Sports Bulletin: Issue 06/23

Director of Sport Address
It is my great honour to announce our Term 2 Sport Captains in Chess, Football and Rugby:

• Captain of Chess – Daniel Egert
• Captain of Football – Alex Vasiliou
• Captain of Rugby – Cameron Bukowski

Congratulations to these young men. As we know, with leadership comes a great sense of responsibility. I wish Daniel, Alex and Cameron well as they lead and serve their communities in 2023. Our Cross-Country Captain will be announced later this term.

At the College assembly tomorrow, we will celebrate our Firsts Teams for Term 2, 2023. Congratulations to the young men below for their hard work and determination over many years. We wish you all well as you represent Villanova College this Saturday in Round 1 vs Marist College Ashgrove.

Chess First IV 2023

Football First XI 2023

Rugby First XV 2023

Communications
Families are reminded to access all Sport information via the Villanova College website and the Villanova College App. The Locker Room tab provides updated information regarding training schedules and current AIC/trial draws.

The AIC Draw 2023 can also be accessed here. A note that in some cases, draws may not match the AIC draw (for example this is the case in AFL). Families are encouraged to always check The Locker Room for accurate draws. Weekly Team Lists will be posted regularly to the Parent Lounge and Student Cafe Portals.

Sports Club
Megaraffle – Chance to Win $10k Cash!
The Megaraffle is back for 2023, with your chance to win $10,000 make sure to buy one of the 200 tickets. See the lovely volunteers at Villa Park each Saturday morning for your chance to win. The winner will be drawn at this year’s Sports Lunch on Friday 2 June at the Greek Club; so do not miss out.

Sports Lunch – Friday 2 June – Tickets Selling Fast
Abby Coleman to MC the Annual Sports Lunch
The Sports Lunch will help us celebrate the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary – 75 years of Villanova College, whilst raising funds to deliver sports and recreation programs and resources for current and future Villanovans.
Date:                     Friday 2 June
Time:                     12 – 4pm
Location:              The Greek Club
Buy Tickets:          https://sportslunch.vnc.qld.edu.au/
Includes:                Two Course lunch, four-hour Beverage package, 75th Anniversary gift and loads of entertainment and special guests

We can’t wait to see you there and celebrate the legacy of Villanova College together!

Finally a massive thank you to our 52 volunteers out at Villa Park on the weekend serving at the canteen and barbecue.   All proceeds will go towards our coaching programs, the new STEM and Sport Science Precinct and various sports projects at Villanova.

To register your help this Saturday, please click on the link: Villa Park BBQ/Canteen, Sat 29th Apr.

Term 2 Training Schedule
Please click on the link below for the Term 2 training schedules.

Term 2 Training Schedule – Cross-Country, Football, Rugby, Tennis & Basketball

Note the Chess and Strength & Conditioning (S&C) training schedules, plus the sign on link for S&C can be found on the website and in the College Newsletters/Sports Bulletins.

Chess
Another great week of Chess play, saw our boys venture over to Iona last Friday afternoon. Some hard-fought battles during these trial games saw challenges and victories for Team Villa.

On Wednesday this week, we welcomed the Year 5 Chess players to join Senior and Intermediate teams in training before school.  This is open from 7:00 am – 8:15 each Wednesday morning in V4 and was very well attended. Parents of Year 5 students, if your son is unable to attend Chess training to other commitments, we do understand, however, the results of games during training sessions are recorded, and will  determine who will be included to play in the interschool tournament on Friday afternoon that week.  Please liaise with your teacher if necessary.

Tomorrow, we play Marish College Ashgrove at home.  With Marist College only furnishing A and B teams, the teachers have a battle selecting teams as we have had a great interest in Chess this year.  Final team lists will be published this afternoon in the Locker Room. Wishing all players the very best this week. Go Team Villa!

Updated Chess training schedule below:

On Wednesday 5 April, two of our very keen Chess enthusiasts, Kacper Pajak and Harris Van Der Meer (Year 5) participated in the St Laurence’s College Invitation Chess Tournament. Both students enjoyed themselves and were challenged by some very talented Chess players from a number of Brisbane AIC schools. Kacper placed first in the Junior Division, after playing five games against Junior, Intermediate and Senior (Year 10-12) divisions including three wins, one draw and one loss.

Ms Kath Underhill, Chess Coordinator

Cross-Country
Tomorrow, several members of the cross-country squad will compete in regional trials at Minnippi Park. Good luck to all boys who are competing, the application at training thus far in the season will hold you in good stead.

Dedication to training, effort and conduct are the characteristics of the students currently training with the cross-country squad. Although, the level of participation has been good, further runners in the Under 15 and 16 age groups would benefit the squad. I challenge boys in those age groups, especially students fit from playing other sports to speak to either myself or Mr Roache about how you can get involved.

I look forward to getting a gauge on the performance of the cross-country squad at the warm-up meets scheduled for the 2023 AIC Cross-Country Season. Racing practice is an important part of training, and all members of the Cross-Country Squad are strongly encouraged to make themselves available for the warm-up meets. For each meet transport will be provided to and from the venue if required.

2023 AIC Cross-Country Warm-up Meets:

• 10/5 – Sherwood (Host – SPLC/ATC meet)
• 17/5 – Curlew Park (Host – SPC meet)
• 24/5 – Runcorn (Host – SLC meet)

Congratulations to Mitchell Rieck who placed sixth in the 2000M Steeple Chase at the recent Australian Under 20 Track and Field Championships, a great performance against older athletes. At the same competition in the Open category Villanova Old Boy Callum Davies (’16) won the 1500M and 5000M events. To emphasise the significance of this result, Callum was the first athlete to win both events since Ron Clarke over 60 years ago.

Year 5 and Year 6 Lytton District Cross Country trial
All Year 5 and 6 students will have a cross country run tomorrow afternoon at Little Langlands. This run will be used to select students to represent Villanova in the upcoming Lytton District cross country carnival being held at Villanova Park on Tuesday 9 May. Any students who are sick or carrying an injury are to let their classroom teachers know before heading off to Little Langlands.

Students selected will be notified next week and a letter will be sent home to parents regarding the Lytton District trial. We will also only select students who have been training with the Villanova Cross Country squad and are keen to represent Villanova at the AIC Championships on 31 May. Students who do not wish to run at the AIC Championships will not be selected and those who perform well, will be asked to join the Cross-Country squad for the remainder of the season.

The boys will run in age groups with U10 running approximately 1.5kms and the U11 and U12 running approximately 3kms. The boys will be walked down to Little Langlands after second break at approximately 1:30pm, with the first race to begin at 1.45pm.

Parents are more than welcome to attend this selection trial and are to meet at Little Langlands.
Mr Brian Pascoe, Cross-Country Coordinator

Football
The final trial round last Saturday versus Iona College was a great opportunity for teams to work on combinations and tactics leading into Round 1 vs Marist College Ashgrove this Saturday 29 April. Although the First XI were behind on the scoreboard, there were many positives to take from the encounter.

In Round 1 we are hosting Years 9-Open matches, with the First XI kick-off at 12:15pm on Field 5. We are hoping to see a big crowd there to support our Football players this Saturday. Our Years 5-8 teams are playing at Marist.

Rugby
Villanova Park will play host to Marist College Ashgrove for Round 1 in the AIC Rugby competition for our older boys this Saturday. Ashgrove is always a tough round, and we are hoping that the preparation we have put into our teams leading into Round 1, will have them well prepared and ready for the challenge this Saturday.

It will be a tough assignment for our players this weekend, but the boys are keen to get out there and kick off the season proper. Our trials last Saturday went well, and the coaches have been making the necessary adjustments and will put the final pieces together this afternoon during training. Team changes can be made weekly, and selections are not just based on player performance.

As teams are announced this week, the reality is, some boys will be disappointed with their grading. The best way to deal with this matter is to show resilience and to work even harder at training and during the game each week to prove to your coach that you are capable to move up in the gradings. The coaches have been asked to monitor all players and change teams weekly based on player performance, attendance and attitude. A player’s position in a team is not guaranteed and we strongly encourage our coaches to reward those who show improvement.

Villanova College is a place where we strongly promote and uphold the Catholic traditions and values. It is the foundation on which we build our College. So, whatever it is that we are trying to accomplish here at Villanova, it should be in line with these values and traditions.

When dealing with teenage boys during a rugby season where things can get heated, we can expect emotions and tempers to flare on occasions. As a result, the boys under our care can and do get things wrong and they do make poor decisions and judgements from time to time. Our job as educators (whether that be parents, teachers or coaches) is to address these matters with our sons/students/players and lead them to be better men in the future and show them how to deal with issues appropriately.

The use of inappropriate language, the silly pushing, shoving, and fighting on field, incidents where our spectators are seen to incite poor behavior from the players on field will not be tolerated and the College has and will continue to enforce appropriate expectations/standards and we will teach the boys what good behavior looks like. Any RED cards given to players will result in an automatic one-week suspension from playing. This is supported by all AIC Colleges across the association. If the College deems the behaviour to be more serious, then a meeting will be held with the player, College Principal and Director of Sport to discuss the length of the ban.

Sport provides another platform where teaching and learning occurs, these situations simply do not exist in the classroom alone.

Boys are to be mindful of their attitude to other players and their coaches at training and during matches. Negative comments towards teammates may result in players being removed from a team and placed somewhere else. It is important, regardless of ability levels that we respect all players and remember that we are all on the same team. Your behaviour is also on display for everyone to see or hear and some boys may be taken from the field if they are not able to control their emotions. The key thing we look for in the boys is not how they react but how they respond, and these issues will be addressed by our coaches.

Good luck to the boys playing at Villanova Park and also to our Year 5-8 students playing at Marist College Ashgrove, particularly the Year 5s, as they play their first competition game in the Green and Gold.

Villa Park Canteen – AIC Rugby and Football
Most of the Year 9-12 rugby and football games are played at Villa Park this Saturday. We are asking for parents to help by volunteering their time to help serve and/or cook. The barbecue will fire up at 6.30am and it is usually in the first hour that we need the most assistance to prepare and cook the food. Please drop your son off and help if you can.

Although at times the canteen/barbecue may look like they have enough helpers, please come and offer your time as some of those volunteers may need to get to their son’s games.  The canteen/barbecue during the Football/Rugby season is the Villa Sports Club’s main source of income and it can only operate with the help of Villa parents (both Football and Rugby).  So please come along and help, meet some new friends and catch-up on what’s going on around the College.  We hope to see you Saturday. Even if you don’t register, please come to the door and let them know you are keen to help out.

Villa Park BBQ/Canteen, Sat 29th Apr – register here.

Dogs at AIC Sporting Venues
A reminder to all parents that due to Health and Safety requirements, all AIC Sporting venues are dog free venues including Villa Park. Please do not bring your dog/s.

Strength & Conditioning
The new training schedule for S&C has now commenced. Boys must register here for the Term 2 schedule. Please see below the link to the new Term 2 training schedule.

Register here for Term 2 S&C

S&C Training Schedule – Term 2, 2023 (note two versions)

Basketball
Villanova College is excited to continue the Wildcats Basketball Academy in Term 2. The Academy aims to improve the individual skill level of all players in the College to help further the success of Villanova’s basketball program. The Academy is open to all students across Year 5 – Year 8 and offers players an opportunity to acquire and develop new basketball skills from experienced coaches with NBL, WNBL, NBL1 and national and state experience. We welcome players of all skill levels and will provide new players with a great introduction to the game, and for the more experienced player, the chance to take their game to a new level.

WHEN:  Term 2 – Sunday morning (Six-week program beginning 7 May 2023)

SESSION TIMES:        

•       Year 5               7:30 – 8:30am
•       Year 6               8:30 – 9:30am
•       Year 7 and Year 8        9:30 – 10:30am

WHERE:  Goold Hall, Villanova College
COST:  $120 for Term 2. Payment is to be made through Villanova College Parent Lounge
UNIFORM:  Reversible Wildcats Basketball Academy singlet available at the Villanova College Uniform Shop for $65.

Please note players returning from last term must complete a new form: Wildcats Registration Form.

It is an expectation that all students contribute to the playing of Saturday sport for Villanova College and should not be choosing the Academy as a replacement for representing Villanova during Term 2.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jordan Mullan on jmullan@vnc.qld.edu.au.
Mr Jordan Mullan, First V Head Coach

Rugby League
Last week, sign-ups were held for Year 10 (turning 16 this year), Year 11, and Year 12 students who are interested in being selected for our 1st XIII Rugby League team for 2023. We are pleased to welcome back Mr Michael Cahill and Mr Dave Shillington as our coaches for this year. Michael and Dave volunteered to attend the Rugby and Football trials against Iona last weekend and will also attend Round 1 and Round 2 of the AIC Rugby and Football season. This gives Michael and Dave an opportunity to have an initial look at boys in contact, assess their level of fitness and how they perform under pressure. If any boys haven’t signed up yet and would like to be considered for selection, they should notify Mr McLauchlan before Friday 28 April.

Please note that the 1st XIII Rugby League trials will take place at Easts Rugby Union Club on the following dates:

• Wednesday, 3 May (Week 3), from 3.45pm to 5.00pm
• Monday, 8 May (Week 4), from 3.30pm to 5.00pm

All students must wear appropriate clothing, including mouthguards, boots, and optional headgear for the trials. Any Year 12 students attending the Diploma of Business course on Wednesday afternoons must attend on Wednesday 3 May, from 3pm to 3.30pm. At the conclusion of the trials on Monday 8 May, 21 students will be selected for the upcoming Confraternity Carnival and training will commence in Week 9.

I wish all boys eligible for selection the best of luck over the coming weeks.
Mr Blake McLauchlan, Rugby League Coordinator

External Achievements
Baseball
Sebastian Shimizu (Year 11) represented the Under 16 Senior League Brisbane Metro Baseball Team and his team won the State Title Championship over the holidays. His team is now representing QLD and travelling to Perth to play the National Tournament from 8-12 May. If Sebastian’s team wins this tournament, they will be invited to play the World Series in South Carolina, USA in July. Well done Sebastian!

Congratulations also to Max Stefanutto who recently represented Metropolitan East in the U14 State Championships. Max was selected in the Queensland U14 team. Well done Max!

Mr Shaun McLean, Director Of Sport