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the ruyton reporter
Ruyton has fashioned a Cross Country programme which unashamedly
underplays the individual and overplays the team performance. Ruyton has
created its competitive advantage by making running accessible, regardless of
ability, and making it identifiable by engendering a team ethos from the Junior
School onwards. Once there is an affinity with a sport, and a genuine
camaraderie amongst a group, the makings of a team become apparent. Then,
the shared experience of rugged early-morning training sessions at Xavier and
competing on punishing cross country courses create an even tighter fabric.
Every new entrant becomes aware of the routine and the need to play for the
team. When each girl dons the celebrated uniform, the spirits lift dramatically.
The warm up before competition is closer and more intimate. As the girls walk
to the line for the race they walk as a family. These girls compete for each other
and for something that they really believe in: ‘this team’.
In early May, the Ruyton Cross Country team negotiated the mud and undulation
on a technical Jells Park course with great precision, to win the State Cross
Country Relays. In late May, the team showed a steely determination to outlast
Wesley College at the State Road Relays at Albert Park. In June Ruyton won the
Overall State Cross Country Championship at Bundoora by a record margin.
By winning five of the six age groups, Ruyton cemented its position as the most
successful team in State Cross Country Championship history.
The sixteenth running of the GSV Cross Country Championship at Bundoora
was due to be a close fought contest between Ruyton, Loreto, Melbourne and
St Catherine’s. In the week leading up to the Championship, Ruyton remained
firm favourites, until a farm accident, a netball injury and a hockey incident
changed the composition of the Ruyton team. As Ruyton prepared for the first
race, it was evident that only ten girls remained from the starting line-up of
30 from last year’s premiership team.
The Junior Team (Year 7 and 8) understood that they needed to set up a
substantial lead over Loreto if Ruyton were to prevail on the day. The Junior Team
won the age group by 50 points and set up a massive 110 point lead over Loreto.
The day was now in the hands of Ruyton’s Intermediate and Senior age groups.
Buoyed by the inspirational performances of both the Junior ‘A’ and ‘B’ races, the
Intermediate age group not only held the lead, but also added to it, by narrowly
winning the age group by seven points.
The feeling amongst the Senior girls was one of sorority and reflection, as many
of themwould be competing for Ruyton for the last time. Senior teams are very
dependent on the quality of their leaders. Ruyton’s 2016 Cross Country Captains,
Paris Powell, Meredith Rule and Laura Powell, are respected, accessible and hold
a commanding presence. As they led the team to the
start line, the teamwalked as one. Teams with genuine
unity and purpose are rarely beaten. The Senior team
surpassed all expectations, to give Ruyton a clean sweep
of victories on the day. As the Captains held the GSV
Trophy aloft, there was a knowingness in the group:
a knowledge that this team, when it summons itself
as a unit, has the ability to achieve victory.
Mr Stephen Ellinghaus,
Director of Athletics
Ruyton Rhythmic Gymnastics took out the
All Around Victorian Championship in Levels 7,
8 and 9 International and Senior International,
with ten athletes in total selected in the State
team. Year 8 student, Thu Luu, competed in
the Victorian Championships and made a clean
sweep, with four apparatus gold medals in
Level 9 International and became the All
Around Victorian Champion. Thu went on to
represent Victoria at the Australian
Gymnastics Championships and became the
2016 Level 9 Junior All Around National
Champion. This was a huge achievement
for Thu, who then won another gold and
two silver medals in the Apparatus Finals,
helping the Victorian team to win the team
silver medal. In addition, Thu has been
selected in the Australian Team Future –
a squad comprised of top athletes around
the country who have been identified as able
to win Australia medals at benchmark events
in the future.
Year 9 student Angela Lin also competed in the
Victorian Championships, winning one gold
and two bronze apparatus medals and placed
third All Around in Level 7. Angela was also
selected in the 2016 Victorian State team to
compete at the Australian Championships.
She won a bronze medal in Level 7 for her
hoop routine and placed fifth out of 34 in
the All Around.
Congratulations to all girls on their amazing
achievements.
Ms Emma Tankovich,
Head Coach Ruyton
Rhythmic Gymnastics
A Season of Firsts
After a best-ever season in 2015, the girls
who row at Ruyton were always going to
have to dig deep to rise to the challenge
for 2016. Our 2015 Senior 1sts crew had
won the ‘triple crown’ for the first time in
the School’s 24-year rowing history. We
won the New South Wales (NSW) State
Championship, the Head of the
Schoolgirls (HOSG) Regatta and the
Australian Championship.
However, this amazing result did not
create fear, uncertainty or the thought of
‘how are we ever going to do that
again?’. In fact, it did the opposite. It
created a motivated team who sought to
strive above and beyond, to believe in
what they were doing, and to set in
stone a winning culture.
What was to follow in 2016 was an
unprecedented season of firsts, not just
for Ruyton, but also for schoolgirl rowing
in Australia.
These firsts included:
- embarking on a winning streak in
Australia from February 2015 to March
2016, with no fewer than 11 different
girls rotating through the Senior firsts
crew to achieve these results
- back-to-back ‘triple crowns’ in 2015
and 2016
- Senior 2nds winning silver at the
NSW State Championships, gold at
HOSG Regatta and placing fourth at the
Australian Championships – our best
result to date
- our Year 10 1sts came second at HOSG
- our Year 10 2nds came first at HOSG
- our Year 9 2nds came second at HOSG
- our Senior 1sts broke the schoolgirl
coxed quad scull record time in the heat
at the Australian Championships by
5 seconds in a time of 7 minutes and
4 seconds
- our Senior 1sts achieved the fastest
prognostic boat speed of any school
crew in any class in the finals at the
Australian Championships (as compiled
by Sykes Racing)
- Ruyton ventured to the Henley Royal
Regatta at Henley on Thames (England)
for the first time in the School’s history,
becoming not only the first Ruyton crew
to be a ‘selected crew’ for the Diamond
Jubilee Challenge Cup, but also the first
ever Australian schoolgirl crew to do so!
Congratulations to Elizabeth (Beth)
Cooper, Helena Mileo, Jean Mitchell and
Emily Montagu.
Beyond the sport itself, rowing teaches
our girls many life skills: time
management, a good work ethic,
concentration, the joys of success and
the harsh realities of disappointment.
Without the support of the Director of
Sport, Mrs Louisa Burbury and the
Principal, Ms Linda Douglas, none of this
would be possible and on behalf of the
girls I sincerely thank them both for
providing these wonderful opportunities
for our girls. We look forward to another
great year of rowing in 2017, when we
celebrate 25 years of rowing at Ruyton.
Mr Matt Wilson,
Director of Rowing
Ruyton Remains Undefeated in all State Cross Country
Competitions since May 2003
Congratulations to Ruyton Girls’ School Rhythmic Gymnasts
To Strive Above and Beyond