The first Friday back in Term 3, saw the senior students off to Wodonga to participate in the Winter Sports Carnival. This is an annual event which the students always look forward to. This year we entered teams in AFL, Netball, Hockey, Soccer and Tee-ball. The students and their teachers spent several hours practising the skills needed and learning the rules for their respective games. Having the carnival the first week back was a bit tricky but we managed to get everything organised and the students got a little bit of practise in before the Friday event.

The weather was not looking favourable and we headed off towards Wodonga with some trepidation. One busload of students headed to Netball and Soccer, with Mr Walker, Mrs Gall, Miss Nick and Chez. Mr Forrest was in charge of the AFL teams and Mr Mammone went to Willow Park with the tee-ball players. Miss Dunstan had a keen group of regular hockey players ready to show off their talents.

For the Netball players, it was very rushed getting off the bus and then getting to the first game, as it was to start in 1 minute. The students did a great job of running to the court, while getting the bibs on, dumping their bags and facing their first opposition. After this, we were able to get the rest of the teams organised and relax ever so slightly. The netball was on a tight schedule with only 1 minute in between games and with our 4 teams, Mrs Gall, Miss Nick and the team captains were kept on their toes all day. The team captains showed great leadership on the day – doing a fine job of rotating players and positions and making sure they were on the correct courts at the right time. Well done to the “Bushies” girls who stepped up and played in a higher division. They played well and I think they embraced the challenge. Our students demonstrated some great sportsmanship on the day, offering to fill in for other teams who were short on many occasions.

Over on the soccer pitch, the team had a few wins and a few losses, with everyone seeming to enjoy themselves immensely, despite the frigid weather.

The hockey players outclassed their opposition and it was evident that next year we need to enter our teams into the higher division. All those Saturday games and years of playing under 10’s and 12’s means that we have some classy hockey players. Miss Dunstan reported that the teams were very organised and all knew what they were doing.

The tee-ball teams spent the day at Willow Park with a very full schedule of games. Again it was a case of winning a few, losing a few but no silverware made it back to Beechworth. The AFL games were held at the racecourse which I thought would have been muddy but the players returned looking very clean.

I’d hoped for a quiet trip home on the bus -thinking that all would be tired but no, it was not to be, with some hearty singing and tales from the sporting fields. At least it was warm on the bus and I could start to feel my toes again.