Sport News

Over the last few weeks, I have been discussing some of the areas we are looking to make improvements to our sports program over the next 12 months. I have discussed the need for more consistent and uniformed communication, and outlined the sport handbooks, selection policy and calendar so the community knows what we expect, when things happen and how we pick teams. I also outlined the changed model for cricket, in line with basketball and volleyball. I looked at coaching and development and our key performance indicators for sport and also how we are going to work more collaboratively as a whole department.

Universal Calendar

This week I want to focus on a key pillar that will allow us to both develop our athletes in their chosen sport plus allow them to also play other sports as well. First teams will be able to start training 2 terms before their competition term. This will likely be extended squads and may be any combination of technical, tactical, strength and conditioning and team development activities/meetings. The make-up will be sport specific and is not compulsory for every sport. Our A teams will be able to be selected and train in the term before their competition to allow for some development work before the competition and will be a similar mix of activities. Again, these are not compulsory but are available for each sport as they see fit. 

The challenge is presently our teams train at different times and clashes will be a real issue without detailed, collaborative programming. We are definitely not asking boys to chose between sports, we as a department see the massive benefit of boys continuing to play multiple sports for as long as they can. 

The solution is simple in theory, but extremely challenging in practice to organise. Simply, a sport trains in cohorts, so all Year 9 cricketers or rugby players train at the same time. There are multiple benefits to this beyond just this concept. Coaches will see boys in other teams in their cohort, continuity for selection and communication with boys will be easier, better camaraderie within the cohort and replacing absent coaches will be easier, reducing cancelled training sessions are just a few. The challenge is having 15 programs working together to provide a training plan that allows a boy to (for example) play cricket in term 1, while trialling and training for his rugby A team and the in term 2 playing rugby, while trialling and training for basketball. 

The objective is to allow him to do all the sports he wants to do, a sport every term, while developing better skills and understanding for those sports. The second challenge to this model is managing the player workload both physically and academically. We are aiming to introduce an app that allows the boys to very, very quickly (15 seconds) log their training load and check-in with their wellness a couple of times a week. The First XI football squad as a team are trialling it this term, as many play a term 1 sport and play club football. When it is established the aim of the app will be to identify the boys who are multi-sport and have heavy schedules so we can monitor their progress and support them with resources and a modified program where we need to.

As you can imagine, this is extremely complex and a significant change for programs so we will be rolling this out over the next 12 months with a view to 2024 having all sports working under this model.

AIC Competition

I thought it was important to highlight the nature of the AIC competition, what it stands for, how it is organised and how that impacts, positively and negatively on us as a college.

The AIC (Associated Independent Colleges) grew from the TAS competition, starting in 1999. Next year is the 25th year of AIC competition which will see some promotion and activity around this. 

Motto

Learning and growth through sport and competition.

Vision

To develop good and healthy young people of character through sport and competition within a Christian context.

Mission

The AIC will provide well-organised competitions in sport and other activities that foster participant engagement and pride in communities in a holistic Christian context. Our students, staff and families (both past and present) will nurture spiritual, moral, emotional, intellectual, physical, and social development through respectful and compassionate relationships in a safe environment.

The member schools are:

• Iona College
• Padua College
• St Edmund’s College
• St Laurence’s College
• Villanova College
• St Patrick’s College
• St Peters Lutheran College
• Marist College Ashgrove

* Ambrose Treacey College is a guest member, participating in championship sports and byes in weekly competitions as suitable.

The sports involved include:

• Term 1             Cricket, AFL#, Volleyball#, Swimming
• Term 2             Football, Rugby, Chess#, Cross Country#, Golf#
• Term 3             Rugby League#, Basketball#, Tennis#
• Term 4             Track & Field, Water Polo#, Touch*, E-Sports#*

* non-championship, carnival or trial

The obvious benefits to our college are an organised, fully developed program of sports and activities competing against like schools where we can provide opportunities for boys to develop, shine, learn and grow as young men. It has served us well over 24 years and will continue to do so into the future. It does present some challenges for us as well. The biggest is the differing sizes of the schools involved, which leads to inequity in team numbers. I have highlighted to sports that have limited team entries. 

As one of the biggest schools in the AIC, and with a healthy boarding community as well as a day population who value sport as a community, this is a significant challenge for us. I highlighted in week 3 one of the ways we can address the issue, I will not go into detail again here, except to say it is still the firm belief of the college that we want boys playing sport, we will cater for every boy that wants to play in sports that we have opportunity to play, and we will always try and find suitable opposition for every team we have. What does not work is putting our C, D and E teams up against A and B teams from schools outside the AIC competition. We understand the frustration boys and parents feel when byes or internal matches happen but Marist puts forward by far the largest number of teams across the program.

The sports with limited capacity are:

• AFL - 3 each in Year 5 and Year 6; 2 in Year 7, 2 in Year 8, 2 in Year 9/10 combined and 1 open team.
• Tennis - 2 teams per year level
• Rugby League - 1 team per year level
• Volleyball and Basketball - are not restricted in theory but the draw and finding matches means the AIC competition does not go below D level. 
• Water Polo - 3 teams (junior, middle, senior)
• Chess - junior, intermediate and senior A and B
• Golf - 1 team
• E-Sports - 2 teams

The College also participates in hockey in Term 3 with a few other AIC schools in a Brisbane hockey competition. We are exploring other opportunities for boys in Term 3, particularly with a view to having more sporting activities for boys to engage within the second half of the year. 

Student Achievements

Luca Bordginon

Luca has made it through to phase 2 of the You2032 program to identify athletes for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Matching his data to ideal sports data he’s been asked to go into a program for BMX freestyle and Archery. He starts these programs in late November. 

Swimming

Mr James Boyce - Head Coach

Congratulations to all who competed at BSA Relay Championships on Sunday. The MCA Swimming Club came away with many teams finishing in the Top 10.

Special mention to the following teams.

• 9 - 10 Boys Freestyle finishing 9th overall, Matthew Dillane, Cooper Donaghy, Ed Heenan, and Oliver Petrie.
• 12 & U Boys Freestyle coming 2nd Place, Nicholas Osborn, Sam Mapledoram, Thomas Bedggood and Oliver Leigh
• 9 - 10 Boys Medley Finishing 7th, Matthew Dillane, Cooper Donaghy, Jimmy Ryan and Ed Heenan. 
• 14 & U Boys Freestyle Brisbane Champions, Ryan O'Toole, Noah Magoffin, Archer Mellifont and Joshua Mason. Well done to this team, which also equalled the Brisbane Record Holder.
• 14 & U Boys Freestyle Finishing 9th, Max Russo, Isaac Farrelly, Jackson Skinner and Jack Purcell.
• 14 & U Girls Freestyle finishing 6th, Kate Shield, Makenzie Sharpe, Talulah Gooden and Abigail Wild.
• 16 & U Girls Freestyle Finishing 7th, Emily Draper, Molly Flood, Chelsea Adams and Matilda Beehag
• 14 & U Boys Medley Brisbane Champions, Archer Mellifont, Joshua Mason, Noah Magoffin and Ryan O'Toole.
• 14 & U  Mixed Medley Finishing 10th, Isaac Farrelly, Noah Magoffin, Abigail Wild and Talulah Gooden.
• 16 & U Mixed Medley Finishing 6th, Ed Wild, Alex Pedroni, Emily Draper and Molly Flood.