Nearly 300 students participated in a range of sports programs offered by Sydney Catholic Schools during the last school holiday period including cricket, rugby 7s, fencing, golf, table tennis, and girls’ soccer.
SCS offers an “Out of School Hours” program each term break, which enables students to learn the ropes of a variety of new sports, fostering their social, skill-based, and emotional development.
Students who have been identified as highly talented in a sport are also invited to take part in state and national pathway programs that promote their skills and professional development.
Isabelle Donohue, a Year 5 student from St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Sutherland, expressed the joys of participating in the girls’ soccer program run by Sydney Football Club.
“I had a great time at the girls’ Soccer camp,” she said.
“The Sydney FC coach was helpful. I loved how she taught us some new drills, but also let us decide on what warm up games we could play. It was also nice not to have boys playing with us for a change.”
Sydney Catholic Schools began collaborations with Sydney FC late last year, and since then have seen students engage in exclusive, professional opportunities to foster their skill set and learn techniques and strategy from the best in Australian football.
Fencing is another sport proving popular with students.
Last term more than 60 students participated in the fencing program, a testament to the popularity of the sport.
Fencing is a flexible sport that can be suited to the diverse needs of students with a range of physical conditions, thus making it a highly accessible and enjoyable sport for all students.
Golf was also on offer and with the support of Golf NSW, students were enabled to participate in a two-day camp to further accelerate their skills.
This is highly valuable sport imparts students with a range of skills from essential physical movement skills to intense individual focus and concentration.
Students are encouraged to participate in the future holiday activity camps, as these events offer a variety of opportunities for improvement and growth in a range of aspects within sports.