Sports
An AGSV Centenary to Remember
By Harriet Thorpe, The Ridgeway Campus, Year 11
Much to the School’s collective disappointment, Saturday sport for the Winter Season has been suspended for the time being due to the coronavirus pandemic. As I am sure you will know based on the multitude of preparations and hype in the Sports Department, 2020 marks the long-awaited centenary for AGSV sport and our school’s involvement. That’s 100 years of celebrating wins and losses including many successes in recent years through the swimming, athletics and all compulsory sports from the juniors up to the Firsts.
While it may seem impossible to continue skills and the team aspect will be missed, never fear, for the Ivanhoe Grammar School Sports Department has devised an alternative while still maintaining the competitive spirit of the Ivy Army and Ego Yah supporters through a new Instagram account, @sportivanhoe.
The account aims to keep Ivanhoe Grammar School students connected and pose challenges to other students of the School and other AGSV schools, including videos of members of Ivanhoe’s well-established Firsts Teams with trick shots. Whether it is shooting basketballs and footballs into hoops from far distances or into wheelie bins backwards, there is no doubt of the incredible talent of the students. Particular shout out to the Girls' Firsts AFL footy team for their skilled trick shots, challenging Carey Grammar School to dribble kick the ball into a bucket or kick it into a basketball hoop.
Despite this year being so different to any other, AGSV and its nine member schools are pleased to see the schools staying active from home in this troubling time, a certainly memorable way to end a centenary of commitment and achievements for individuals, teams and schools.
On behalf of the School, we encourage you to get outdoors, take on the challenges, connect with members of your sports teams online and keep the Ivanhoe spirit alive, even in isolation. So check out the account @sportivanhoe and keep active! Ego Yah!
Just Running With It
By Alex Linke, University Campus, Year 9
As a student of Ivanhoe Grammar School, a member of the School’s athletics and cross-country teams, and a member of the Ivanhoe Harriers Athletics Club, I have been highly affected from a running standpoint due to the Covid-19 crisis. In a matter of days as the virus quickly became relevant in Melbourne, I went from training with my school and club athletics coach Jeff Franklin and my fellow runners twice a week at Chelsworth Park, to having to do all of my training on my own without the driving presence of the other runners I have become accustomed to training with.
I had already been doing multiple runs a week on my own to go along with the group sessions, but at first it was an overwhelming prospect to have to do all my running alone and away from the great ovals and parkland that we are blessed with while training at Chelsworth. However, due to the amazing leadership and sense of community that the School has provided to its runners, this sense of dread of having to train on my own quickly faded.
My brilliant coach Jeff immediately adapted to the new conditions and began sending all of the runners fully tailored and detailed training programs with everything that was required to keep us fit and ready to race. The leaders of the School's running program Tom Langdon and Josh Phillip along with Mr Branigan, embraced the changes and allowed for the setting up of a school Strava club which allows for us to virtually view each other’s training, and complete challenges set to us by these inspirational leaders.
Originally, my friends and I who are involved in co-curricular activities and sports through the School, were all disappointed at the thought of having to cut ourselves off from others and attempt to continue on our own. Although things haven’t been as good as they would be if the crisis hadn’t occurred, they have been much better than anticipated due to Ivanhoe’s wonderful community and leadership.