By LIAM TWOMEY
TO SAY the competition at Maribyrnong College is tough would be a huge understatement.
The specialised sports school continues to go from strength to strength, as evidenced by its outstanding results at the recent Victorian School Sports Awards.
Maribyrnong had a total of seven students presented with awards which are designed to highlight the best young talent across all Victorian public schools.
School sport director Rob Carroll was rapt for all seven students who were presented with awards.
“We are really starting to feature prominently in the last couple of years,” Carroll said.
“We try and impress upon the students and the parents that only one award is given to a girl and a boy at secondary level across the 16 sports so it is quite prestigious.
“They are basically the best in the government school system across a number of age groups.”
Education Minister Martin Dixon agreed that the Victorian School Sports Awards are the highest sporting accolade in the Victorian government school system.
“The Victorian Coalition Government is proud to acknowledge the achievements of Victoria’s best young school sports stars through the Victorian School Sports Awards,” Mr Dixon said.
“This year 45 outstanding students, and seven parents, teachers and volunteers received Victorian
School Sports Awards.
“Playing sport has so many benefits – keeping students healthy, developing leadership and teamwork skills, and teaching discipline.”
The winners included Andrew Scanlon (hockey), Libby Birch (netball), Nathan Pellissier (table tennis), Andrej Lukic (tennis), Georgiana Ruhrig (tennis), Abbey Trinca (golf), Joelynn Heng Do (golf) and Amelia Mazza-Downie (cross country).
Of the winners, all have been selected to represent Victoria while a number have also pulled on the green and gold for Australia.
There are no plans to slow down for any of the winners or Maribyrnong College, with Carroll believing this batch of winners will also lift other students at the school to peak performance.
“These athletes really are inspiring to other students,” he said.
“They make the message real and believable that kids from Maribyrnong can certainly get these achievements at state and national level.
“I think they inspire particularly the younger athletes. They think, I know that person, I can see them working in the gym. They set the model for their work ethic and the efforts that they put in and the way they go about their business.”
