A shot at Games glory for our young athletes
GEELONG will be well represented at the upcoming Pacific School Games, with several youngsters set to compete in track and field events.
The week-long festival of sport, held in Adelaide from December 1-7, will see more than 4000 school-age students from at least 10 countries take part.
Ten-year-olds Joshua Unthank and Hugh Haebich, of Leopold and Chil- well Primary Schools respectively, will take on the 1500m event while 12-yearold Jacinta Seldon-McFarlane, of Lara Lake, will compete in the 800m.
Isabella Tarr, aged 10 and from Bellbrae Primary, and Oliver Ngaboysona, aged 12 and from Clifton Springs Primary, will both take part in the 100m and 12-year-old Patrick Poulter, from Fyans Park Primary, will run the 200m.
St Joseph’s Will Daffy, 12, will compete in the long jump and 11-year-old Teagan Zurawel, from Wallington Primary, in high jump.
Multi-class athletes Shaun Monger, 11, from Highton Primary, and Jacob Blakely, 12, from Nelson Park, will both take part in shot put.
Sarah A, of Nelson Park, will try her hand at both shot put and discus. Her classmate, 10-year-old Kylie Toomey, will compete in the 100m, 200m and 800m events.
Hosted by School Sport Australia, the week delivers a memorable sporting, educational, and social experience for participants.
Sports on the program include bas- ketball, diving, football, goalball, golf, hockey, netball, softball, swimming, touch football and athletics.
Athletes who have competed at the Pacific School Games include former AFL player Anthony Koutoufides, basketballer Patty Mills, swimmers Kyle Chalmers and Ian Thorpe and track star Cathy Freeman.
Australian students qualify for the Games through their state or territory school sport pathways while international students follow their national school pathways.