THOMAS Lane, Jock McDonald and Lachlan McDonald have swum, run and paddled their way out of their comfort zones and into the history books as the first recipients of a new award at The Armidale School recognising endurance and challenge.
The TAS Triple Crown recognises those who have successfully completed the two-kilometre Coffs Harbour Ocean Swim, the 14km City to Surf run and the 115km overnight Hawkesbury Canoe Classic during their secondary years at the school. If all three events are completed in a single calendar year, they are eligible for the Gold Triple Crown.
While each event has been part of the TAS adventure calendar for many years – this year was the school’s 35th in the Hawkesbury – the award recognises the qualities each event shares in encouraging boys to strive beyond their expectations.
“The TAS Triple Crown is an award which aims to espouse the values of determination, resilience and aspiration among our students,” said teacher Jim Pennington, who is in charge of athletics and triathlon at TAS.
“All events are individual entry only and require the boys to train significantly beforehand. The unique variety of fixtures means that this award is open to all boys, not just those for whom sport is central,” he said.
Tom is a Year 11 boarder from Inverell, while twins Jock and Lachlan, in Year 10, are from Hong Kong.
The boys were presented with their awards at a formal school assembly on Tuesday.
“This is a significant achievement, one that is deserving of high praise and I commend them highly,” Mr Pennington said.
