Athletics Carnival Builds Community – Jennifer Oaten
- August 6, 2021
Watching the women’s 400m Olympic hurdles which went ahead in heavy rain in Tokyo this week, and the subsequent injury to one of the hurdlers, I was so grateful for the glorious sun that shone down on us at the State Athletics Centre for our 2021 House Athletics Carnival.
Twenty buses transported nearly 1280 students from Years 5 – 12 to the venue, ready for a great day of friendly rivalry and quiet competitiveness. The Houses competed in track and field events and showed tremendous spirit working together in the team events. The carnival is a great example of our strong sense of community where students, staff and parents come together to enable athletes to demonstrate their talents.
It was great to see the Year 12s, especially the very colourful House Captains supporting the younger girls, cheering them and giving great encouragement to those further back in the field. They clearly demonstrated our Mercy values.
Our Year 7s shared these comments with me.
"I really enjoyed the Athletics Carnival because everyone was supporting their House, and there was always someone there to help you out if you did not know where you had to go. I am in O’Donnell House, and I was in the 100m sprints and the baton relay, as well as two novelty events. I came 2nd in my sprint, and we got disqualified in the relay. Overall, O’Donnell came 7th, but we all still had a really good day."
"The Athletics Carnival was super exciting, and I loved the races. The best part was that Kelly won!"
It was great to see girls achieving personal bests, filling places when others were absent and giving their absolute best in all events. The Year 5s running the 100m in front of a big crowd and our Year 7s competing in the shot put and javelin for the first time showed great courage. The 4x100m relays provided an exciting finish as all Houses competed for the final points. The Year 12s saw their last carnival as a great opportunity to ensure they gave 100% support to each other and their House in every event.
Our House Captains and House Coordinators played a vital role in organising participants from their Houses. Thanks must go to our superb team of PE teachers who, under the leadership of Emma Wood, ensured the carnival ran smoothly, despite some challenges with technology.
Congratulations to Kelly House, who won the Athletics trophy for 2021. They were very consistent, gaining places across track and field and team events.
The Results
- Kelly
- Dillon
- O’Reilly
- Corbett
- Frayne
- Byrne
- O’Donnell
- de la Hoyde
Hopefully, one day in the future, possibly at the Brisbane Olympics in 2032, we will see one of these talented athletes join the Santa Maria College Alumni Olympians list, which includes Annabelle McIntyre and Leah Parry, who just returned from the Olympics in Tokyo.
- Featured
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.