2005 School Magazine

Sailing Sport

Softball Sport

Years 8 and 9 girls are fully integrated with the senior girls and have the opportunity to sail with and befriend the more experienced sailors. This

Sailing soars!

It’s all about the teamwork

interaction is one of the strengths of the Sailing Club which sets it apart from other sports where girls are restricted to competing with and against girls of their own age group. Another advantage of sailing is that it affords us the opportunity to compete against GPS and other schools on a regular basis. There is no greater satisfaction than beating the boys in open competition! The season culminated in the Schools Teams Racing State Championships hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly every Easter. Congratulations to our A and B Teams for placing second and third in the Girls Championship. Our Junior Team gained valuable experience against tough competition. A big thank you is extended to our retiring Co- ordinator, Mr Greatorex, who has built the sailing club into the well-equipped sailing machine it is today. The senior sailors of 2005 will never forget Mr Greatorex’s unfailing presence and steadfast encouragement every Sunday and Easter of the sailing season for the last five years.

Sailing is one of the best kept secrets at Brisbane Girls Grammar School. The Sailing Club is small, friendly and welcoming. Many people think the students have to be seasoned sailors with their own boats to participate, but this is not the case. The Club caters for all ages and skill levels - from beginner to state and national champions. This season our enthusiastic beginners were well catered for in the Development Squad which trained on Sunday mornings. We fielded three racing teams—the Junior team coached by Miss Wardell (2001), the Senior A team coached by Miss J Patterson (1998) and the Senior B team coached by Miss A Patterson (2002). Sadly, the weather wreaked considerable havoc on our boats and our training and racing schedules. Our fleet, comprising six Pacers and three Vagabonds, kept at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly, sustained some damage in the fierce January storms. We thank Mr Svanberg, our Boatmaster, for his efforts in having the boats fully repaired for the start of the season. One of the highlights of the season was the Sunday afternoon our whole fleet of nine boats sailed out into Waterloo Bay to train together for the very first time. We made a spectacular sight with our different coloured gybes as we practised our racing techniques, weaving in and out of our safety and support vessels with our coaches offering sailing tips. Unfortunately, a sudden gust of wind caused some boats to capsize - which only added to the fun. There followed an interesting few minutes as the girls battled to right their boats and one of the coaches was forced to swim to the aid of a less experienced crew.

The Grammar Softball community also welcomed back Ms Young and past student, Miss Short (2003) as Open coaches and Miss Beutel and Miss Martin (2004) as the Senior A coaches. We were very lucky to have these women contribute their time and considerable expertise. The senior season would not have been complete without our dedicated scorers Mrs Cooke and Mrs Evans. Softball is a team sport and that team extends beyond the diamond to the dugout and the stands. A champion team is better than a team of champions. The Years 8 to 10 season was held at the Brisbane Softball Association fields at Downey Park in November 2004 and the experience gained ensures a bright future for Grammar Softball. This complete season was once again celebrated at a combined junior and senior dinner in the Annie Mackay Room. Fiona Couper (12O) CAPTAIN

The 2004–2005 Softball season proved to be another opportunity for Grammar girls to exhibit the well-known School spirit by being committed, determined and enthusiastic.

There were two important differences between this

season and the previous season: firstly, all the girls from Years 8 to 12 completed a full season, unlike last year when fixtures were cancelled due to bad weather, including extreme heat; secondly, the Grammar softball community said goodbye for 2005 to long-serving Co-ordinator, Mrs Harvey-Short, and in her place welcomed Ms Johnston. The senior season was a rather mixed one with the Open team winning four of their eight games, placing them fifth overall. However, the Senior A team executed a clean sweep of all games, winning the premiership for the third year in succession. Both teams had lost strong Year 12 players from the 2004 teams, but the girls did not let this discourage them; rather, they welcomed the new players enthusiastically and took advantage of their new talents. All of the girls remained optimistic and focused throughout the season and worked well as a team.

Jane McMahon (12E) & Jill Svanberg (12O) CAPTAINS

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