Sports Bulletin – Issue 1, 1 February 2024

The Sports Bulletin is a great way to keep our community updated on all things Villa Sport throughout the year.

This week we welcome Marist College Ashgrove in Round 1 of the AIC Competition in AFL, Cricket and Volleyball. Our swimmers also commence their competitive meets on Friday 2 February at St Peters Lutheran College.

Across our four Trimester 1 Sports, we have over 900 students engaged and 93 coaches. See the statistics below. I wish everyone well this weekend.

Draw – Round 1, Friday 2 and Saturday 3 February
Round 1 vs Marist College Ashgrove – is now available on the Locker Room page. The draw will be posted to Locker Room by the Wednesday prior to the round ahead. This is the earliest possible time we can post this information.

Team Lists
Team lists do not appear online. They appear in the Parent Lounge and Student Cafe sections of the portal. Team lists will be posted by Thursday prior to the round ahead. This is the earliest possible time we can post this information.

AIC Draw 2024
Please find attached the AIC Draw for 2024.

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.

Training Schedules
For all updated information regarding training and selection trials schedules, please visit the Locker Room page of the Villanova College website. Sport specific training schedules for AFL, Cricket and Volleyball can also be found on the Locker Room page.

All Sport Training Schedule – Term 1, 2024

Term 1 Sport Uniforms
Families are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Villanova College Uniform Look Book. This information is found on the College website Uniform Shop page. Opening hours for the Uniform Shop can also be found here. All students selected in AIC teams are expected to wear the correct uniform for AIC fixtures each week.

Hire Jerseys – Term 1 AFL and Volleyball
In Term 1, students playing AFL and Volleyball will hire jerseys from the College. Students who have not collected their hire jersey need to visit the Uniform Shop as soon as possible.

Jerseys are then returned to the Uniform Shop before the end of Term 1.

Jerseys not returned by the end of Term 1 incur a late fee charge on the student’s account. The deadline of the end of Term 1 (last day of term) is strict. All hire jerseys must be returned by then to avoid the late fee charge.

Students must have the full correct uniform, including hire jersey, for all AIC matches.

 Sport Contact List
If you are requiring information about a specific Sport, in the first instance, visit the website Locker Room page. If you need further clarification, please contact the relevant Coordinator below. For any training or game absences, please contact your Sport Coordinator.

Director of Sport – Shaun McLean, smclean@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC AFL Coordinator – Matt Conlan, mconlan@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Cricket Coordinator – Chris Everding, ceverding@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Swimming Coordinator – Juanita Jacobs, jjacobs@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Volleyball Coordinator – Todd Kropp, tkropp@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Cross-Country Coordinator – Brian Pascoe – bpascoe@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Chess Coordinator – Kath Underhill, kunderhill@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Football Coordinator – Nathan Dufty, ndufty@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Rugby Union Coordinator – Chris Everding, ceverding@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Golf Coordinator – Todd Kropp, tkropp@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Basketball Coordinator – TBC – contact the Director of Sport
AIC Rugby League Coordinator – Alex Russell, arussell@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Tennis Coordinator – Nathan Dufty, ndufty@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Track & Field Coordinator – Anthony Kemp, akemp@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Water Polo Coordinator – Juanita Jacobs, jjacobs@vnc.qld.edu.au
Composite District Sport – Todd Kropp, tkropp@vnc.qld.edu.au
Lytton District Sport – Chris Everding, ceverding@vnc.qld.edu.au

Wet weather cancellations
If there is any reason to cancel training sessions or weekend games, this information will be posted to the Villa App in the Notices section. Please ensure you have downloaded the Villa App and updated your preferences and settings.

The Villa Sports Department will endeavour to cancel morning training sessions by 6am and afternoon training sessions by 1pm. If a training session is cancelled, boys are not able to be dropped off to the training venue as there will not be supervision present. Please check the Villa App regularly for these notifications.

If any AIC fixtures are cancelled, we will follow the same procedure above. Timing will be dependent on when that information becomes available.

Mr Shaun McLean, Director of Sport

The Villa Leaping Wildcats AFL football teams are gearing up for an exciting start to the AIC season against Marist College on Saturday. There is a sense of excitement and anticipation amongst the players and supporters alike.

Following successful trials against Padua College on the weekend, there is a sense of confidence and readiness for the upcoming season. Players across all teams have demonstrated a willingness to work hard for each other, skill, and teamwork, setting a positive tone for the season ahead.

As the teams prepare to face Marist College, there is a collective belief that a successful and rewarding 2024 season awaits.

Mr Matt Conlan, AFL Coordinator

First XVIII AFL
On the morning of the last day of the 2023 school year members of the 1st AFL Squad met to trek around Mt Coot-Tha. It was an activity to take them out of their comfort zone and earn each other’s trust, respect, and support. Following an arduous climb up Kokoda Hill the squad was addressed by Dr Shirley who works as a heart surgeon. He recounted an operation where a number of unforeseen challenges had presented themselves and these circumstances led to the least qualified person in the theatre having to play her role under extreme duress, navigating the medical team to a successful outcome. As such the boys in the team have been challenged to play their roles as part of the Leaping Wildcats.

Coach Ray Armstrong has challenged the boys to ensure no matter where they find themselves in the game ensure through their actions they are Always In The Game (AITG).

It is with great anticipation we look forward to seeing how great the Leaping Wildcats season will be by adopting a playing style enabling them to be ‘Always In The Game.’

Mr Brian Pascoe, First XVIII Head Coach

I would like to take this opportunity to remind players and parents that cricketers need to wear the appropriate uniform to all AIC games. The uniform consists of the Villanova cricket shirt, Villanova hat or cap and white pants for all players. It is not acceptable for any player to wear any club cricket shirt or hat when representing Villanova. The green College academic  hat, sports cap or a white wide brimmed hat can be worn. All players are to have their own box (protector) and it is compulsory for all players to wear a helmet whilst batting and keeping up to the stumps. Any fielder who is within 10m of the bat must also wear a helmet.

Training sessions have been finalised and all players are expected to attend all sessions. If for some reason a student is unable to attend training, we ask players to email the coaches directly (not the Sports Office). The training schedule and coaches contact details are posted on the College’s website.

It is important that all players check their team lists each week as there may be player movement in all year levels, as there was after the trial against Padua last Saturday. Due to injury and withdrawals, there have been a number of changes made to the lists for this week’s Round 1 clash with Marist College Ashgrove.

Please be mindful that our coaches are mainly Old Boys, outside coaches or parents. Most of whom are volunteering their services. If you need to discuss any cricket matters with them, please do so in a positive and timely manner. When coaches are conducting training sessions, parents should only assist if you have been approached by the coach to help out.

Many coaches need assistance from parents during the season with umpiring and scoring duties. We ask parents to offer their services so there is an even distribution of duties and not one person is burdened each week with the same duty.

With many Old Boys coaching, we are calling on parents to help out with managing the team. Managers will need to put together a roster for umpiring, scoring and any other general duties that can assist the coaches. This will free up the Old Boys and let them concentrate on coaching, rather than having to do jobs that others should be doing to help out. Unfortunately, we are not able to give out personal details to parents. This information is to be collected on Saturdays at matches. We have some teams covered by managers at this stage but would dearly love all teams to have a parent rep to distribute team info each week.

All of our teams had a good hit out last Saturday against Padua College, albeit in extremely tough conditions, with the heat really making things difficult. Extra drinks breaks and reduced overs were agreed upon by many coaches throughout the day from both Villa and Padua to make sure the boys stayed hydrated and rested.

Mr Chris Everding, Cricket Coordinator

1^st XI Cricket
Our first XI squad had their final trial against Padua at Banyo in very hot conditions. Villanova bowled first with Henrik Frederiksen setting the tone with a great opening spell of bowling which resulted in early wickets. He was also strongly supported by Lachlan Colbert and the pair laid the attacking foundation which resulted in us bowling out Padua for 98. Our batters made light work of the chase getting the total only three down in 25 overs, openers Oliver Chalmers and Zac Joyce had a great opening partnership meaning that the score was always comfortably in sight. The 1^st XI squad has played plenty of cricket over the last four months and are excited about the upcoming strong round 1 challenge Vs Ashgrove.

Mr Nathan Dufty, First XI Head Coach

This week we have continued to train at Langlands Pool and to prepare for our first Friday meet.  For many of our swimmers this will be the first chance for them to test themselves and gain a time.  As they continue to train, and work hard in the pool, their race times will improve.  At the end of the season, coaches and managers will use these times to select the competitors for the AIC Championship races.

On Friday afternoon, the Junior School swimmers will meet with Mrs Liddy and the Seniors to walk to the bus.  For other boys new to Villanova, the squad meets at the front of the College with the teachers, before boarding the bus.  The squad will travel together to St Peter’s College Indooroopilly for the first meet.  As is our usual custom, the boys will be timed by Villanova staff, given a post-it note with their times which then is given to the teacher at the end of the pool recording.  We encourage all boys to compete in as many races as possible.  The timing and schedule of events can be found on the draw which is located on the Locker Room page. If wet weather or storms interrupt the meet, we will post updates as soon as possible.

Our swimmers have been performing well at competitions during the holidays and most recently at Brisbane Sprint Championships.  The boys achieved personal bests on the weekend, with Oliver Jacobs winning gold in the 50m Butterfly 15yrs and silver in the 50m Freestyle 15yrs.  Oliver won gold recently at the Queensland titles for 50m Butterfly, and a silver medal in the medley relay.  Charlie Kerr and Brodie Clelland also swam brilliantly at States to secure two bronze medals each. We look forward to watching the success of all the Villanova swimmers competing at the various meets and championships in the lead up to Nationals in the Easter holidays.

AIC Swimming Meets
Save the dates for upcoming AIC meets and AIC Championships:

• Friday 2 February @ St Peter’s Lutheran College
• Friday 9 February @ Iona College
• Friday 16 February @ SPLC
• Thurs 22 February @ Chandler
• Tuesday 5 March @ AIC Championships at Chandler

Buses will transport boys both ways at all meets and championships, other than Iona on 9 Feb which will be one-way only. Parents may collect boys from the meets and take them home – they just need to check in with a staff member prior to leaving. Meet timings and details will be distributed closer to the dates in the weekly draw.

Mrs Juanita Jacobs, Swimming Coordinator

A big thank you to our community for their work during the AIC Padua trial last Saturday, it was quite a task to get this organised with the staggered return to the College.

This Saturday we take on Marist College Ashgrove in Round 1 of the AIC Competition.  Our Senior teams will play at home and Juniors are off to Ashgrove. Our Senior teams will also be responsible for court duty this weekend, this will be organised by coaches at training.
With students having collected their hire uniforms earlier this week, the expected AIC volleyball uniform is:

• • VNC Hire jersey
  • Green HPE shorts
  • Alinta sport socks (black)

I wish all our teams the best of luck for this weekend!

Mr Todd Kropp, Volleyball Coordinator

If any Year 10, 11 or 12 boys are interested in trialling for Goalkeeper positions in our Firsts Football and Development Squads for season 2024, please note the information below.
GK Trials – any student in Years 10, 11 and 12. Students will be committing to playing Villa Football in Term 2, 2024. If you are interested, please contact smclean@vnc.qld.edu.au.
The trial will be:

• Tuesday 6 February, 3:45-5:15pm @ Villa Park
• A bus will transport students from the Augustine Centre Carpark to Villa Park on both days, leaving the College at approx. 3:10pm. Parents to pick up from Villa Park at 5:00-5:15pm.

Our Football programme really needs you, and this is a great opportunity for someone new to Football to trial for our elite squads. Successful students will receive specialist GK coaching from an external company in Terms 1 and 2.

Mr Hudson Rogers, First XI Football Head Coach

In the high-stakes world of sports, where every sprint, tackle, and pivot counts, injury prevention is paramount. Athletes constantly push their bodies to the limit, subjecting themselves to formidable forces and loads inherent in their chosen games. But within these risky situations lies a powerful solution: strength training.

At Villanova School, our commitment to athletic excellence extends beyond the field. Our strength and conditioning programs prioritize injury prevention through tailored training regimens. We understand that sports like rugby, AFL, soccer, and cricket entail significant physical stressors – from collision impacts to repetitive bowling motions – that can take a toll on the body.

Strength training prepares the bodies to accept those forces, mitigating the risk of injuries.

It’s important to recognize that the real risks lie not in the controlled environment of the gym but in the unpredictable nature of running loads, collision impacts, and bowling motions inherent in sports.

As well as in the unsupervised sessions that might happen at the local gym.

By attending the school-based strength and conditioning session, athletes not only mitigate these risks but also enhance their performance potential on the field, led and educated by seasoned experts S&C Coaches.

While the demands of the game are unavoidable, the gym serves as a safe and controlled environment where athletes can fortify themselves against these stressors. Unlike the unpredictable nature of on-field forces, strength training provides the opportunity for the youth athletes to systematically build resilience and protection

Mr Marco Mastrorocco, S&C Coordinator

In 2024, we will be commencing a new Speed & Agility Programme for students in Years 5, 6, 7 and 8. The programme will be run by Matt Scott, who is one of Villanova’s Track & Field sprints coaches. The programme will cater for all ability levels and will run for 8 weeks in each term. To register, just go to the Parent Lounge to make payment and attend the first session on Monday 5 February. Sessions will be held on Monday, 7-8am on Whinstanes from Weeks 3 – 10, Term 1. This programme will continue in other terms.

For students in Years 9, 10, 11 and 12, there are Speed & Agility sessions on Wednesday mornings, 7-8am on Whinstanes.
These sessions are free of charge and open to any boys in Years 9-12.

Composite Sport (13-19 Years)
Nomination paperwork is available from the Sports Office for the following Sports.

Lytton Sport (10-12 Years)
Swimming
Students who wish to nominate for the Lytton District (10-12yrs) swimming team for the Met East trials, are to submit ratified times to Mr Everding by Friday 2 February. Boys can nominate for 50m, 100m or 200m in the four strokes, 200m and 400m medley, and the 400m freestyle. Boys must meet the Metropolitan East Qualifying Times in order to have their nomination accepted. For further information please contact Chris Everding ceverding@vnc.qld.edu.au .

Golf
Met East Golf is on the 11 March. Students who wish to nominate, must have an approved GA or club handicap. Met East office will then decide whether to accept the nomination based on golfing experience. Please contact Chris Everding ceverding@vnc.qld.edu.au for further information.

Please note achievements that have already been posted to the College’s social media platforms will not also be displayed in the newsletter.

Criteria for social media posts are generally achievements reaching a National level of representation or success/leadership of State level teams (e.g. selection in an Australian team). Or significant achievements on parallel with this.

Criteria for newsletter posts are generally achievements reaching a State level of representation (e.g. selection in a QLD team). Club, Met East or Composite representation does not meet the criteria for newsletters.

Please send all newsworthy stories to smclean@vnc.qld.edu.au.

Tennis
Reuben Wagels (Year 10, First IV player) has worked very hard on his tennis over the summer holidays. Reuben picked up four titles and appeared in two other finals across singles and doubles. He won both singles and doubles in an event for the first time at Ballina and has made the final for every event he has entered in the new year. Reuben’s current national ranking is number 12 for his age group and he hopes to break into the top ten when rankings are updated next month. This is an outstanding achievement, well done Reuben!

Water Polo
Charley Hegarty and Wade Wildin Powell (Year 11) competed at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships in both the U18 and U16 competition. In the U18 competition they teamed up with another Brisbane club to finish 8th in the Green Division, in the U16 their team finished 12th in the Gold Division.

Charley and Wade also participated in the AYWPC at the end of last year where they represented Australia in New Zealand for the U16 Navy team.
Charley Hegarty was also part of the Qld U15 silver medal winning team at National Championships. Well done boys!

Cross-Country/Track & Field
Opportunities for Villa athletes to join external training groups for “Sprints & Hurdles” and “Middle Distance/Cross-Country Training”.
Matt Scott is a Villanova Track & Field Sprints Coach and is running our Years 5-8 Speed & Agility programme in 2024.

And always remember; kids sport is meant to be fun…

Mr Shaun McLean, Director of Sport