Co-curricular - Junior Sport

Week 3 Update

With the commencement of Round 2 of the Winter Season, we got our first taste of the winter weather. The air temperature was icy, and the grounds still wet from previous weeks of rain. It feels like this will be the theme for future rounds ahead. With this in mind, a reminder that boys are not allowed to wear compression garments, often referred to as skins, that are visible under their playing uniform. This means no long sleeve shirts, or full-length tights are to be worn under their shorts and short-sleeve jerseys. Boys are only permitted to wear compression garments that are hidden under the playing uniform. 

The large amounts of rain we experienced in previous weeks is causing endless issues with playing grounds. As such, we have had some large-scale changes to the draft draw. Particularly with changes in venue. This week, Round 3 has been no different with some significant venue and time changes. Please make sure you are across these changes by viewing the weekly draw found on the ‘Jnr Fixtures and Cancellation’ page on Team App. Draws are usually posted on Tuesday afternoons or Wednesday mornings. This should give families enough time to plan around the changes made.

Last Tuesday, the Junior School Cross Country Team traveled to The King’s School to compete in the IPSHA (Independent Primary School Heads of Australia) Cross Country Carnival. Under quite mild conditions, perfect for running, the boys were met by a brute of a course. Set mainly on school roads, with the occasional undulating grass section, the boys were faced with an uphill challenge, literally. The gradient of the course certainly set the men apart from the boys, with many competitors forced to be delayed at the finish, so the next race could start. In an outstanding effort by our squad, none of the St Patrick’s boys were caught in these groups, all finishing ahead of the cut-off time. 

Results for the boys were mixed, with some qualifying individually and others making it through as the fastest team. Others were able to shave minutes of previous bests. Overall, the carnival was a successful one for the boys and the College. Congratulations to all the boys for their efforts, particularly Archie and Charlie Ackland, Micah Camilleri and Mason Portolesi who were selected into the IPSHA Team. The boys will run in the CIS (Combined Independent Schools) Carnival later in the term at Sydney Motorsport Park. I know the College community will join me in wishing these boys all the best for the upcoming carnival.

At the end of the Winter trials in Term 1, I stated in the Especean that the first three weeks of the Winter Season would be an extension of the trial period. Now that we have had two rounds of Winter sport, teams will begin to be adjusted. Boys will be informed in the latter part of this week and into next week of any changes. No doubt there will be some very happy boys and others that feel a little dejected throughout this process. No matter where boys may be moved to, or if they stay in their original team, all boys are encouraged to put their best foot forward, work and train hard, and ultimately find enjoyment and love for their game.

With the wet weather impacting us again this week, there is a strong likelihood that training will be cancelled each day. I will hold off announcing potential cancellations as long as possible to give all our teams the best chance of training. Decisions will be made at around 2:30 PM each day and notifications sent out on Team App to inform parents and carers. We will keep our fingers crossed that the weather does not end up as bad as this weekend’s forecast.

John Locke

Junior School Coordinator of Co-curricular

Junior Sport Fixtures

Click here for the latest Junior Sport fixtures.