There is certainly no time to stop and have a breather … the boys are now well and truly into their new season.

For our strongest athletes, the Athletics Season is short and intense. This will climax at the GPS Athletics Carnival in a couple of weeks when the boys will compete in front of 10 000 spectators. In the mean time, we certainly wish the boys trialling for this GPS squad the best of luck as they spend each of their afternoons preparing for this great opportunity.

For boys not trying out for the athletics squad, summer sports have already started and although we got washed out on Saturday in several of the sports, the weekend before and the mid-week sessions have allowed the boys to get back into the groove of things.

As I wandered around the sports last weekend it was great to see the boys enjoying their summer sport as they tried to impress their new coaches, showing them what they can do.

In the cricket, the boys paired up and had four overs of batting each and some time with the ball. This gave the coaches a chance to see most of the boys in action.

In the tennis, they are already into matches as the boys vie for rank positions against each other.

I wasn’t able to get to all the sports but will certainly be making my way to the basketball next weekend and will hopefully get to see the water polo players in action as well!

The boatshed is a new venue for many of the boys as they take up the challenges of rowing. The excitement in the boys was obvious as they watched their mates give single skulls a go and then had a shot themselves. A few boys were even given the opportunity to go out in a quad – something quite rare for Year 7 boys during their first session on the water.

I have to admit, it was certainly entertaining as several of the boys finished a little closer to the water than they originally would have planned. Lucky for the change in clothes!

It is certainly a long summer season ahead and if the enthusiasm of the boys is anything to go by — it is going to be a cracker!

Pictured in Photo 1: Kurt Young (Burraneer)

Pictured in Photo 2: Nick Kovacs (West Pymble)

It is hard to believe that the winter season is now complete. It feels like only yesterday that the boys headed off to their first training sessions excited about the season ahead. As we look back on the season it has certainly been an incredibly successful one for the boys in both football and rugby. Many teams walk away from the season having won themselves a pennant for going through the season undefeated and there is no doubt that the future of our winter sports is very exciting. We have seen both the A Football team and A Rugby team win pennants and we have seen the true depth of our sport with several other teams doing likewise.

Most importantly though – this season has been an opportunity for the boys to participate in team sports with a new group of boys.

It has been wonderful to witness new friendships forged between boys who didn’t know each other that well before the season. Further to this, the sportsmanship that the boys have displayed throughout the season has been outstanding. They have been positive, showing modesty in their successes and integrity in their defeats. They have certainly learned in only a short time the important characteristics of sport at Joeys and I look forward to seeing them continue this over the coming years.

A huge thank you to all the coaches who have worked with the boys. Many teams organised small gifts for their coaches and this is an indication of the appreciation that the boys have for the time and effort that their coaches have put in.

Pictured in Photo 1: Tom Flitcroft (Epping)

Pictured in Photo 2: Max Taylor (Riverview)

Unfortunately, last Saturday saw most of our boys’ sport washed out due to large amounts of rain on Thursday and Friday and in particular on Friday night. This was a real pity as the boys were very keen to get back out there after such a wonderful week against Kings.

Our 13G team, however, was lucky enough to still be able to play against the Knox 13F team over at the Gillespie fields. The venue was every boy’s dream and every parents nightmare (when considering washing). It was muddy and as far as the boys were concerned … that was great!

In speaking to the coach, Sebastian on Saturday night, he was very pleased with the boys’ efforts and they were able to come away from the match with a 62-0 victory. After a similarly high scoring win the previous week, the boys in the 13Gs are certainly proving tough for each of their opponents.

Leading the points serge on Saturday was Padraig Dempsey (Seaforth) who scored three tries. Also contributing significantly to the points was Ryan Lyne (Roseville) who scored two tries and a conversion as well as Travis Blair (Macksville) and Kurt Wilschefski (Waverley) who each scored two tries. Bayley O’Donnell (Hong Kong), Tom Cullen (Tennyson Point) and Henry Lawler (Dubbo) also scored tries.

When talking to a few of the boys when they arrived back on Saturday afternoon, it was clear that the conditions were certainly challenging but also a lot of fun. Brandon Zhao (Bomaderry) said that it was the first time he had played in the mud and found that predicting the bounce of the ball was difficult. Henry Lawler (Dubbo) commented on how long it took him to get all the mud off both himself and his boots but said that it was definately worth it as it was great fun playing in the mud. Harry Dodd (Tathra) noted that the opposition wasn’t able to get into the Joeys 22 during the game at all and made mention of the strong game that both Kurt Wilschefski (Waverley) andNoah Sunderland (Rozelle) had.

It may not surprise you to hear that all three boys said that the highlight of the day was the massive mud slide that they all did once the game was over!

Well done to the U13G team for doing so well on a day where they were the only ones out there playing.

Pictured in Photo:  Henry Lawler (Dubbo), Lincoln Mooring (Bourke), Harry Dodd (Tathra), Joey Masur (Collaroy), Dom Vickery-Nies (Annandale) and Bayley O’Donnell (Hong Kong).

As we all headed over to Parramatta on Saturday, all the boys were conscious that they would need to play well in their matches if they were going to come out victorious. The boys from Kings always challenge us and it is certainly a fixture which we look forward to each year.

Mother Nature played her part, putting on a beautiful day for us with warmer than usual temperatures and a beautifully clear sky.

When we look back on the day, it was an incredibly successful one for the boys. In football, our 13A team continued their tremendous season with a 3-2 win over their Kings opponents. While the 13B and 13C teams didn’t come out with a victory, their performances and efforts were particularly commendable with the boys very much taking on board what had been discussed at Thursday’s school assembly about pride and never giving up.

In the rugby, we won all 8 Under 13s matches with our boys scoring well over 300 points and only conceding 5. This was quite remarkable and a significant improvement on the trial weekend back in Term 2.  Out on the Doyle fields, it was obvious how much the boys enjoyed the games but also how their effort and determination didn’t dwindle even as some of the scores headed close the ton.

All the boys should be very proud of their efforts on Saturday. The results are an excellent sign of the talent that we have in both football and rugby and I have no doubt that the boys will be able to keep up their efforts for the remainder of the season.

Pictured in Photo 1:  Angus Laing (Randwick)

Pictured in Photo 2:  Sam de Courcy (Greenwich)

One of the great things about Term 1 for me this year has been not coaching a sport. Don’t get me wrong … I love coaching. What has been so good about this term though has been my freedom to get out and watch the our Year 7s playing their own sport. In many respects, this is the best level of sport to watch because while it is competitive, the boys at this age have a genuine understanding about the importance of sport being fun. They appreciate the need for good sportsmanship and they just love getting out with their mates and playing.

Throughout the season I have been able to see almost every Year 7 team play – unfortunately, with the Water Polo being away each week I haven’t seen them in action, however the reports from the coaches have been nothing but positive. Likewise, with the swimming who compete early on Saturday mornings – both Mrs Quinn and Mr Frost have continually give wraps to the boys in Year 7.

For the teams I have seen play, it has been great fun watching them. Not all the results went our way but no matter the score, the boys were always giving it their best effort and showing the utmost respect to their opponents. It was clear as I watched the boys interact with each other that in only a short time as a team, they had bonded so very well.

Last Saturday was the perfect way to finish the season. I ventured over to more familiar ground at the tennis. It had been a few weeks since the tennis had been at home and it was great to see the weather hold out for a beautiful day.

As we alll know, the stories that we can all tell from sport are endless, however, I think it is worth mentioning the efforts of three boys in particular. The first was one of our D players, Jason Baumli (Putney).When I arrived at Jason’s match, he was down 4-1. This, as you would appreciate is a big lead to chase down. What was so impressive about Jason’s game was his composure. He increased his consistency of shots and slowly closed the gap. Despite his efforts, he still later found himself down 5-3 – a point in a match where often the nerves get the better of you. Well, not for Jason. he remained calm, played two deuce games and clawed the score back to 5-5. In GPS Junior tennis, we play the tie-break at 5-all rather than 6-all and I must say, I was a little concerned for Jason’s chances of success when I heard him ask his opponent from Newington “How do you play a tie-breaker?” In his first tie-breaker ever, Jason took an early lead that was never closed in on by his opponent and won an epic affair. It was an awesome win which was characterised by his “Never Give Up” attitude. He was down and almost out … he dug deeper and came away with a fantastic win!

I was talking to his mother after the game and she had mentioned that she had once said to him to play like Federer. Well, Jason did exactly that and was rewarded with the win and the new nick-name “Roger”!

Later in the morning I was fortunate enough to see the 13As play. While the style of tennis is a little different, the attitude that is required to win is exactly the same.

Will Wennerbom (Birchgrove) has been playing as our A1 this season – something that is never easy. He has hada  wonderful season with several wins. Like everyone, he was desperate to finish the season well. In the early stages of the game Will made plenty of un-forced errors – errors that he wouldn’t normally make. Like Jason, he was also down on the scoreboard. Some players at this level will often show a lack of self control and lose their temper … not Will … he stuck at it, grinding away at his opponent and slowly getting his consistency back up. With a couple of superb backhand volleys we started to see Will come into the net a little more – a great sign of confidence. The tides turned and Will took the lead – a lead his opponent never caught up. Another fine performance that epitomised the Joeys traditions … the chips were down so Will knuckeld down, did the hard yards and came out on top for an impressive win.

And one more example of our fine tennis players was Jack Fox (Glebe). If I was to sum up Jack’s game on Saturday and his style of play in general, it would simply be “HARD WORK”. Jack is not a flashy player (although don’t get me wrong he has a couple of weapons up his sleeve) but rather he is a worker. He will play a point out as long as it takes to tire his opponent. On Saturday he did this and as a result finished his season off in the perfect way!

The atmosphere over at the tennis was just so positive. The boys were supporting each other, chatting with coaches and other boys’ parents and put simply … were just so impressive. I can’t think of a more accurate and appropriate way to bring closure to the summer season as I know that across all sport, our boys maintained the highest standards both on their field or court and off them.

Pictured in Photo 1:  Lewis Chan (Randwick)

Pictured in Photo 2:  Jack Fox (Glebe)

Pictured in Photo 3:  Will Wennerbom (Birchgrove)

Pictured in Photo 4:  Matt Curtin (Gordon) and Will O’Leary (Elong Elong)

Written by Dom McDonald (Gerroa)

On the 19^th of March 2010, 4 boys who have set their sights on noble goals embarked on what would turn out to be one of the toughest debates of their lives. The team was made up of Mac Waugh (1^st Speaker), Dom McDonald (2^nd Speaker), Nick McDonald (3^rd Speaker) and James Pope (4^th Speaker).

The team so far in the season had been extremely successful winning 3 from 3 of their last debates and wanting another win, they turned up to the Brother Michael Naughtin Theatre to face up to Knox Grammar in the fourth round of the ISDA competition. They shook hands with the Knox boys and received their topic: “That America has too much influence on Australia”. Joeys was Affirmative and Knox was Negative.

And so both teams moved into their prep room with a tense feeling knowing that this would be a tough debate.

An hour later the Joeboys emerged, pulled on their blazers and were all fired up, ready to stand shoulder to shoulder until the very last man and then entered Room 304 for an exciting debate.

Mac Waugh opened the debate with some perfectly structured statements about how the USA influences us on economic issues, and how the Australian Media is continuously becoming more like the American Media.

Dom McDonald then continued the Joeys case, speaking about political pressure put on Australia by the USA, how the USA influences us through times of war and hardship and how Australia is losing its British Identity because of US influence.

Nick McDonald then concluded the Joeys case by summarising Mac and Dom’s speeches then having some excellent rebuttal against the good cases put forward by Knox.

As the Debate concluded the adjudicator asked us all to wait outside as she made her decision, the minutes ticked passed slower than when you’re sitting in the infirmary all day — after 10 minutes we were invited back in.

The adjudicator stood up and announced that Joeys had won their fourth consecutive debate.

Now the Joeys team is on a roll and is guaranteed into the knockouts if they win next week against St Andrew’s College.

Pictured in order from top to bottom:  Dom McDonald (Gerroa), Mac Waugh (Balmain), Nicholas McDonald (Burwood) and James Pope (Russell Lea)

Over the last few weeks I have been lucky enough to get around and see many of the boys play their competition matches. Only last week, I spoke to the boys at our Division Meeting and commended them on their efforts.

Whether it be in the tennis, cricket or basketball that I have watched (apologies to the water polo players and swimmers who have been away each week) the boys have conducted themselves extremely well. They have been positive, friendly to their opponents and no matter the result, they have maintained an integrity for which they should be very proud.

The results have been mixed and this is always expected. The effort though has been consistently high. I could recount numerous examples that I have seen that have been impressive. A few that stick in my mind include watching Josh Carter (Carlingford) in his tennis match against a boy who was clearly distraught at the number of errors he was making. As the other boy kicked fences and did everything except that which would improve his game, Josh remained focused and came out on top.

In cricket, the sport most commonly affected when rain hits Sydney, I saw numerous teams continue to put in their best efforts despite conditions which at any other venue would have seen the match washed out. In particular the 13Bs had a loss on one of these soaking days … however, as I headed over to see them at the end of the game … you would never have known. They had a great sense of humour about the whole thing and had clearly enjoyed themselves.

Only a week later I ventured across to see the 13Cs Cricket take on Sydney High on College E. Not the largest ground in the world by any stretch of the imagination, this field is usually a batsman’s paradise which often has the Marist Fathers next door ducking for cover. On this day though, it was the bowlers who really had an impact with quite a few of our bowlers finding themselves on hat-tricks. One of the more impressive moments of this game was when our Sydney High opponents were short of fieldsmen. It was wonderful to see the Joeys boys able to join their High counterparts in the field and still give it their best effort, even though they were fielding against their own team-mates. This certainly illustrated that the boys had a wonderful understanding of what sport is all about – participation and fun!

That same week I also had the opportunity to watch the 13E cricket team play on Lower Park. They were in great spirits, despite struggling on the score board, and were clearly enjoying not only their sport but also the company of their team mates. I had to laugh at one stage as a couple of our boys were batting. I was over the other side of the field to the spectators and couldn’t help but notice what the Joeys boys who were not batting were up to. I guess they probably should have been sitting quietly watching their team mates bat, however after a long day in the field this can be difficult. I saw a group of three boys wrestling in one corner of the field and only moments later, boys pretending to eat worms in another corner. Every few balls, these boys would call out something encouraging to their team-mates and then go back to their other activities. What I found great about watching the boys from a distance was how relaxed and happy they were around each other after only a few weeks. It was 12 year old boys at their best!

And in the basketball … a game that I freely admit I know very little about and struggle with the pounding of balls and yelling of coaches … watching the boys across all teams each week has been very enjoyable … and for me to enjoy the basketball is a big call – but I tell no lie when I say that it has been great fun down there. I watched the 13A team come back from being down by 9 points with 7 minutes to go against Shore and to then win by 3 points – their composure and rugged determination was outstanding. Likewise the 13B team against Scots who hung on for a draw with the final basket being scored with 9 seconds to go. And only last week, I greatly enjoyed watching the 13Es who started the game slowly, giving their opponents a large lead but never gave up, scoring 3 unanswered goals during the last 5 minutes of the game. Once again – the never-give-up attitude was evident.

I have seen a lot of things that impress me at Joeys over the years and therefore, sometimes I can probably take much of this for granted. However, every so often you see something that sticks in your mind as special. I saw this on the weekend during both the 13D and 13E basketball games. The E team played first and about halfway through the game I noticed that one of the boys on the side of the court encouraging the boys was Sam McCorkindale – one of the Firsts Basketball Team. As I looked around, I noticed that indeed five of the Firsts had come down to watch the boys play. It would be so easy for the boys in the Firsts to get caught up in their own matches and forget about those around them. Instead though, they took the time to visit the lowest two teams in the school and give them genuine support. For me, this was a great way to sum up Joeys spirit!

Pictured in Photo 1:  Jack Fox (Glebe) playing tennis

Pictured in Photo 2:  13Bs Cricket featuring Mac Waugh (Balmain), Tom Horton (Mosman), Eddie Yee (Paddington), Callum Dwyer (Hunters Hill), Daniel Amasi (Pymble), Julian Chan (Wahroonga), Tom Mulherin (Hunters Hill), Jack Dalton (Eastwood), Max Thomas (Ryde), Malcolm Campbell (Carlingford), Ewan Spinks(Tennyson Point)

Pictured in Photo 3:  Sam Marshall (Mosman), Lincoln Mooring (Bourke) and Andre Bezuidenhout (Castlecrag)

Pictured in Photo 4:  Andre Bezuidenhout (Castlecrag)

Pictured in Photo 5:  Max Warn (Chatswood)

Pictured in Photo 6:  13E Basketball featuring Matt Walker (Paddington), Liam Ford (Hunters Hill), Jack Renshaw (Northbridge), Mitch Frater-Baird (Killara), Dylan Russell (Glebe), Tom Flitcroft (Epping), Harry Mansom (Hunters Hill), Lawrence Lo (Artarmon) and Beau Garland (Hunters Hill)

The College Athletics Carnival yesterday was a wonderful success. I always find this day a very telling day for the boys as we have some events which are compulsory and then we also have some events which are optional. This year I was incredibly impressed with the positive approach of the boys with so many boys opting to go in extra events. Below is a photo of the start of the 800m. There were 8 boys selected to run in this event … as you can see from the photo … there were a lot more who turned up to give it a go. I was so impressed, as I stood at the finish line, to see boy after boy finish the event to the best of their ability.

The boys were all keen to get involved and the only trouble with this was for the organisers who were somewhat un-prepared for the large number of boys who were turning up to each event. All the field events were totally full with Long Jump running very late due to the number of Year 7 boys and in the case of High Jump, the coach who was running this event changed the rules (only four competitors from each colour) in order to accommodate the masses of Year 7 boys who wanted to give it a go. There is no doubt that some of the boys had absolutely no idea what they were doing when they crashed through the high jump bar, however, to see them giving it a go anyway was tremendous!

I mentioned above that I find the athletics carnival very telling … this year was no different. What did I learn? I learnt that we have a group of boys who had the option to do the bare minimum but chose to do more … and this is very impressive.

The White colour house were victors overall in the end and last Friday they had a celebratory lunch. Well done to the boys in White – there is no doubt that many of our Year 7 boys contributed to their success.

Special congratulations should go to Daniel Alessi (Pymble) who finished as the Under 13s Age Champion, earning the most points for his colour. He was closely followed by Tim Clements (Lane Cove) and Ben Williams (Hunters Hill) who cam equal second. These boys received recognition at the College assembly two weeks ago.

Pictured:  Callum Dwyer (Hunters Hill)