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This week we caught up with Mr Jim Zenith, for the fourth and final installment in our series of MC Sport Staff Q&A sessions.  We’ll hear about recent experiences and future goals for delivering sport and recreation programs for students in 2018, and beyond. 

How does it feel to finally get into this new facility?

It feels really good to have an undercover area that allows us to play in all weather and doesn’t hinder our normal routine. Before the new Sports Centre, if the weather was bad, we would need to find a suitable space to teach in, which wasn’t always easy especially for sports like softball!  We would then need to teach more sport theory and then reschedule the practical classes to ensure they were completed before the end of term.  There is such a great flow and balance now in terms of our teaching. 

What have you enjoyed most in these first few weeks?

I have really enjoyed having a central office for the PDHPE department. The facilities are excellent and it’s been particularly good for us as a team.  Moreso, the central location is proving beneficial for parents and students, particularly new students, who sometimes had difficulty locating us in multiple locations.  Another thing I’ve noticed is that more students and staff are riding their bikes to the College, due to the additional shower facilities, which is fantastic!

What do you think the completed Centre will mean for students coming through MC over the next 10-15 years?

For me, it means that we can start to foster and create our own sporting traditions. I went to school in the USA and schools over there are notoriously steeped in tradition. My school, Fresno High had a mascot which represented all sporting codes and as well as being easily recognisable, united us a school.  I come from a family of swimmers who all represented Fraser High in swimming, as part of this, we were given the infamous  ‘letterman’ jacket which we wore with immense pride. The jacket identified me as a swimmer and and meant I represented my school.   

I believe that creating new traditions such as these, will help us further answer the question ‘who are we’?, both as a school and as a community, and’ where are we going’? I hope to see and be part of MC building their own sporting history.

I also think it will mean a lot to those who have long-anticipated the Centre’s completion. For the MC Community who have been planning and fundraising, I think it holds particularly sentimental meaning. It’s completion comes with a sense of pride and a feeling of having been part of the building of this awesome Centre. I would like to invite all those who are keen to be been part of the massive fundraising and building efforts to come in for a game and have a ‘shoot’ with us on the new courts!

What types of events would you like to see MC host in the Centre?

I would love to see us hold more social sports events which revolve around fun and companionship rather then competition. Events that bring the wider MC Community together and foster unity and camaraderie.  I think a Staff vs Staff tournament would be fun!  I believe this would be a great step towards fostering staff morale.  I would also like to see the Centre open to past students at certain times, and to see more access be facilitated to a wider range of people. 

Who would you like to see showcased in a ‘Hall of Fame’ when the foyer is completed?

Macquarie College has a number of high performing sports Alumni who I would like to see recognised. From current world record holding Paralympians such as Cameron Crombie (shot put and javelin) to International sailor’s such as Kyle Langford. Honouring these sports men and women creates a rich picture of MC’s sporting history. Naturally, the Centre will house our trophy Cabinet to proudly display all of our sporting achievements. In addition,  I think we should also include team and individual photos in the cabinet. My hope is that these elements combined will create a sense of awe around our sporting history and give current students something to aspire to.

This week we caught up with Mr Will Bennett, for the third installment in our series of MC Sport Staff Q&A sessions.  We’ll hear about recent experiences and future goals for delivering sport and recreation programs for students in 2018, and beyond.

How does it feel to finally get into this new facility?
Having relocated to our offices to the new Centre has already allowed us to be more efficient in getting the job done. There is better team cohesion because of the proximity we have to our facilities and to each other as a team, therefore we have already seen better quality lessons. We have also seen more of Mr Mac from the Junior School which brings the Senior and Junior school together and has added to the Sports Department functioning more effectively as a whole school team.

What have you enjoyed most in these first few weeks?
How well the students have embraced the centre and how excited the students are. At lunchtimes alone, we are having 60-70 kids playing sport in the centre. Particularly badminton as it’s a very inclusive sport. We have also seen an increase of girls playing sport. This has prompted us to establish a ‘Girls Only Sports Session’ (which we have nicknamed G.O.S.S.!) every Tuesday at lunchtime, because there have been so many more girls wanting to play sport during their break.

What do you think the completed Centre will mean for students coming through MC over the next 10-15 years?
It means we can host more inter-school events such as HRIS, because schools are now more willing to compete here at MC, because we are no longer limited by the original facilities such as the asphalt basketball courts. This new, high quality facility is generating a lot of interest.

What types of events would you like to see MC host in the Centre?
More inter-school events and social volleyball.

Who would you like to see showcased in a ‘Hall of Fame’ when the foyer is completed?
Any significant sporting achievement.

This week we caught up with the Junior School Sport Coordinator, Mr Jacob McElevey, for the second instalment in a series of MC Sport Staff Q&A sessions.  We’ll hear about recent experiences and future goals for delivering sport and recreation programs for students in 2018, and beyond.

How does it feel to get settled into this new facility?
Relief! It feels good to have all of this space! It’s also good to have an area where you’re surrounded by all of our sports resources and for all of the Sports staff to be in the same space.

What have you enjoyed most in these first few weeks?
What I’ve really enjoyed is seeing the new opportunities for different sports such as badminton, volleyball and newcomb ball that have been created. It’s also great to have a safer area for students to play on. We have more students, more enthusiastic about playing, and putting themselves really out there as they play hard for the ball on custom-made surfaces.

What do you think the completed Centre will mean for students coming through MC over the next 10-15 years?
The Sports Centre is definitely a huge thing for new students coming through. Basketball is a growing culture at MC, particularly among our Junior School students. Participation was lower when I first started and it’s getting much bigger now.  So I can only see it continuing to grow over the next 10-15 years. It also means a wider variety of sport opportunities for a wider range of students, badminton is one we’re seeing at the moment. Being an all-weather facility also means increased physical activity for our students. We can potentially host Junior and Senior school classes together which opens a wider range of say, mentoring opportunities. The size of the Centre, means we can run different codes at the same time, for example we can have basketball, netball and athletics all going at the same time.

What types of events would you like to see MC host in the Centre?
I would love to see MC Sport host Gala events and invitationals, for HRIS schools and also local schools. I would also love to see MC Sport create our own Shield matches. We could name them after a successful former MC sport students and feature a range of sports such as futsal, volleyball, basketball, netball and table tennis.

Who would you like to see showcased in a ‘Hall of Fame’ when the foyer is completed?
Mr Martin! Actually I would be happy to see any of our successful past students. At the moment, I can think of a few Junior School students who are excelling in basketball who are prime candidates. I also think our students who are currently playing for the Newcastle Hunters who deserve to be up there. There is so much talent here at MC, and so much more to be developed over time!

On 31st January, Macquarie College Principal Dr Bruce Youlden, welcomed Staff and Students to the new Sport & Recreation Centre.  Over 2,100 scheduled classes will be delivered in the facility this year alone, with this number set to increase when Stage 3 construction is completed in the near future. 

This week we caught up with the Head of Department, Mr David Martin, the first in a series of MC Sport Staff Q&A sessions.  We’ll hear about recent experiences and future goals for delivering sport and recreation programs for students in 2018, and beyond.

How does it feel to finally get into this new facility?
Since arriving in 1997 I’ve been looking forward to this Centre being built, and it’s finally here.  In this time my son Jarrod attended Kindy, finished Year 12, been married and completed two degrees at Uni.  While many former staff and students have missed out on this state of the art facility, I am certain that our current students will understand how privileged they are to access these facilities which are truly the best of the best. We currently have the best backboards, the best floor, and best facilities by far of any other school in the Hunter Valley.

What have you enjoyed most in these first few weeks?
Seeing kids that aren’t usually very sporty having new opportunities to play sport and get active.  Traditionally, you would see many of the same kids playing basketball or soccer at lunch, but with all of the excitement generated by this new building we are see so many more kids coming to the Centre at lunchtime for a look and a game! As a result, we are offering more activities such as badminton, which is an easier sport for most kids to participate in without any experience. Indoor facilities mean we can complete all scheduled classes regardless of the weather and students ultimately have more physical activity, which in turn generates momentum and learning continuity for all students participating.

What do you think the completed Centre will mean for students coming through MC over the next 10-15 years?
Less injuries and less sunburn! More students have already shown a willingness to participate in the Centre compared with the centrally located oval. It also means we can host bigger inter-school events.

What types of events would you like to see MC host in the Centre?
HRIS Volleyball, after-hours interschool competitions, MC family sports night (for past and present students, teachers and families).  I would like to see our extended MC family enjoy the facilities ourselves because it’s been a long time coming, and it gives us a chance to iron out any teething issues before opening it to the public.

Who would you like to see showcased in a ‘Hall of Fame’ when the foyer is completed?
We have such an array of talent at MC in past and present students that I would like to see all of our highest sport achievers recognised.  I would like to see Honour Boards in the foyer displaying our sporting history, including Age and House champions, and we cannot wait for the sport trophy cabinet to be relocated here also.