Tasmania’s best sporting schools
Take an exclusive inside look at the state’s most successful sporting schools and see what it takes to produce the next generation of stars.
Tasmania
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Yesterday the Mercury covered Part One of Tassie’s Top Sporting Schools. Today we are showcasing a second list of exceptional institutions producing the state’s next generation of star athletes.
For decades Tasmania has punched above its weight in its sporting endeavours, producing a host of some of the country’s elite sportsmen and women.
Throughout the state there are a host of schools that have developed these elite athletes and helped build the foundation for their ongoing success.
The Mercury takes deep dive into some of the state’s most successful sporting schools as their principals and sporting co-ordinators reveal each school’s secrets to success.
The Friends School
Sport has played a big role at the Friends School since its founding in 1887 and continues to be a major part of the curriculum at the school where its students excel in a variety of boys and girls sports.
The first Headmaster of The Friends’ School, Samuel Clemes, stressed the importance of physical education as a regular part of the curriculum back in 1887 and that importance still rings true today.
Some of the earliest sports offered at The Friends’ School included cricket (with the first girls’ team playing as early as 1891), tennis (with girls competing as early as 1911), athletics, rowing (started in 1905) and Aussie rules football (started around 1901).
Among its many notable sporting alumni is recent Olympic silver medallist and Kookaburras co-captain Eddie Ockenden who is one of country’s most decorated hockey players.
Focus sports: rowing, sailing, athletics, hockey, soccer, swimming, tennis, cross country, badminton.
Other sports: Aussie rules football, water polo, basketball, orienteering, cricket, mountain, biking, netball, surfing, equestrian
The Friends School Director of Community Engagement Bill Avery:
“Recognising that sport is part of the Australian way of life, The Friends’ School provides all students with opportunities to participate in a variety of social and competitive sports.”
“We encourage students to participate in sport at the level of their social and physical ability, to be competitive and cooperative, aim for personal and team excellence, and to take pride in representing the school in sporting events. A high level of commitment is expected from students in their chosen sport and co-curricular pursuits.”
“The Friends’ School has always been coeducational and, as is demonstrated by some of the very early sporting opportunities afforded to girls, has always aimed to give girls and young women the same opportunities as the boys. Today the school celebrates success in a wide variety of sports for all our students.”
Notable sporting alumni:
- Bob Annells (running)
- Hanny Allston (athletics, running, orienteering)
- Sam Beltz, (rowing)
- Flick Boucher, (hockey and cricket)
- Caryn Davies (rowing) g
- Clare Forward (underwater hockey)
- Lindy Goggin (golf)
- Mathew Goggin, (golf)
- Briody Hilder (underwater hockey)
- Kerry Hore (rowing)
- Kate Hornsey (rowing
- Romy Keple (underwater hockey)
- Jan Marshall (netball)
- Nick Martin (underwater hockey)
- Simon Minton-Connell, AFL
- Eddie Ockenden (hockey)
- Stewart Parkinson (underwater hockey)
- Mandy Parsons (equestrian)
- Hannah Robert-Tissot (underwater hockey)
- Jack Robert-Tissot (underwater hockey)
- Louise Sale (underwater hockey)
- Brett Thurley (waterskiing)
- Rowan Trebilco (underwater hockey)
- Alice Van der Wude (underwater hockey)
- Meaghan Volker (rowing)
- Sam Volker (rowing)
- Max Walker (cricket and AFL)
- Cameron Wurf (triathlons, cycling, rowing)
Recent/current student success in team or individual sports:
- Five top 3 placings including 1st in U20 Womens at the 2021 Tasmanian Secondary All Schools Cross Country Championships.
- Five top 3 placings including 1st Year 6 Girls at the 2021 JSSATIS Cross Country.
- Year 7/8 Girls Aussie rules team winning the 2021 grand final.
- Div 2 Boys 2021 Hockey Champions.
- Cross Country – Shield wins, Team Age Group Pennant winners, individual placings
- Sailing State Championships. 1st and 2nd placing.
- Harry Bevan (Year 12) selected for the Under 19 Australian Junior Rowing Team’s Mens Eight.
- State Time Trial Championships (biking). Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Year 10) First Place in the Under 17 Women.
- Tasmania at the National Hockey Championships. 15 students from The Friends’ School representing Tasmania.
- Harry Bevan (Year 12) and fellow crew member Angus Paynter (not a Friends’ Student) won bronze in the Under 19 Australian Coxless Pair Final at the 2021 Australian Rowing Championships.
- Rowing, Head of the River – 5 category wins. 2nd in two shields. Open Boys & Girls qualified for Nationals.
- Cross country Mountain Biking. Luci Johnston (Year 6) Under 13 female national short course cross country mountain bike champion.
Facilities:
The Friends’ School has rowing sheds (complete with boats, training facilities and equipment) at Cornelian Bay along with the Bell Street Oval that is used for a variety of sporting games and activities.
Friends’ Health & Fitness is a valuable part of the Friends’ community, giving our students (and the public) access to an indoor pool, group classes, personal training services and more.
Friends’ is currently in the process of building a brand new Sports Centre. This multipurpose new Sports Centre will be an enduring commitment to sport, health and wellbeing at Friends’, supporting and promoting the School’s commitment to sport, health and wellbeing in a revitalised ‘sports precinct’.
The contemporary and spacious Sports Centre will provide high-quality facilities and services for many sport and co-curricular programs. The centrepiece will be a professional, fully sprung timber court with a generous three-metre run-off around the court. It will also house two new learning spaces for health and physical education classes. The new Sports Centre is for the whole school to use and will provide a first-class facility for basketball, netball, volleyball, badminton and other similar court sports. The Centre will also include change-rooms, seating for spectators, extended outdoor ledges for all-weather cover and a new, welcoming reception area and ‘viewing wall’.
The Friends’ School is fortunate to also have Health Faculty staff who are committed and experienced sport educators and mentors for our students. Many of these staff and current and past sport professionals and participants, who along with many volunteers, actively support students in their individual and team sport activities.
Fahan School
Sport is a vibrant part of the culture at Fahan where the school provides a wealth of extra-curricular sporting activities for its students.
Through it sports, Fahan attempts to emphasise the importance of physical fitness to its young girls and showcase the other benefits that participating in sport can produce.
Although sport is not a compulsory aspect of life at Fahan, 90 per cent of its students have some involvement with school sport.
Focus sports: Rowing, Aussie rules football, soccer, athletics, cross country, swimming
Other sports: netball, hockey, touch football, basketball, badminton, volleyball, tennis, rowing, water polo, touch football, surfing, horse riding, sailing, cricket, triathlon, strength and conditioning sessions, gymnastics, cheer and dance.
Fahan Senior Sport Coordinator Jo Banks-Smith:
“Fahan has always been a school where sport and participation in sport has been encouraged.
“Since Fahan began sport was a part of the curriculum and the culture of sport at Fahan has always been about participation.
“If you have an interest and want to try a sport, we’ll find a spot in a team or in a roster for you to play in. This culture has been established over many years by previous icons of the school Margaret Cormack and Robert Owens and will hopefully continue long in to the future.”
“For its size Fahan fields a very high number of teams in many rosters. Many girls will bounce from one sport to the other across the year and then as they get older may then settle on one or two sports to take more seriously. Of course, there are still opportunities for those who take their sport seriously and past results in Interschool carnivals and state finals, especially for a small school, stand testament to that.
“At Fahan we hope that students will appreciate the importance of a health and active lifestyle. We aim to provide them with opportunities to play sport and then find wat they enjoy. We hope that they will take these experiences into their life beyond Fahan and remain fit, active and healthy.
“Fahan School’s sporting philosophy is that ‘all can play’.
Sport creates a wonderful culture of team spirit, builds confidence and facilitates friendships outside of the classroom.
Sport is a vibrant part of the School culture and we promote an enjoyable and inclusive atmosphere in all sporting ventures. We actively encourage those who embody a drive and spirit for sporting competition
“Rowing is a popular sport at Fahan and the number of girls choosing to row is increasing. Rowing provides our students with the opportunity to gain a sense of responsibility towards others, self-improvement, time management, enjoyment, fitness and team work.
“Australian rules football is another sport that is increasing in popularity at Fahan.
Fahan has been competitive in this sport since it was introduced to the School and to SSATIS sport. Fahan has played in the last 2 1st Grade SSATIS grand finals.
“Fahan is also very competitive in soccer. WE have again played in the last 2 1st Grade SSATIS grand finals. Our year 10 team won the SSATIS grand final this year and the Year 8’s were runners up.”
Notable sporting alumni:
- Perri Buckley (hockey) – umpired hockey at the 1996 Olympic Games
- Issy Hemmings (powerlifting) – competed in the World Powerlifting Championships in 2019.
- Felicity Allison (sailing)
Recent student success in team or individual sports
- Ella Atkins (athletics)
- Eliza Stoksik (water polo)
- Fahan Sailing Team
- Open Rowing – competed at the Australian National Championships
- Billie Roger (open water swimming)
- Laura Cooper, Anna Edwards, Keala Hayes (Aussie rules football)
- Georgia McMullen (Soccer)
- Stella Bale, Lily Bushby and Charlotte Palmer (hockey)
Facilities:
Fahan has an oval that is used for Aussie rules football, soccer, athletics, cross country, along with many other sports.
They also have 2 tennis courts, a gymnasium and a specialised gym room.
St Michael’s Collegiate School
Collegiate has a proud sporting history with strong results in athletics, hockey, rowing, swimming and tennis.
The school tries to instil in its young girls the positive benefits of sport and encouraging its students to participate in sport for its numerous benefits to their physical and social development.
Focus sports: Aussie rules football, athletics, hockey, rowing, rugby 7’s, sailing, soccer, swimming, tennis and water polo.
Other sports: We offer 23 different sports in our co-curricular program, from archery to Zumba and everything in between.
Collegiate Principal Dr Adam Forsyth:
“The culture of sport at Collegiate is ever evolving and we have a strong focus on participation and fun and to encourage this, while we offer the traditional sports, we also listen to student requests for more modern activities like mountain biking, rock climbing and Zumba.”
“Sport has a host of positive associations such as individual health, team spirit and fair play. There is also the added benefit of participation which brings people together. The Collegiate Sports Program is based on the development of a strong sense of values and attitudes including respect for truth and honesty, fair play, individual responsibility and respect for others.
“Collegiate have always offered a sports program involving traditional team sports like Soccer and Basketball, but recently we are trying to respond to the upswing in popularity of female sports like AFL and Rugby 7’s.
“We are finding that our students really enjoy the physical and athletic demands of AFL and
Rugby 7’s and work closely with local clubs with our training and rosters so avoid any clashes.
“We also adapt our program to fit with growing demand from the students like Volleyball – we had over 40 beginners wishing to learn how to play in Term 2 and Badminton which has grown from 10 player last year to over 30 playing in competitive rosters this year.
“Other activities like indoor rock climbing and mountain biking are popular among our student body and momentum is growing.”
Notable sporting alumni:
- Ellie Gavalas (AFLW)
- Anna Walls (archery)
- Jane Hickey (athletics)
- Eve Mure (rowing)
- Georgia Nesbitt (rowing)
Collegiate have a number of other current students and past students who represent Tasmania and Australia in a wide range sport from athletics, cross country, golf, hockey, netball, swimming and tennis.
Recent/current student success in team or individual sports:
SATIS Tennis Champions in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Rowing:
- First in the Open Eight in the 2019 SATIS Head of the River.
- Third in the Open Eight in the 2020 SATIS Head of the River.
- Fourth Under 19 Coxless Four at the National Championships.
- Second in the Pair at All Schools Championships.
- First in the Under 15 Double and first in Quad Divisions 1 and 2 at the Head of the River Regatta.
- Second in the Under 15 Double and Quad at All Schools Championships.
- First in Under 13 Division 2 Single and first in Division 2 Quad at the Head of the River Regatta.
- SSATIS Swimming – multiple records broken, winner of Girls Senior Shield,
- Girls Aggregate Shield, Girls Open Shield, and Under 13, Under 14 and Under
- 16 Pennants.
- SATIS Swimming – multiple records broken and winner of Girls Senior Shield.
Facilities:
Our sports grounds at Tolmans Hill (Ham Common), allows students to participate in AFL, Cross Country, Netball, Soccer, Tee-ball, Tennis and Touch Football, and is used for Physical and Outdoor Education classes.
The School Gymnasium is constantly used during the school day and for our afterschool sport program including Badminton, Basketball, Netball and Volleyball.
Our Junior School Oval and Tennis Court allows students from Prep to Year 4 to participate in lunchtime and after school sports activities and clinics.
The Collegiate Pool is a 25m, six-lane, heated indoor pool located on the corner of Molle and Davey Street.
Collegiate is part of the DMCRC Rowing Club and we have access to a gymnasium and a full fleet of boats.
Collegiate also has a fully equipped strength and conditioning facility.
St Brendan-Shaw College
SBSC has been successful across a large variety of sports throughout the school’s history. The college has had National Champion Rowers, produced AFL players and currently have four Tassie Devils along with two ex students who are climbing the ranks in Australia’s junior basketball scene.
Focus sports: soccer, basketball, Aussie rules football, netball, tennis and rowing.
Other sports: rugby, equestrian, touch football, futsal and the school also has a successful chess team.
SBSC Sports Administrator Sam O’Keefe:
“The college is focused on high participation from students in all our sports. The college understands the link between academics and sports and encourages all students to participate in as many sports as they would like.
“The focus is on harnessing the athletic ability of students and helping them to develop in to productive citizens within the school and wider community.
“SBSC’s main sporting focuses are on Soccer, Basketball, AFL, Netball, Tennis and Rowing.
“The College has seen significant success in Female Basketball with the High School teams that compete in BTAS events either winning or finishing runner up in the State-wide tournament.
“The NSATIS female basketball team has also made the NSATIS final twice in 3 years coming runner up in both of those.
“The rowing team is also very successful with a number of girls wining state championships in 2021 and the senior girls wining the SATIS Rowing Championship in 2021.”
Notable sports alumni: Jade Rawlings, Brady Rawlings, Grant Birchall (AFL)
Recent/current student success in team or individual sports:
- Current students Lachlan Cowan, Jack Aherne, Zac Derrico and Beau Nash are all part of the Tassie Devils football program.
- Recent ex-students Reyne Smith and Rubi Gray are both excelling in basketball with Reyne recently representing Australia in the U19 World Cup in Latvia and Rubi being chosen to join Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Canberra in July.
- The school’s Senior Girls Rowing team are the 2021 SATIS champions and its 7/8 and 9/10 girls basketball teams are state champions.
Facilities:
The school currently has a basketball/netball recreation gym that can seat up to 600 people, Soccer field, AFL/Cricket field and outdoor basketball courts.
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