Quadrella for St Catherine’s Snowsports

Well done to all the students and families that participated in the 2017 Australian Interschool Snowsports Championships. With incredible snow on offer, our St Catherine’s students produced some outstanding performances, which ultimately contributed towards St Catherine’s School’s fourth consecutive, Australian Interschools Championship victory. Victory for St Catherine’s was never in doubt as our students extended a near 70-point lead to finish first overall on 158 points, ahead of Melbourne Girls’ Grammar, 85 points and Methodist Ladies’ College, 71 points.

Off the back of St Catherine’s team success, there were many individual and divisional team successes. In Division 1, the girls stamped their mark in the Cross Country Classic Race with both teams finishing 2^nd and 3^rd on the podium. In a stellar effort, Willow Burrell (Year 11) and Claudia Richardson (Year 11) both recorded top 10 individual performances in their races. Our Division 1 Alpine team also secured a top 3 podium finished, with Snowsports Captain, Arrabella Houghton (Year 12) finishing 9^th individually.

In Division 2, the Skier X and Alpine teams performed extremely well, placing second and third respectively, in each team event. Amelia Maisano (Year 10) finished 9^th individually in the Skier X. The Cross Country Classic team also performed well finishing 3^rd overall in the race, with Annelise Cody recording a 7^th place individually. A special mention must go to Annabel Lees (Year 10) who finished inside the top 10 in the moguls event.

Our Division 3 athletes demonstrated their strength and skill as they dominated the division. Amelia Jones (Year 8) led by example, demonstrating a masterclass of skill as she recorded National Championship victories in the Alpine and Skier X events. Catherine Chen (Year 7) also showcased  her incredible skill as she recorded an outstanding 2^nd place overall in the Moguls event. Both girls assisted their teams recording podium silver medals in the team Alpine and Moguls events. The Skier X team of Amelia Jones (Year 8), Madeleine Hooker (Year 7) and Claudia Coombe-Tennant (Year 7) were able to produce one better as this team placed 1^st overall in the event. Our Snowboarder X team also made it onto the podium in 3^rd place, with Jessica Yang (Year 8) finishing top 10 individually in both snowboard disciplines. Our Cross Country girls were equally as impressive as the team comprising Zara Bongiorno (Year 7), Chloe Joubert (Year 8) and Emily McAllister (Year 8) finished 1^st overall in the Cross Country Classic Race. Zara Bongiorno (Year 7), Madeleine Hooker (Year 7) and Ava Lansell (Year 8) also managed to secure Silver in the Cross Country Skate Relay Race.

I congratulate all the students involved in this success and thank Mrs Skye Stansfield, Mr Tom Crebbin and Miss Olivia Cody (’14) for their hard work in managing this Senior School team across the championships. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the Snowsports Auxiliary and all the parents who have supported the Snowsports Program throughout the season. Without their support and care, our students would not be able to participate. Well done St Catherine’s!