Columba College took to the road bright and early on Sunday morning, embarking on their journey to Christchurch for the annual winter sports exchange with St. Andrew's College.

Competing in hockey, football, netball, badminton and debating everyone played in the spirit of keen competition and friendly rivalry. Upon arrival mid-Sunday afternoon, the girls were eager to get some games under their belt and gain valuable insight into the competition they may be facing later on in the year during winter tournament week.

Badminton

Columba College Senior A Badminton completed dominated the court from the very first serve. Beginning the exchange on Sunday afternoon, this team meant business winning all their completed games that day to kick things off on a high. Day two saw a new STAC Team show up with the top-seed player in Canterbury and a prominent member of the South Island Squad. Columba kept their spirits high and, although their number one rank finished her game victorious, our number two, three and four players won their singles and our 3/4 doubles to claim the overall win 4-2. Well done to Wenxi Zeng, Zoe Revell-Lynch, Keira Hollamby and Mia Revell-Lynch on a phenomenal display of badminton prowess. 

Hockey

Hockey was a very tough tussle between the two schools. Columba worked hard as a team to get the ball down to their goal, however, classy defence from their opposition proved this to be rather difficult. Nevertheless, this didn't dampen Columba's spirits and they fought right to the end. This was a valiant effort by our girls! Unfortunately, they went down in the end by a 5-0 scoreline; however, the score did not reflect the game and it is always a good encounter with an extremely strong team. This was great prep to get the team ready to compete at the top tier National Federation Cup Tournament during Winter Tournament Week.

Netball

On Sunday, the Columba team came straight off an undefeated beginning to the club season earning them a place in the promotion-relegation game post exchange. This created much excitement and made for an awesome start to the jammed packed netball schedule. The girls were ready to go when the whistle blew, up against Christchurch girls to kick things off, Columba took an early lead and never looked back, claiming an impressive 12-goal victory. STAC had numerous girls who were development players and played in the Beko league along with many Canterbury and national representatives. This was amazing for Columba as they were able to play against some of the best netball players in the country. Columba fought hard, showing grit and determination throughout all four quarters while holding their own against the opposition. In the end, STAC claimed a narrow 6 point win. Columba is proud of the team culture and effort of our Senior A Netball after a gruelling four games in a row, finishing with the most important and gaining a well-deserved spot in Premier A Grade for the remainder of the season.

Debating

Columba College competed on both days with Sunday seemingly more challenging against the number 1 male-dominated STAC Team. We narrowly lost this debate in a tough battle of brains, however, we claimed an extraordinary win on Monday when they came up against the 2nd STAC team.

The two moots debated were:

1. Columba was Affirming - "This house supports conscription of people into the healthcare sector during pandemics"
2. Columba was Negating - "This House regrets the rise of NIL (name, image, likeness) deals in college sport" 
   

This was an amazing result and we would like to congratulate the following students on their success: Sophie Davis, Sophie Bowmar and Anise Maclean.

Football

Football got underway early morning on Monday and Columba looked in the zone after their pre-game dance had them hyped and ready-to-go. Columba was determined to get on the scoreboard early and took a 1-0 lead courtesy of a classy boot by Year 13 Student, Sienna Harper. Our first XI savoured the chance to battle against one of Canterbury’s top-ranked secondary school football teams, with a key aim of getting stuck in and maintaining a never-give-up attitude. The girls did just this and, although they went down 7-1 in the end, they continued to have smiles on their faces until the final whistle. It was a delight to see the camaraderie between all team members and the player-led style of leadership this team possesses. 

We would like to thank all the athletes who represented Columba with pride during this annual exchange. To our teachers, coaches, managers and parents who offer their services voluntarily, we also thank you. It was great to see two schools competing at such a high level, with amazing sportswomanship that continues to be commented on by staff and supporters. These exchanges are always a favourite in our school sports diary and we are already looking forward to our Winter QUAD to be held early in  August!