now allows students to develop sporting
skills right on campus.
To make use of
the world-class
facilities and to
benefit students,
new initiatives
and partnerships
have been created
with external
organisations.
Opening in March this year, the state-ofthe-art Somerset Sports Precinct has
been well received by the student body,
the school community and affiliated
sporting bodies. Offering two
international-standard indoor netball/
basketball courts with Canadian Maple
sprung flooring, a fully equipped fitness
centre, an IAAF accredited ten-lane
synthetic running track, an olympicsize swimming pool, a tennis complex
comprising six courts, a premier football
30
(soccer) field, a football practice field,
as well as an internati onal-standard
rugby field, the precinct, has added an
indoor rock climbing wall for less sports
orientated pursuits.
arts program. Ignition Athletics Club uses
the track facility as a training base and
City Coast Physio operates their business
in the Precinct under the direction of
owner/physiotherapist Scott Whiting.
Sport Facilities Manager, Damian
Flint, has been with the College since
August 2015 bringing with him extensive
experience from ten years of study and
work abroad. Damian says that one of
the goals of the College’s Strategic Plan
is to broaden community outreach. In
doing so, professional teams such as the
Australian Opals Basketball team
completed a training camp here before
heading off to Rio. The school has also
established a relationship with the Gold
Coast Titans who use the facility for
training purposes, and in 2018 the
Commonwealth Games teams will train
at the Precinct.
Yearly memberships to the fitness centre
and group fitness classes are available
for a nominal fee, while pool lanes,
athletics track usage and tennis court
hire is subject to availability. While the
Junior and Senior School students
primarily use the facilities, memberships
are available to the College Community.
To make use of the world-class facilities
and to benefit students, new initiatives
and partnerships have been created
with external organisations. The Somerset
College Basketball Club was formed,
and the team practices and competes
out of the new facility in the Gold Coast
Basketball League. In partnership with
Gold Coast Gymnastics Club, a
gymnastics program was established for
the students, and more recently Araken
Martial Arts has developed a martial
During term, the group fitness timetable
reads like any health club timetable,
offering 19 class staples such as Pump,
Pilates and Yoga, as well as high intensity
Boot Camp and Boxing, to Zumba®, and
a Run 4 Fun program. At a cost of
approximately $500,000 the fitness
centre fit out includes Synergy Fitness
equipment and although limited in its
offering, personal training is also
available at the facility.
As the reputation of the Somerset
Sports Precinct continues to grow, the
prestigious Somerset College’s huge
investment in the health and wellbeing,
and sporting ability of its community
provides a benchmark for future school
sporting facilities in Australia.
www.somerset.qld.edu.au
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SUMMER 2016