We have been working deliberately to raise the profile of sport in the school, and to increase our success in sporting endeavours at our school. This serves to create belonging, engage students, and build character and self‑discipline.
On Friday last, we hosted the District Volleyball Lightning Cup at Melton. The following report is from Mr Johnny Williams, the Primary PE and Sport Teacher.
Our Primary Girls’ and Boys’ teams both found themselves in their respective Grand Finals at the end of a day‑long competition against 10 other local schools. The girls had shown very strong form in the lead‑up matches, advancing into the finals undefeated. The boys were also very solid, dropping just the one game.
In the semi‑finals, the girls took on St. Laurence Primary School, which proved to be very close. Victory was decided by a golden point, as both teams found themselves on 20 apiece. Faith M (Year 6) went back to take the serve, which she thumped over the net, forcing St. Laurence to overhit the pass. The ball popped up for Caitlin A (Year 6), who was waiting in the front court, and to paraphrase the late, great Dennis Cometti, “the stadium held its breath” as Caitlin sprang up and coolly smashed the ball down. Moments later, she disappeared beneath a swarm of ecstatic teammates from both on and off the court.
Melton South Primary School awaited the Heathdale girls in the Grand Final, and it was a tense arm‑wrestle. Both teams surged ahead at different times, only for the momentum to swing back the other way. Towards the end of the match, the scores were locked at 18 points apiece—both teams just three points away from the trophy. Over the next three points, Caitlin seemed to be everywhere on the court, chasing down impossible balls and willing her team across the line to secure the Cup and a place at Division later in the year.
The boys fell just short of replicating the same heroics as the girls, though they gave it absolutely everything. After cruising through the semis against St. Catherine’s, they came up against an undefeated St. Laurence in the Grand Final, who proved too strong. Tears flowed as the boys grappled with the reality of getting within five points of the Cup. Placing second out of 11 schools is an amazing effort—and, in time, I’m sure they will be proud of their achievement once the pain of losing subsides.
In the secondary school, we are currently running the following teams:
Basketball: a Year 11 and 12 Girls’ team, and a Year 11 and 12 Boys’ team
Soccer: a Year 11 and 12 Boys’ team, a Year 9 and 10 Girls’ team, and a Year 7 and 8 Boys’ team
Badminton: a Year 7 and 8 Girls’ team Soccer: a Year 9 and 10 Boys’ team, a Year 9 and 10 Girls’ team, and a Year 7 and 8 Boys’ team
Following the completion of the timetabled season, we will move to our next iteration of sports.
I commend the work of Mrs Diaz as Sports Coordinator, and the staff who are coaching the teams.