The Olympic water polo goals of secondary students from Sydney Catholic schools have taken another leap forward.
A real squad effort saw six teams of Year 7-12 students from the Archdiocese of Sydney come away with wins at Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) first Water Polo Championships at Ashfield Aquatic Centre.
Sport, however, was the real winner with all 200 competitors demonstrating excellent sportsmanship and determination over the course of a dull rainy day.
“It was inspiring seeing the enthusiasm and camaraderie of our young rising stars on display here today [7 April], pushing each other to excel to the best of their ability in adverse weather conditions,” SCS’ Manager Pre to Post Sport, Damien Kerr, remarked yesterday.
“Here’s the magic of teamwork; the players were able to consistently find ways to buoy each others’ spirits and excel despite the weather challenges.”
The path to Olympic glory
Four boys’ and six girls’ secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Sydney are currently part of Sydney Catholic Schools’ inaugural Thursday afternoon inter-school water polo competition, which includes congregational school, Rosebank College Five Dock.
Sydney Catholic Schools’ 2022 participating schools are:
- Brigidine College Randwick
- Domremy College Five Dock
- Holy Cross College Ryde
- St Clare’s College Waverley
- Marist College Eastwood
- Marcellin College Randwick
- Marist Catholic College North Sydney
- Marist Sisters’ College Woolwich
- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Kensington
- Trinity Catholic College Auburn/Regents Park
A proud moment in history
SCS’ new Thursday afternoon inter-school sport competition launched on 10 February 2022, with 38 schools across 256 teams in 27 different Sydney venues.
For the first time in Sydney Catholic Schools’ history every secondary school student was given the opportunity to compete against their peers in an organised conference format that will culminate in a Sydney wide championship final each season.
“We have built this new Catholic sporting competition so that every student, in every one of our schools, has opportunities to compete at a level which challenges them,” Mr Kerr said.
Forging partnerships
Since launching in February, Sydney Catholic Schools’ new inter-school water polo competition has fostered new partnerships between Sydney Catholic schools and local water polo clubs, such as UTS Balmain Water Polo Club and Drummoyne Water Polo Club.
The partnerships allow students who already play water polo to represent their school in the sport, while giving first-timers the opportunity to also join in the aquatic fun.
With opportunities like these, Mr Kerr is quietly optimistic SCS’ weekly inter-school water polo competition will only gain in popularity, especially as we enter the hotter months.
“I’m very excited the students are being afforded this new opportunity” – Damien Kerr
“Seeing the excitement as they jump in and out of the pool and as they are excelling – in some cases in a new sport – is just great,” Mr Kerr said.
“There are students playing here today who will make state teams,” Mr Kerr forecasted.
About water polo
Best described as a combination of swimming, handball, football, rugby and wrestling, water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each.
The game consists of four quarters in which the two teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team’s goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins the match.
Participation in water polo has many benefits, from building up bodily strength and stamina to building powerful communication skills as a leader.
Water Polo results
Click on the button below for the full Water Polo Championships results.
A round of applause for Emily
Among the standout athletes at the Water Polo Championships was Domremy Catholic College goalkeeper and Year 7 student, Emily Broadbent.
Domremy goalie, Emily Broadbent.
In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment Emily collected a gold medal in the Junior Girls Final and then jumped back in the pool to offer support to Domremy’s Intermediate Girls team in their final.
Emily didn’t find out until after the game, while picking up her silver medal in the Intermediate Girls Final, that she’d picked up a Best Player medal in the Junior Girls Final.
Humble in victory, she said it felt “pretty good” to collect three medals at Sydney Catholic Schools’ first Water Polo Championships.
Emily, who has been playing water polo since she was eight, said defending the goal against older opponents in the Intermediate Girls Final posed some challenges.
“They have stronger shooting,” Emily said.
Asked if the rainy conditions affected her game, Emily said not really, adding “It was warmer in the water, but it’s always better to play in the sun.”
AUTUMN SEASON CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Water Polo Championships was one of three championships held today as part of SCS’ inaugural Autumn Season Championships.
The Autumn Season Championships 2022 also included Touch Football at Christie Park in Macquarie Park and Basketball at Bankstown Basketball Stadium in Condell Park.
Excitingly, all three events were live streamed, to ensure our viewers won’t miss a thing.
To watch all the live action from the day, use the menu bar in the top right-hand corner of the video player below:
