There are a few empty seats at school this week as we have a number of girls away on Tournament. This signifies that winter sport is coming to an end. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school for the last two weeks of term and reporting on everyone's experiences and results. Enjoy those breakups girls for your respective sport. At the same time, it’s time to start thinking about summer sports.

Phew, it sure is a busy time here in the world of Sport at SMC. Please email us if you have any sports news you would like included in the newsletter louise.eder@stmargarets.school.nz.

Basketball
Basketball is now finished for another season. 2019 has been a huge year for our Basketballers, with over 200 girls taking part in this fabulous sport. A huge thank you to all of our coaches, managers, supporters and of course the players themselves. We are going to finish up our Basketball season with a fun break up in the gym on Tuesday 17 September. Even if you don’t play Basketball, come along to the gym to watch the Year 13s play a game against each other for the first and last time.
The Y13 Geckos and Y13 Boarders, had a great last game of Basketball, with the Boarders winning with huge smiles on their faces, finishing off with a 3 pointer right on the buzzer. It was great to see so many happy faces. After being together since Y9 the Geckos have now played their last game, that’s five years of hearing their special chant. However, we have asked them to get together one more time for our Basketball breakup on 17 September.
Our Intermediate A team has had a great season with some very high scoring games. They finished 3rd in Division 1. We look forward to seeing these talented players back on the court next year.

Canterbury Primary Schools Winter Tournament
On Thursday 22 August, our Year 7&8 Netball Team had a great day finishing 2nd, going down to STAC in the final. This competition is all the top teams from schools around Canterbury, who got 1st or 2nd at their zones. Awesome job well done.

Porters Independent Primary Schools Ski Championships
Wednesday 28th August 12 girls aged from Year 3-8 competed in the Porters Independent Primary Schools Ski Championships. Each girl competed in teams of 4, completing 2 timed runs per skier. The girls were all nervous prior to racing and all came away with smiles once they had finished. Not one skier was disqualified with all completing the course. We would like to congratulate SMC Red - Rosa Turner, Amy Jones, Sienna Godfrey-Chatterton, and Ruby Larcombe who came third in the girl's team event and SMC Blue - Kara Gooding, Lucy Holdaway, Millie Larcombe and Charlotte Maxwell who all skied hard. A massive shout out to our other teams SMC Green - Angelina McCullough, Eve Tayler, Jessica Macdonald and Sophie Maxwell and SMC Young Guns - Marnie Bell, Annabel Scott, Sabrina Macdonald and Mackenzie Crampton. Despite the gusty wind, all the girls enjoyed a great day on the mountain.

Hockey
On a chilly Canterbury night, there was a fierce battle raging. What a battle it was and we couldn’t be prouder of our SMC 1st XI as they fought hard against Rangi, in the Connetics SSP Hockey Grand Final in a nail-biting match. The red and white support on the sidelines was outstanding. 🏑 🔴⚪🔴⚪🏑

2nd XI won 4-1 against Rangi Ruru 2nd XI. (finished 3rd in SSL Div 1)
White Team beat Red Team 9-1. (to finish 3rd and 4th in SSL Div 2)
Blue Team lost 1-2 to Avonside 1st XI (to finish 2nd in SSL Div 3)
Green Team lost 2-4 to CGHS White (to finish 4th in SSL Div 3)
Silver Team won 4-2 against StAC 3rd XI (to finish 3rd in SSL Div 4)

Netball
Well, the regular season for 2019 is done and dusted. It was a fabulous day at Hagley on Saturday for the last round of games before the playoffs. So many of our teams were close to semi-final contention but due to other results, we only have our 10A's who have qualified. There were some fantastic games played and the vibe around the courts was super positive. Our teams finished their season with strong performances which were awesome to see. With no quarter-finals this season it was tough to earn a semi-final spot. Congratulations to all teams for the huge amount of spirit you showed on the court this season.
A big congratulations to our Year 10A netball team on their 31-27 semi-final win against Revelation on Saturday. This awesome group of girls will meet STAC Senior B this Saturday at 12.00pm in the final of the U19 grade.
Our Yr 7/8A girls also have Koru Games coming up on 17-19 September at Lincoln. This team were runners up last week at CPS so they are having a fantastic lead up to this tournament. Go well Dee, Amelia, Hannah and team at Koru Games.
Also to Helen, Mrs Seymour and our Senior A girls we wish you all the best for the upcoming SISS's in Nelson!!! A huge week on the netball calendar and we are all behind you!!
Everyone, please remember to mark your diaries for Sunday 15th September at 1.30pm for our SMC End of Season Netball Celebration. More details to follow.

SMC V - Yr 5
Our Year 5 girls have had a fabulous season under the watchful guidance of coaches Ellie and Evie. Weekly training and games have been well organised and attended by the girls. The progress of their ball skills and their general understanding of netball developed hugely over the season which has been awesome to watch. The girls have gained so much from their netball experience this year.

SMC W - Year 4
Our Year 4 team have had a fun-filled netball season. Coached by Georgia MacKay and Harriet Kennelly they have learned new skills and have worked together superbly as a team. A hardworking group of girls who have loved their time on the court and are making the step up to 6 aside netball next season!!! They are so ready for this!!!

SMC P - Year 9 Doves
Our Yr 9 Doves have finished the season strongly with some very solid team performances. They have outplayed teams with their slick passing and strong through court defence, finished off with some super accurate shooting. Awesome work girls.

SMC O
A great season for this team of pocket rockets. They have thrived under the guidance of coach Olivia Parker who has installed great structures and fabulous team culture. It is great to see the girls enjoy the netball and work for each other on the court. Fantastic work girls.

SMC N
Our 9B girls have hit their straps as they lead into the final games of the season. They have gained in confidence as the season has progressed and been able to execute their skills effectively to produce some fantastic results. Your attitude and work ethic has been great girls and you deserve your results after a tough start to the season. Super proud of you all.

SMC K
Our SMC K team girls are a team of superstars who have battled away this season in some tough games. Their skills have progressed and they have shown their 'never give up' attitude. Their final game of the season on Saturday was super close but they fought hard and worked together as a team to get over the line. A great way to finish the season!!

SMC J
A great season for our 10B girls. Winners of their grade in the Wednesday competition. Awesome work girls. They are a skilful group of girls who have played some fantastic netball throughout the season. They had an awesome support crew each week on the sidelines to!!

SMC I
A great season for our Year 11 Blue team. A super competitive bunch of girls who were unlucky not to gain a semi-final spot. They have played some hard-fought games in the Championship Round and had one close loss and 1 draw which saw them just miss the playoffs. Fabulous effort girls.

SMC G
The girls have worked incredibly hard this season were ably guided by Taylor and Clarissa. They have progressed as a team and played some great netball. Well done girls.

SMC D
Another fantastic season for this group of talented girls. Pictured here as Winners of their Wednesday Netball competition. They have suffered some injuries and had girls away on Exchange but have rallied together and played some great netball. This awesome group of girls will meet STAC Senior B this Saturday at 12.00pm in the final of the U19 grade.

A huge thank you to all of our wonderful coaches, managers, staff and umpires who help with each of our teams each week. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated by us all.
A reminder of our SMC Netball End of Season Assembly - Sunday 15th September 1.30pm in the Chapel.

Amanda Hardy
SMC Netball Convenor

Profile of an SMC Student, Ella Ballantyne
What sport do you play and what age were you when you first started? 
I play indoor and beach volleyball. I started indoor volleyball at the beginning of year 9 and started playing beach volleyball in year 10.

Who is your sport inspiration/role model?
I look to many sportspeople for inspiration. These mainly include professional volleyball players such as April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings.

What have been your major highlights/achievements?
My major highlights/achievements are:
Coming second at nationals with the Canterbury U17 team and being named in the Super 7.
Coming second at NZSS beach nationals with Rosa Davidson
Travelling to the USA with the NZ U17 beach team.
Being named in the NZ U17 team travelling to Australia in September.

How many hours of training do you do per week?
My training hours vary quite a lot, depending on what I’m training for. I can sometimes train around 12 hours (including both beach and indoor training) but on less busy weeks I may only train 2-4 hours. I also do my own fitness outside of team training sessions.

What do you enjoy most about playing sport?
I enjoy playing competitively and having fun while working towards a common goal with my team!