McCallion
Quest

HMC Sports….Second to none

By Rachel Preston

 Sports are a very important part in everyone's life. They teach us things that no text book can offer, such as teamwork, leadership skills and they provide help to our self-esteem. Most people don't notice how important sports are in their life and many don’t realize the benefits they receive from sports. We are fortunate to have not only a committed Phys. Ed staff but also other staff that work hard on our behalf to provide us with an excellent sports and athletic programme.  The sports and athletic clubs offered at HMC are like no other.  

Many life skills are taught by playing sports. For example, you learn how to work hard, how to co-operate and how to respect other people's abilities. This is especially true in house league-type activities that are offered throughout the whole year at Hazel. Students don't have to be top athletes to participate in these events and many of the participants still have a lot fun.  

When students first start attending Hazel, they are automatically put onto a house league team. Once a week, they can come and play if they choose. Some of the house league activities this year included: soccer, hockey, volleyball, basketball, baseball, and racquet sports. Mr. Koruna, one of the physical education teachers at HMC, feels that these house league sports are more important than school teams. "It gives everyone an opportunity to come out, have fun, do some activities, and to have a bit of competition", he says, "A lot of people take advantage of these activities and I wish everyone would. It gives students a chance to learn to learn to play a sport and it gives them something to do at noon-hour". 

House leagues are where everyone can participate, however; on top of that, HMC has competitive teams that you have to try out for, such as soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Being on these teams helps the students learn to be punctual and promotes self discipline and commitment (try attending the early morning 7:15 am practices for basketball and volleyball for 2 months and you’ll find out just how committed you can become). It also helps students become a part of a team and to respect the skills and the teachings of the teacher-coach. This year, the boys' volleyball, girls' soccer and both girls' and boys' basketball all came first in their leagues and tournaments. If it wasn't for the hard work and dedication the coaches (who are also the teachers), who put a lot of time and energy into these before and after school activities, none of this would have been possible.  

Any consistent physical activity in a growing adolescent's life is very important. The positive examples at HMC give students a better understanding of how important it is to keep physically fit for life. At the beginning of each year at Hazel McCallion, every student does a 1 km fitness run in gym class and throughout the year their times should improve because of the involvement in the various physical activities they do. During the spring at HMC, every student does another 1k run for a comparison reading.

The gym class after that, every student does a 3k forest run, which really tests your fitness. If you ask any student at Hazel, they'll tell you that during the 3km run they were exhausted, but after they finish, they all feel very proud of themselves for accomplishing it.  

For those runners who want more than just the basic fitness runs, there is also a running club after school, run by Mrs. Colman where students can come out and run 3km or 5km. Doing these runs helps build your self confidence, because you know that you can do it even though it is so difficult at first.  

In May of each year, there is a meeting open to any student who wishes to attend the Pentathlon. This is a gruelling five event course full of endurance activities. Anyone at HMC is commended for their courage and stamina if they choose to attempt the Pentathlon and are to be heartily congratulated if they finish it. The pentathlon is a great event, not only because of its fitness component but because every student feels like a winner when they are finished.  

"Hazel McCallion Senior Public School has a rich history of excellence in writing", says Principal of HMC, John Stone. However, in this reporter's opinion, Hazel McCallion is also very "rich" in the area of sports and athletics.