After several solid weeks of pre-season training and holiday preparation, the official Cross Country season finally got underway on Saturday, at the Waverley/St Aloysius’ Teams Relay event at Upjohn Park, Rydalmere.
A full team of excited Waverley boys headed out west for a classic wet and slippery meet. This season’s starting, relay format, initiated by Mr Roff, involved junior, intermediate and senior relay teams of four boys, each doing a 2km single loop of the park, and returning to the start/finish area to tag with the next runner.
With all No. 1 runners across each of the three age groups heading out together from the start line, it was a real stampede, but quickly thinned out as the pack headed out across the undulating and twisting course. With the combined GPS/CAS and several independent and girls’ schools attending, there was a big crowd of cheering parents/carers and teammates, and a real buzz around the start/finish area.
Waverley teams in all three age divisions performed strongly, and while we didn’t bring home any bling this week, there were some strong individual performances across the board – which is encouraging for the season ahead. The Open team finished in 7th, the intermediate team in 10th, and the junior team in 6th.
Look out for more results in the weeks to come as the racing increases from this week’s relatively short sprint distance of 2km, up to the regular season standards of 8, 6 and 4k across the age groups.
Image: Courtesy Anthony Sork
A big shout out to Mr Newbury (TAS Department), for the creation of our medallions, that allowed us to present the podium teams in each age group with their hard-fought medals to take home.
Another shout-out to all the parents/carers who made the trip out to Rydalmere – thank you for the support. We hope you can all make it along next Saturday, 6 May at our local Centennial Park circuit around Mackay Oval for more exciting racing action.
Waves to Win!
Campbell Groves and Hugo Morgan (Co-Captains 2023)
Waverley College Cross Country
The season has kicked off for the AFL teams at Waverley College in exciting fashion last weekend, highlighted by Friday Night football at Bat and Ball Oval against Newington.
Our 9/10 Division 1 and 1sts teams came up against extremely strong competition and were unfortunately, defeated. Both teams played some exciting football and have a lot to look forward to this season. Newington look to have raised the bar an extra notch in 2023 and will be tough competition in all age groups.
On Saturday, we had teams travel to Bat and Ball Oval, Macquarie University Oval and Rofe Park, to take on teams from Newington, Barker and Trinity. Conditions were tough throughout the day, with a lot of rain falling. This made the large victories in the 7/8 Division 1 and Division 3 games, very impressive. Our 7/8 Division 2 team went down narrowly by one point to Trinity’s A team, playing some great football throughout the game. A strong performance across the age group for round 1.
In other games, our 9/10 Division 2 team and Open 2nds also played against Newington, our opponents on Friday night. Newington were able to clean sweep the fixtures against us for the weekend with the boys fighting hard in their games.
In all teams there were great signs for round 1 and plenty to look forward to this coming weekend.
Waves to Win!
*Players need to arrive at the grounds no later than 30 minutes before the match is scheduled (or at the time advised by their coach), to ensure that teams have a thorough warm up.
Please ensure that you have full AFL playing attire, including a mouthguard for your games and that you are training in Waverley AFL attire or PE uniform. Other clothing is not acceptable.
Please make sure that you have a medical certificate for any absences from training or games. The easiest way to log absences is on the Waverley College app in Absences. Please log these as early as possible to allow the coaches to be notified by the convenor.
This weekend we will have 6/7 of our Senior School teams playing back-to-back all day at Pioneers Park. Please come along to support the boys and stay for some great social interaction with other families at the ground. We will be running a BBQ as we did last Friday night. See the above poster for team fixture times.
On Monday, 1 May, Waverley’s Year 12 SLR classes had an unforgettable opportunity to learn to surf at Bondi Beach, just down the road from the College. The excursion was an excellent way to start Term 2 and introduce students to a thrilling new sport that some of them had never tried before.
Upon arriving at Bondi Beach, the students were greeted with perfect surf conditions, warm water, and blue skies. After a quick introduction from the experienced and knowledgeable surf instructors at ‘Let’s Go Surfing,’ the students hit the water. The instructors provided step-by-step instructions on how to ride the waves safely, and with some practice and guidance, the students were quickly standing up on their boards and riding the waves like pros.
The excursion was not only a fun experience, but it also had significant educational benefits. Surfing is an excellent way to stay active and healthy and requires balance and coordination, skills that can be transferred to other areas of life. Students learned about rips, tides, and wave types, the importance of water safety, and the value of perseverance and determination when learning a new skill.
One of the most memorable moments of the day was seeing the smiles on the students’ faces when they successfully stood up on their board and felt the power of the waves behind them.
Overall, the excursion was a huge success, and we would like to thank the students for participating and showing respect to the instructors and the public while out in the surf. We hope that these students will continue to practise surfing in the future and enjoy the many benefits that come with this fantastic sport/activity.
Waverley College are pleased to announce that Rugby skills sessions will now be available for all students. Please find below the days and times for each session:
Click here to view the Fixtures
Welcome back to all students, parents and carers to Term 2, and the commencement of our full winter activities program. We have our first full round of co-curricular fixtures this weekend.
Congratulations to our Cadet Unit who proudly represented us at the Coogee and Waverley Council Services on Tuesday for ANZAC Day, and at our own school service on Monday.
Thank you to all students who have engaged in all training sessions this week and during the holidays in preparation for the upcoming winter co-curricular fixtures. A reminder to all parents/carers and students, that selections are not final and remain fluid for the entire season. Coaches will continue to make selections and changes after this weekend. All students are also required to reserve the fixture following their own, where appropriate.
It is essential that all students are fully attired in the correct playing gear, and that they arrive at each fixture a minimum of 30 minutes prior to the start of each match.
Any student who requires leave for a weekend fixture, must ensure that a request is submitted as early as possible before a weekend. Any absence due to injury or illness will require a medical certificate.
When students are supporting the 1sts or other teams, they should be dressed in full PE sports uniform or school uniform.
A reminder to all students that the school hoodies can only be worn to training and sporting fixtures and must not be worn at any time whilst at school. The College PE jacket and hoodie are at no stage to be worn with academic attire.
All players, parents/carers and spectators are reminded about the importance of sportsmanship and respect for the opposition and officials. All stakeholders are bound by the CAS Codes of Conduct for respect of officials and the opposition, and must follow staff instructions at each venue.
Click here to view the CAS Code of Conduct on the CAS website
A big thank you to all the students, staff and coaches involved in a wide range of activities over the holidays. We had training and activities for Volleyball, AFL, Track & Field, Cadets and the Rugby and Football tour to Japan. Many students and staff gave up a lot of hours in their holidays in preparation for Term 2.
Congratulations to these students who successfully completed the Adventure Training Award: WO2 Luca Patrick-Watkins; SGT Jack Ryan; SGT Jett O’Halloran; SGT Charles Thompson-Owens.
Congratulations to Jake McEvoy who won the intermediate show jumping program at the state interschools championships.
We had a large number of students represent the College at the recent 2023 Australian Junior Championships. The following students competed: Evan Rowbotham; Jack Richardson; Alexander Bissell; Ryan McNamara; Asher Asher Thomasyu; Evan Rowbotham and Ricardo Zanapalis.
Top 3 placings: Men 4x100m U14 Final: 1st NSW (Ryan McNamara 1st leg) 47.22s; Men 1500m U14 Final: 2nd Evan Rowbotham 4:18.68; Mixed 4x200m Relay U14 Final: 1st NSW (Alexander Bissell 4th leg) 1:42.42.
Congratulations to Alexander Bissell and Evan Rowbotham who had some very strong performances at the Little ‘A’ Championships: U13 200m Hurdles Prelims: 3rd Alexander Bissell 27.86s; U13 800m Final: 2nd Evan Rowbotham 2:09.33; U13 1500m Final: 1st Evan Rowbotham 4:32.95.
These students competed for South Maroubra SLSC: Ned Panlilio; Owen Lloyd-Jones; Owen Roorda and Ryan McNamara. They achieved some excellent results. Relay Team Results: 1st U13/14 Medley Relay; 1st U13/14 Obstacle Relay; 2nd U13/14 Brick Carry Relay.
Congratulations to all of these students.
We also presented our Winter co-curricular captains and 1sts teams this week at the Winter Co-curricular assembly on Thursday. Well done to the following students on their appointments as captains:
AFL: Vasili Vertsonis – Captain; Sam Stewart – 1sts Captain
Debating: Harrison Rimell – Captain
Football: Jett McTavish – Captain; Charles Hely-Hammond – 1st Captain
Rugby: Felix Turinui – Captain; Jonas Dowling – 1sts Captain
Tennis: Charlie Farrington – Captain
Cross Country: Hugo Morgan – Captain; Campbell Groves – 1st Captain
Volleyball: Anderson Franulovich – Captain; Sean Foley – 1st Captain
Table Tennis: Lenny Joseph – Captain
Chess: Mitchell Marsh – Captain; Jamie Khov – 1st Captain
Judo: Paul Muir – Captain
Sailing: James Birbas – Captain
Welcome back to Term 2!
I would like to welcome all members of the Waverley College community back to Term 2. I hope all enjoyed a terrific Easter break and are looking forward to what looks to be an exciting few months ahead of schoolboy rugby.
Please click the button below to view the 2023 Rugby Season Guide. This guide covers all the information players and families need to be familiar with as we head into the season. Information includes the 2023 Season Draw, Training Schedules, Code of Conduct and Player Expectations. This guide also provides information on how parents can be involved on the Rugby Supporters Club.
Click here to view the 2023 Rugby Season Guide
The weekend Waverley College will meet Newington College in our first rugby trial fixtures for 2023. Our 13s, 16s and Opens teams will play at Queens Park, while our 14s and 15s teams will be playing at Stanmore on the Newington Fields. Please note that our 14Cs will be playing against St Augustine’s at Pittwater on Saturday afternoon (as Newington does not match up with the number of teams we have in this age group).
Please note that team lists and fixtures will be updated on the Waverley College app on Thursday evening.
*Players need to arrive at the grounds no later than 30 minutes before the match is scheduled, to ensure that teams have a thorough warm up. Players must ensure they have the correct playing gear, including a mouthguard.
With rain scheduled for Saturday, all players should always assume that matches will go ahead unless you hear otherwise. If there are any cancellations or ground closures the Co-Curricular Team will communicate this to the community through the Waverley College app as soon as we can.
Are there any weekends you might be able to assist on the Queens Park Canteen and BBQ this season? We would love your support!
If any parents, carers and friends are free to assist at any stage this season during home games between the hours of 7:15am to 4pm, please register your interests on the 2023 Online (SignUp.com) Roster: https://signup.com/go/ifQdmDq
Thank you for your support in advance!
Over the holidays, a group of 65 senior students and 10 staff had a fantastic opportunity to travel overseas for the 2023 Japan Football and Rugby Tour. The group had such an incredible experience not only playing against some quality opposition, but learning a great deal about Japanese culture.
Tour highlights included visiting the Hiroshima Peace Park, Osaka Castle, sightseeing in Kyoto, Mt Fuji, watching J-League/Japanese Rugby matches, the School Exchange Program, experiencing the busy streets of Tokyo, and the sights of Singapore.
Further to this, a group of Junior School students were involved in the country trip to Armidale. The Armidale School Rugby Carnival is always an exciting time away, and from all reports, the tour will certainly help prepare our younger representatives in the Junior School for the season ahead.
A huge thanks to the staff involved who gave up their holidays so that our students could enjoy these unforgettable life experiences. Thanks also to the parents/carers who travelled and supported our boys on the sidelines.
Good luck to all teams this weekend in your trial matches against Newington.
Waverley to win!
Snowsports are open to all students from K-12 to compete, regardless of their level of ability. All competitors must be able to execute link turns and ride a chairlift/T-bar confidently, prior to competing in the championships.
Events include Alpine, Skier Cross, Moguls, Snowboard GS and Snowboard Cross.
*Entries open 15 May 2023.
This occurs during school holidays and so no time off school is required.
Families are responsible for making their own travel and accommodation arrangements, as well as purchasing lift passes, ski hire and equipment.
No College uniform is required.
If your son is interested in competing and would like to register for the event, or you need more information, please email our parent volunteer and school co-ordinator, Paula McCabe pmccabe@pmclegal-australia.
Welcome back to Term 2 and the beginning of the AFL season this weekend. I would like to thank the boys who attended training over the school holidays. These sessions were extremely beneficial before starting the season. Thank you to Cooper O’Donnell and Toby Renshaw who assisted me with these sessions.
I would like to invite you all to join us at Bat and Ball Oval in Moore Park on Friday night to support the 9/10As and 1sts. The Supporters’ Group will be running a BBQ fundraiser. We are hoping for a big crowd to cheer the mighty Blue & Gold against Newington.
If you are yet to, could you please download the Waverley College app and subscribe to AFL. On the app there are many links to important season information including the google slides which has all season correspondence and will be updated weekly.
If you would like to opt in for communications with your son’s parent team manager, please join the corresponding WhatsApp group below:
7/8A: Daniella Strbac https://chat.whatsapp.com/BZ0sWrK89Jz2wAvVjeX1fM
7/8B: Sally Wilson https://chat.whatsapp.com/KPaYRlutDke1VbeVonG5Hw
7/8C: Peta Chew and Tracey Dawes-Lucas https://chat.whatsapp.com/CAojVO2BkwpEN1U7TjeTTl
9/10A: Camille Owen https://chat.whatsapp.com/Fa97CLw2A310Rc2PEPP1he
9/10B: James Lennon https://chat.whatsapp.com/KprkZV6FoDpEIDPWg2ucdq
1sts: Gina Dametta and Tina Dempsey https://chat.whatsapp.com/GBgKjzyWv9V6cNBQaFDnFW
2nds: Looking to appoint https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHudSwp8YTSG5vZFochmJm
Next Saturday will be our first official home game for 2023. We have three allocated games at Pioneers Park this season. The Supporters’ Group will run a BBQ and set up a Waverley marquee area to invite all supporters to socialise and cheer for the six Waverley teams that will be playing throughout the day. I look forward to seeing many of you there.
Please ensure that you check the Waverley College app for the Terms 2 and 3 training schedule, as some of the training times have changed from Term 1. Fixtures can be found on the Waverley app.
We have an extremely exciting couple of weeks ahead to start the season. I look forward to meeting many of you along the way. Good luck to all of our teams this weekend.
Waves to win!
Following a long and gruelling season (September 2022-April 2023) resulting in many stellar performances, a small contingent of Waverley’s finest young Track & Field prospects descended on Brisbane’s QSAC facility for the Australian Junior Championships.
All our boys represented their respective athletic clubs as part of the NSW team in outstanding fashion. It was a privilege to watch the next generation of talent be rewarded for all their hard work over the summer.
Below are the results from a busy four-day program. I would like to congratulate Alexander Bissell, Asher Thomasyu, Evan Rowbotham, Jack Richardson, Ricardo Zanapalis, Ryan McNamara, and also acknowledge Vaidas Levi who made the team, but was unable to compete due to injury.
Check out their awesome results below.
Heat 1 of 2
2nd Evan Rowbotham 2:11.22 Q
Heat 3 of 3
8th Jack Richardson 2:05.08 (24th Overall)
Heat 1 of 2
3rd Ryan McNamara 12.55s Q
5th Alexander Bissell 12.62s q
6th Ryan McNamara 12.47s
8th Alexander Bissell 12.61s PB
1st NSW (Ryan McNamara 1st leg) 47.22s
Heat 1 of 2
2nd Alexander Bissell 56.50s Q
Heat 1 of 2
5th Ryan McNamara 26.11s
Heat 2 of 2
3rd Alexander Bissell 25.45s =PB
6th Alexander Bissell 25.57s
Heat 1 of 2
4th Asher Thomasyu 1:59.13 (9th Overall)
4th Evan Rowbotham 2:07.78
2nd Evan Rowbotham 4:18.68
4th Alexander Bissell 57.06s
7th Ricardo Zanapalis 6.43m
1st NSW (Alexander Bissell 4th leg) 1:42.42
Section 1
6th Asher Thomasyu 4:15.29 (19th Overall)
Mr Partick Darvill
Director of Co-Curricular
Mr Jeremy Roff
Track & Field Head Coach
Last Thursday, the College celebrated the Summer Co-curricular Activities Awards. The students and teams have stood tall throughout the first full summer season in three years. It was great to be able to see a large number of students take to the stage and be recognised.
Click here to view the full list of award winners
I want to wish all members of the College community a Holy and happy Easter break. I also want to remind all students and parents/carers that our Term 2 co-curricular activities commence from day one of next term.
Tuesday, 25 April (ANZAC Day) and Wednesday, 26 April (Parent-Teacher interviews) are pupil-free days, so it is imperative all students on the Monday are at their selected activities. We commence our first full round on Saturday, 29 April.
During the upcoming holiday break we have a number of students involved in touring groups. Our Junior School will be sending a group to participate in The Armidale School Rugby Carnival which will be held on the final weekend of the school holidays.
From the Senior ranks, we will also have a group touring Japan (Football and Rugby Tour). This tour will run over two weeks, and involved four fixtures against Japanese schools.
To follow both tours, we keep an eye on the Waverley College app for news and updates!
We wish all the touring students the very best for an enjoyable and safe time away. We also thank all the staff who are giving up their holidays and time away from families to support our touring groups.
A reminder that training will commence for 13s, 14s and 15s teams in Term 2 on Monday, 24 April. On Thursday, 27 April our 16s and Opens teams will commence training. These are extremely important sessions to prepare teams for the fixtures against Newington on Saturday, 19 April against Newington.
As mentioned, this will very much be a trial fixture as we work to ensure students are graded into appropriate teams. Trial teams will be posted on the Waverley College app in Week 1 of Term 2.
To provide an outline for the upcoming season, please click the button below to view the 2023 Season Draw. This lists the schools we are scheduled to play each week, and a rough guide as to where certain age groups will be playing each week (i.e. Home (Queens Park) or Away).
Click here to view the 2023 Season Draw
*I encourage players and parents/carers to keep an eye on the weekly fixtures to confirm specific playing venues and times.
As some schools might not have as many teams as we do at Waverley, some teams may have matches against different schools to those listed.
Wishing all Waverley College families the best for a safe and enjoyable Easter holiday.
Waverley to win!
It has been a big Term 1 at the College and a huge Term 1 for the AFL Program. The AFL Supporters’ Group are doing a fine job of creating an inclusive community for all boys and supporters for the upcoming season. Vision and mission statements for the future of the sport at Waverley College will be available for viewing in the coming weeks.
I would like to thank the coaches for all of their hard work over the past few weeks with trials. Myself and the coaches have spent hours on these selections, which were extremely difficult. Week-to-week selections will be based on performance, so continue to strive for the team you want to play in. Teams are posted on the Waverley College app in the AFL section of Co-Curricular.
Please ensure you check the updated training schedule for Term 2 as this will be different to the schedule in trials for some age groups. You can find these on the Waverley app.
A strong squad of 25 players has been selected + two players to train with this squad for the season. I would like to congratulate these boys for the hard work that many of them have been putting in since October last year. The squad have played two trial games already, and have been impressive in the delivery of game style that the coaches have been working hard on.
Trial game 1 was played against UTS under 19s. This was a difficult match as we had half a team who were three to four years younger than their opponents. Our young boys nearly pulled off an upset victory and played to a very high standard.
Trial game 2 was played against Cranbrook in pouring rain. The boys adapted quickly and turned an early deficit into a comfortable three-goal victory. We were able to show our capability of adapting to conditions that do not suit our exciting style of play. Another very impressive outing.
The boys will continue to train throughout the holidays and will hopefully have another trial game against Cranbrook on Friday, 21 April before taking on heavyweight Newington on Friday, 28 April at Bat & Ball Oval in Moore Park. I am calling on all members of the Waverley College community to support the boys on 28 April and to bring the Waverley spirit to help us get over the line.
Well done on being involved in an exciting time for the sport at Waverley College. I hope you all have a fantastic break and look forward to hitting the ground running in Week 1 next term.
Waves to Win!
We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional Custodians of the land on which Waverley College is located. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters, seas and sky and their rich contribution to society.
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