On Tuesday, the 18th of August, the rescheduled TMC Prep to Year 3 Sports Carnival took place. The events that students participated in were soccer, tunnel ball, various running races and the Vortex throw, all of which took place here at TMC. These events gave students an opportunity to show their amazing teamwork, good sportsmanship and skills in fair play. When asked, the students in years 1 and 2 stated that the carnival was extremely enjoyable. Jennifer Smith from Year 2 added that she found it fun “Because I got into the final round and running is really really fun”. When the students were asked for their favourite part of the carnival, the answers were mixed and varied. For some it was the wind in their hair as they ran down the track, for others it was the whine and whirl of the Vortex and again for others it was the joy of teamwork in tunnel ball. The wide range of responses showed there truly was something for everyone.
On the day one of the biggest challenges was tunnel ball. “Tunnel ball [was the hardest] because it was really hard to get the ball and it kept going through my legs.” said Keenan, Year 2. Whilst the carnival had its challenges, it was a great opportunity to learn important lessons. Elizabeth Lake, Year 1, summed up the day’s importance in saying “It's not about winning, you need to be brave and try your best and have fun doing it.”
The event could not have been a success without our wonderful teachers. Ms Anna Ryall, Year 2 and Ms Kathy Hiron, Year 1, both agreed that the most important aspects of carnivals like this are the opportunity for students to develop teamwork, have fun being active and of course being good sportspeople. As much fun as running around and doing activities are, events such as these are important for the teachers also, allowing them to see their students shine outside of the classroom. “[I was proud to see] friends checking on friends and seeing my kids that were scared [to have a go] have a go.” Ms Kathy Hiron. For Ms Ryall, one of the best aspects of the day was seeing, “The leadership shown from bigger [secondary] kids.” The day was a great success for the littlest of students as well. Mr Stuart Fern felt it was, '...great to see the Pe-Preps getting a chance to participate for the first time", and for Ms Tahnee Brown it was, "Wonderful to see the Peps trying something new and not giving up; showing resilience.
For Year 3, this was their last year competing in the junior carnival before next year stepping up into the big leagues. When asked what was the best part of the day for Year 3, Ms Jodi Byron was emphatic in her praise, "It was great for the kids to get the chance to play some organised soccer against each other. It was even better to see them being such great role models for the younger students."
Days like these would not be possible without the effort and coordination of multiple staff and students. We would like to put out a big thank you to Sports Coordinator Mr Andrew O’ Loughlin, the wonderful PE teacher Mrs Courtney Vains, all the primary staff and the brilliant TMC Secondary students.
Hannah Clements and Lily Parker
