Secondary Sport

Sports Update

Unfortunately due to COVID-19, it has been confirmed that no competitive Sports fixtures will take place during Term 2. Our sporting associations and governing bodies will continue to review the situation and provide updates when sporting competitions will commence again. It is expected that any return to competition will have to be staged and allow for a grace period for schools and clubs to trial and train students adequately for any season.

A decision will be handed down by Snow Australia on the regional, state and National Interschools Snowsports competition on 21 April. After which we will confirm the details of our Snowsports program for 2020.

We are constantly reviewing the situation and will continue to provide a range of alternative online and digital sports programs to ensure students remain engaged in the Redlands sporting community and learning experiences it provides. I would like to thank the work of our staff and coaches in being resilient and flexible during this time.

Run With It!

School Cross Country races are almost as old as time. From whence schools began we can all remember that idea of getting marshalled at a start with an unknown number of your peers and bolting off at the sound of a gun. If you were anything like me, you would tend to sprint the first 100m on pure adrenalin before realising that you have gravely underestimated the distance of the run.

However, it has been an uphill battle to get large numbers of adolescents to willingly embrace the concept of a maximal effort run, knowing the physical pain and exertion that would be required. Many parents can probably still recall their experience of compulsory running at school, but few do so with unbridled enthusiasm.

It is possible to judge the athletic culture of a school from its annual Cross Country event. Schools tend to experiment with different formats to find the right fit that might suit the school’s culture and eliminate at least some of the accompanying angst. Shorter courses with varying point score systems are all done to sweeten the deal for students. With all major school events, it is a fine line between a higher participated event and a pantomime.

It is ironic that running has become extremely popular in the general community. Park runs, running apps and charity runs have all created a strong culture of recreational running in Australian society. So much so that, along with walking, it has become the most hightly participated physical activity as reported in the Aus Sport data (2019). So, it can’t be that running is obsolete in the 21st century. These activities attract a full range of abilities and ages from young and old and beginner to advanced.

Why is it difficult to build this culture of running? Perhaps it is necessary to look beyond the Cross Country event and examine the place of running within education. We should consider how running is creatively taught, used and a level of appreciation is built around it. Running is one of the most basic primal human movements we can engage in and teaching our students to appreciate this is where the sweet spot lies. In a world of instant gratification and ever increasing complexity, perhaps it is time we embrace the simple and the basic. If this is done, the trepidation of running can give way to a wider level of enthusiasm. The challenge is to promote the concept that running can be for everyone. Within that, racing can be for a few.

As we deliver a 2020 virtual Cross Country Carnival this week, students should be reminded that at this time more than ever, focusing on what we have and what we can do is more important than what we don’t have and what we can’t do. We have two legs, a heart and a set of lungs. Use them and appreciate what your own body can achieve. We are all born to run!

The Carnival is a 5km competition through Strava where students can log a 5km run/jog/walk to receive House points. Students (or parents) can complete the run in between Wednesday 1 April and Sunday 5 April. Click here for instructions on how to take part in the virtual Cross Country Carnival.

Secondary School Sport iLearn

A reminder that students can all access recorded sport specific fitness sessions (done through Zoom) on Ilearn. These are accompanied by hard copies of the fitness sessions if students wish to follow via a paper copy. Our coaching staff have also created a range of videos on necessary skills and drills for sports that students can practice in the comfort of their backyards or at a local park. Students and parents are encouraged to look through this page to see the range of physical activities and sports students can complete at home.

Redlands Sport Podcast

Starting next week we will have a weekly Redlands Sports podcast where we will interview a range of people from within the Redlands School community as well as professional athletes. The podcast will look into what lessons and experiences those individuals have got out of sport in the past, present and future. I will be co-hosting the podcast with a range of Sports staff and our Yr 12 Sports Captains.

Physical Challenge of the Week (by Ms Seebohm)

The first weekly challenge is to spin a ball on your finger for 15 seconds (or as long as you can). Send through your videos to sports@redlands.nsw.edu.au The winner will have their video featured on the iLearn page under the weekly challenges tab.

Mindfulness Activity of the Week (by Mr Gooding)

A square breath is a breath that is even on all sides, and it can be useful as a mindfulness exercise for both students and parents alike. Here’s what to do:

Breathe in to the count of four.
Hold the breath for four seconds.
Breathe out to the count of four.
Wait for four seconds before taking in your next breath.

To keep on track, draw a square in the air with your finger, taking four seconds on each side.

Breathing is the centre point for all human functions. It can calm us, relax our muscles, increase our brain function and reduce stress instantaneously. Its power should not be underestimated.

Swimming

Unfortunately with the current sporting climate, CIS have cancelled all their events until the beginning of June, which means they have cancelled the CIS Swimming Championships. ISA have however released a merit team for the CIS Championships, congratulations to the following swimmers who have been named in this merit team:

Olivia Donoghue (Yr 11)
Xander Halfen (Yr 8)
Chloe Jennings (Yr 8)
Erik Scott (Yr 10)
Samuel Virtue (Yr 10)
Ruby Voyce (Yr 8)

Rugby

This Friday morning Redlands Rugby will host another online fitness session. The session will start at 7.00am with students logging in via Zoom by 6.50am. Click this link or access the Zoom Meeting via iLearn.

Parents and siblings are all encouraged to attend what will be a fast paced and fun session to start the day off on a great note. The session will only need a towel and a water bottle with later sessions bringing in the use of a Rugby ball.

We will also announce the winner of our Figure 8 Challenge which can be found by all students from any sport via iLearn. Click here.

Please note if any students need to borrow a Rugby ball for home, we are still handing them out from the Sports Department located in the Fitness Centre.

Students from any sport are welcome to attend and please feel free to contact me directly jgooding@redlands.nsw.edu.au for any questions.

“What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.” Andre Agassi

Mr Tom Kindred
Head of Secondary School Sport
sports@redlands.nsw.edu.au

All Sports contacts can be found on Redlands Pulse.