hamilton Outdoor Pool. I would be keen to here from any parent, family member or community member who can volunteer their time to help timekeeping for part or all the day. Please contact me at the College on 5572 1355 or email lalexander@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au

The College’s best swimmers will then compete at the Glenelg Division (GD) Swimming Sports on Thursday 18 February in Portland. A reminder that every Year 7-12 student is welcome to attend Swimming training on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 4-5pm at the Hamilton Outdoor Pool and some Thursday mornings at HILAC from 7-8am. Training sessions are taken by our swimming coach, Mr Ben Singh, and are free of charge.

Important – please note that SPECTATORS ARE ALLOWED at the outdoor pool for our swimming sports. All spectators will need to sign in when they enter the pool grounds.

Leigh Alexander

Director of Sport

Ballarat Rowing Report

After a productive Saturday morning training, rowers had an early rise, heading to Ballarat for the 2021 Wendouree Ballarat JG King Homes Regatta. The weather held out for rowers, providing an exceptional day of racing.

First races began early in the day, with College Doubles crews; Year 9 duo India Ross and Olivia Handbury, and D Grade Sylvia Page and Hettie Byrne, coming second and third respectively. Henry Haynes and Nicholas Northeast completed in their first race and achieved a great time.

Our Junior Quad, consisting of Miranda Page, Arabella Dunstan, Emma Donovan, Molly Mecham, and coxed beautifully by Minnie Walker, won gold in the Under 15s Coxed Quad Skull. College’s Junior Boys crew also had some terrific success and were very grateful to their coxswain, Xarifa Christie-Hill, who steered them down the 1km course with ease despite a broken hand.

Senior rowers put their hard training into action and the boys placed second to Banks Rowing Club. The Senior Girls crews had a great battle for third place in the last race of the day.

As we edge closer to the State Championships Regatta, we have seen an immense improvement from our coxes, Minnie Walker, Xarifa Christie-Hill, Bella and Olivia Edgar and Milly Howells, who have been putting in their all to get each rower across the finish line with great strength and technique. Congratulations goes to all rowers for their determination and commitment, particularly in diminishing our boat trailer packing time to just 30 minutes!

Most importantly, a thank you goes to our much appreciated coaches Simon Josh and Beanie, to parents, College staff and to Dr Hirst and Mrs Archer for their efforts in making the rowing club such a special club to be apart of.

Netball is Back

The Hamilton Netball Association is running a Term 1 competition. We will hopefully field teams in the 13&U, 15&U and 18&U competitions. It is crucial that students who are interested in playing put their names down on the sign up form so teams can be entered. All teams need to have an UMPIRE, COACH & MANAGER. The manager role is usually filled by a parent – this is not a difficult role at all!

If you are willing to help in these roles either send an email to jogle@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au or ask your child to pass on the information. Working with Children checks are required (You can easily apply for one or have a current one). Students can help with these roles if they are appropriately skilled.

I will let students know if the sign up will be either online via a link or on forms around the school.

It would be great to see the students out on the courts again this year after 2020 – so please consider encouraging your child to join the fun.

Jody Ogle

Head of Netball

Junior Tennis Competition

Please find attached Flyer from Hamilton Lawn Tennis Club regarding HLTC Saturday Junior please contact Mrs Katie Winter Cooke as soon as possible.

Katie Winter Cooke

Head of Tennis

Basketball Report

It was great to see our students back out on the basketball courts this week up at HILAC in the various junior competitions. We have 18 junior teams competing in this season. All players should know their training time and is vital for team functionality, improvement, enjoyment and thus success that they are attending these sessions.

Those students wanting to play in the longer winter season should let me know when I ask for interest later in Term. The HBA is also asking for senior team entries so students who are considering playing senior basketball should email me to discuss options, as our senior team entries are likely to look different this year with the introduction of the 18&U Division.

Football Report

If your son or daughter are looking to play football this year, I encourage them to play at the highest level western Victoria through the Hampden League. This will providing playing opportunities against in and surrounding Warrnambool, as well as some other bigger towns within the district. The Hamilton Kangaroos have teams that have started training or are about to so if your child is interested in trying out to play they should attend all or some of the training sessions at the following times at the main ground in town – Melville Oval:

Under 18’s – Monday and Wednesday from 5.30-7.00pm

Under 16’s – Monday’s from 4.30-5.30pm

Under 14’s – Wednesday’s from 4.14-5.30pm

Girls Youth team – still to be confirmed

If you require more information please contact myself or our 2021 Football Captains, Magnus Howells and Mitzi Adamson.

Leigh Alexander

Hamilton Squash Club

All enquiries should be forwarded to Heinrich Burmeister hburmeister@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au

Parents & Friends

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