Are you living Olympic values?

Roughly 365 days out from Tokyo 2020 and things are starting to heat up already with some sports already beginning qualifying rounds to secure their place at the games. Athletes who have been striving for their goals through years of dedication and determination will once again be battling it out for that elusive gold medal. But the Olympics is about far more then just the pretty neck wear and podium performances. There are thousands of athletes, coaches and support staff whose careers are not defined by the medal but by the journey it took to get there and the lessons learned along the way. Olympism is a way of being and the International Olympic Committee defines the Olympic movement as this:

“Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles”

The base values for the Olympic Games are:

Excellence
Respect
Friendship

And the Para Olympic Values include:

Determination
Courage
Equality
Inspiration

Not only is it important sometimes reflect on how we play the game, particularly as we come into finals time and the stakes are high, but also to realise and remember why we play in the first place.

If you think that these values describe you, or someone you know then we want to hear from you.

The Australian Olympic Change-Maker (formally known as Pierre de Coubertin)

Nominations are closing soon!

The Australian Olympic Change-Maker program has replaced the Pierre de Coubertin Award in 2019. This exciting new opportunity celebrates and brings together young leaders in sport who are ‘making a difference’ in their school or local community. For more information visit the website aochangemaker.com.au. To nominate, simply pop me an email before COB Monday 19 August. If we receive quality applications we will select the two strongest applicants as per regulations and submit to the award.

This is not an application just for the best athletes but for those who truly play the game in the spirit of the Olympics.

Sports Person in Residence Program

It is with very great pleasure that I can announce that Sally Riley will be with us this semester as part of our Sports Person in Residence program. For anyone who doesn’t know, Sally not only has she been a valued member of staff, but also an AFLW Crows athlete who is contracted to the Gold Coast Suns for the upcoming season.

Sally will be participating in a range of different activities starting with a Westminster WAFL Academy. The Academy will be targeting girls in Years 6 to 9 who would like to play football for Westminster in their senior schooling. Sally will be coaching skills, drills and strategy with the group, and working towards building the future for our Girls' Football program.

In addition Sally will also be working with our Year 8 and 9 Boys' Football teams on Friday afternoons after our weekly winter sport wraps up, as well as touching base with Senior PE classes as an athlete/mentor.

We are so excited that Sally will be spending her last semester in such an exciting role for the school.

Sport Stars

In other winter sports news, the South Australian Snowsports festival was held in Falls Creek during July and was attended by many of our students with Jasmine Parry (Year 8 Carter) and Kai Bigwood taking home gold medals in their events. Jemima Green (Year 7 Charter) also achieved a fourth place in her division of Alpine Skiing. Jack Green (Year 5 Charter) and Shalin Bigwood (Year 8 Heaslip) formed a Division 3 team and won the gold medal. Jack did a great job competing in the secondary school Division 3 rather than Division 5 to allow Westminster to have a team entry. This meant he was racing against people several years older. Individually Jack won silver and Shalin gold, with Shalin also taking out the fastest secondary school men’s trophy.

The students had a fantastic time in challenging conditions and we are hoping that this will inspire others to take up the opportunity to attend next season.

From winter to summer sports and a noteworthy congratulations to Stella Senior (Year 9 Clark) who has been chosen to represent South Australia at the Australian National Junior Titles in December in Perth. We wish you the best of luck with your preparation for the event!

A last best wishes for our teams as the step forward into upcoming Intercol matches. Remember the words of the great John Wooden, “Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out”.

We cannot control a lot of things, but we can control our minds and how we prepare.

Yours in High Performance,

Lauren Soderberg
Head of Sport Development and High Performance