The Catholic Weekly 6 November 2022

SPORT AFTER TWO years of waiting, training, and improving, stu- dents flocked to Sydney Olym- pic Park for the return of the NSW Primary School Sports Association (NSWPSSA) Ath- letics Championships in late October. The two-day action-packed event saw Sydney Catholic Schools make their presence felt after selecting over 80 ath- letes to compete against the best primary school athletes in the state. Competing as part of the Mackillop Team, SCS students sprinted, threw, and jumped their way onto the podiumand collected an array of gold, sil- ver, and bronze medals. The track events were full of crouch starts and blurred legs as all athletes took ad- vantage of the Olympic track and therefore put on a perfor- mance to match. 10-year-old Capri Vincent from St Anthony’s Clovelly won her 200-metre dash with a time of 28.84 seconds, com- ¾ Tasmyn Haynes Students excel in Athletics SCHOOL SPORTS peting against girls from three age pools in the 8-10 Years Division. Capri also collected a silver medal in the Girls’ 10 Years 100-metre sprint. Entering her events as the one to beat, Divine Chukwudi from All Saints Catholic Col- lege Liverpool proved to be the fastest with a time of 13.23 sec- onds in the 11 Years Girls 100 metres, and 27.66 seconds in the 200 metres, being crowned a double champion. Another gold medal for sprinting was awarded to Our Lady of the Annunciation Pagewood student, Ethan Costa, who blitzed the 9 Years Boys’ 100-metre race in 14 sec- onds. Ella Plummer from St John Bosco Engadine was award- ed second place in her 8-10 Years 800-metre race. Patrick McMahon returned to Chris- tian Brothers’ Lewisham with a silver for his 12-13 Years 1500-metre run and bronze for the 800 metres. 8-year-old Nicholas Kondil- ios from Our Lady of the Sa- cred Heart Randwick walked away in third place from his 100-metre sprint. William Bailey from Villa Maria Hunters Hill also re- ceived third for his 200 metres, and Mater Dei Blackhurst’s Olivia Kalamvokis obtained bronze in her 1500-metre run. While SCS athletes dis- played a passion for the track, field competitors made sure their events were not over- shadowed and contributed to The opening ceremony gets underway on the first day of the NSW Primary Schools Sports Association Ath- letics Championships. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED Sutherland (dark blue) take on Cronulla (blue and yellow) in the Senior Boys Volleyball match PHOTO: SUPPLIED Athletes who attended the Conference 2 Primary Touch Football Trials at Greenlees Park got an exciting surprise. Brought in as a guest selector to assess and contribute to picking out young talent was Game Development Officer from NSW Touch, James Galea. The presence of NSW Touch at the Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) trial boosts the prestige of such event and begins to form bridges between the bodies for processes such as talent identification and growth or mentorship. “I look after all Southern NSW school clinics, events, and trials. We are trying to get as many people playing as possible and grow the sport” said James. With both boys’ and girls’ teams of 10 players each chosen, selectors analysed skills and techniques, before observing game play and narrowing down their final picks. “The talent I saw was decent for their age. Everyone seems on track and no one is too far off where they need to be” remarked James. The lucky athletes who will progress to the next level of trials were announced on the day and will battle it out to make it through the Sydney Touch Trials in late November. ¾ Tasmyn Haynes Trials offer a path to next round Sydney Catholic Schools primary teams made their presence felt in State competition ST PATRICK’S College Suth- erland arrived at the Syd- ney Catholic Schools (SCS) Weekly Volleyball Compe- tition with a hunger to win. Wearing their dark blue Straight set for St Patrick’s Sutherland ¾ Tasmyn Haynes NSW TOUCH sports uniform with pride, the Sutherland boys and girls exhibited determination and focus, dominating the courts with a “quick game is a good game” mentality. Round 2 of the SCS Vol- leyball saw the Sutherland Intermediate Girls team go up against Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College Burraneer. With the first set underway, 80 athletes were selected to compete against the best primary school athletes in the state.” When you receive the ball, first person just sets the ball up.” ATHLETICS NSWPrimary School Sports Association (NSWPSSA) Athletics Championships. MACKILLOP TEAM 3rd overall St Patrick’s quickly gained a convincing lead. However, the energy ra- diating from the sidelines at Burraneer’s end filled the sta- diumwith intensity andmade for the closest set of the game. In the breaks between sets, both teams substituted a whole new 6 onto the court which could be perceived as either extreme fairness of play or utilising preconceived tac- tical combinations. In true elite-sportsman nature Sutherland spent the time between sets practicing their skills and honing their shots. Without dropping a set, Sutherland were victori- ous in the Intermediate Girls game, always reaching 15 points before their opponents could crack a double digit score. Attention then turned to the Senior Boys match where De La Salle Catholic College Cronulla took on St Patrick’s Sutherland. Although Sutherland were off to a strong start, Cronulla Coach Paul Walker was ada- mant that his boys fight to the finish and not let their heads fall. His expert volleyball ad- vice was: “if you feel like you the Mackillopmedal tally. Max Israel from St Aidan’s Marou- bra came second in his Long Jump event, Lucas Ajaka from St Kevin’s Eastwood finished second in the 11 Years Boys’ Shotput and Beau Rootsey made St Mark’s Drummoyne proud with his bronze in the Senior Long Jump. Multi-class athletes Hud- son Wan from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mount Prich- ard and Paulina Alyas from St Gertrude’s Smithfield also dis- played excellence. 9-year-old Paulina collected a second in the 8-10 Years 200 metres and third in the 100 metres, while Hudson finished third in his Junior 100-metre race. The Mackillop Team fin- ished the event third over- all. Those successful at the NSWPSSA Athletics Champi- onships will now be gunning for the School Sport Australia Track and Field Champion- ships to be held in Brisbane in November. haven’t got enough power, walk forward and step into it.” “When you receive the ball, first person just sets the ball up. You’ve got 3 shots to get it over, don’t try and hit it back straight away” said Paul. Cronulla worked hard for every point, however Suther- land proved too powerful and walked away from the battle triumphant. The SCS Volleyball Compe- tition promises weekly show- downs and competitive spirit. After St Patrick’s College Suth- erland’s domination of Round 2, it seems as though their journey has only just started. VOLLEYBALL Intermediate Girls: St Patrick’s College Sutherland WINNERS Senior Boys: St Patrick’s College Sutherland WINNERS 2-0 2-0