LEFT : MR . BATTY AND MR . POWELL ANNOUNCE WINNING THE CROSS COUNTRY PREMIERSHIP OVER ZOOM TO THE SQUAD . ABOVE : THE UNDER 18 AND 20 TEAM WON SILVER MEDALS AT THE STATE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS . RIGHT : THOMAS KLUCKOW IN ACTION IN THE RELAY EVENT . BELOW RIGHT : CAPTAIN JEAN-PHILIPPE SOULIE SETTING A FIERCE PACE . BOTTOM RIGHT : VICE-CAPTAIN HARRY SHAO TAKES THE RELAY MARKER .
squad , who received the news with great excitement and a huge sense of achievement . They worked tirelessly together over the course of not only this season but well beyond , with many boys involved in the Old Scotch Athletics Club summer and APS spring seasons .
The addition in recent years of a Run Club , held every Monday and Wednesday morning before school , has certainly complemented the work done at training , and has been pivotal to the squad ’ s improvement .
There were some breakout performances at the start of the season , with Scotch defeating both Haileybury College and Melbourne Grammar School at Haileybury in Berwick . Round two , held on the Geelong Grammar School course , delivered an impressive result , with Scotch defeating St Kevin ’ s College for the first time in over a decade . The team also easily accounted for Brighton Grammar .
The rounds three and four fixtures against Carey Grammar School and Geelong Grammar at Yarra Bend also resulted in comprehensive victories , with the team achieving perfect scores in these events . This meant that the first six runners in both of these head-to-head fixtures were Scotch athletes . Unfortunately the announcement of a further lockdown in late July meant the conclusion of the season at this point .
The depth of our program has been a genuine strength , with a range of runners finishing in the top six across the line for points in the senior division . Some of the better performances in the group have come from Captain Jean-Philippe Soulie , Tom Worsteling , Lachlan Stewart , Harry Shao ( all Year 12 ), Nathan Munro , Robert Barber , Liam Kenneally ( all Year 11 ), Thomas Kluckow ( Year 10 ) and young gun Rory Vial ( Year 9 ).
There were some excellent performances from Alexander Stone ( Year 9 ), Conor Sullivan , Fletcher Douglas and Dominic Burt ( all Year 8 ), and Luke Bodle ( Year 7 ) in the junior secondary and intermediate age groups .
Most importantly , the squad developed a great culture of best effort , and encouraging each other to keep improving . This was clearly evident as boys supported each other and continued to work away from school on long runs , ensuring they kept engaged with the sport . The depth of the squad was also highlighted by success at the Athletics Victoria All School Relays in May , where Scotch won silver medals in the under 16 , under 18 and under 20 events .
A special mention must go to our Teacher-in-Charge , Mr Michael Jones , and Head Coach , Mr David Lightfoot . Both led this program brilliantly and gave great leadership and structure to allow the boys to develop . Their knowledge of the sport is exceptional , and they have been actively involved with the boys throughout the year . The boys were also well supported by our Old Boy coaches , Ed Beischer (’ 17 ) and Harrison Carr (’ 16 ) and staff members Mr Brent Woodlock and Ms Janet McFarland .
Finally , well done again to all boys from Years 7-12 for providing such a positive environment for their teammates . Winning a premiership in this sport comes with many challenges . The ability for the group to remain motivated and push each other through on the cold mornings and when it gets hard is critical , let alone performing on the day when it counts most . With so many boys returning next season , we look forward to seeing what 2022 has in store for the squad .
STUART POWELL – DIRECTOR OF SPORT