Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2022

Sport

and handballing’ by a club coach Following Australian Football’s introduction for junior students last year, a large team of senior BGGS girls debuted the sport in a friendly competition at the Springfield Central Sports Complex and Metricon Stadium in Term 1 Despite some weather-related disruptions, our team finished the season on top of the table, and are keen to add tackling to their skills repertoire in 2023 Even though girls’ interest has changed over the more than 110 years of QGSSSA, many of the association’s traditional sports have thrived at BGGS The 2022 Softball season has seen the School enter one Open, and two Senior teams When the competition was cancelled due to Brisbane’s February weather event, BGGS was the leader in both divisions The Association’s confirmation of both teams’ premierships, due to the unprecedented circumstances, guarantees both teams their place in our history as our girls continue to embrace the unique spirit and game day tension of the Softball diamond The popularity of Volleyball at Girls Grammar has also doubled in the past decade—blossoming from five teams in 2011, to eleven teams in 2022 Despite the overlapof thewinterQGSSSANetball, Tennis,Hockey, and Volleyball seasons with the Brisbane Schoolgirls Rowing Association (BSRA) regatta schedule, the School continues to fill every winter fixture team and take opportunities inother schools’ winter sports draws, wherever possible ▶

Since the earliest days of the School, physical activity and competition has been valued and entrenched in a Girls Grammar education In 1908, decades before women’s sporting teams became more commonplace, the Queensland Girls Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA) was founded Member schools included Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Somerville House andStMargaret’sAnglicanGirls School—schools whose Principals were looking to formalise interschool sporting competitions ("History – QGSSSA", 2018) Since the formation of the QGSSSA, the association has been attuned to the sporting interests of the girls, and open to organisational change While traditional Ball Games and Lifesaving are no longer offered by QGSSSA, popular sporting additions have been added including Rhythmic Gymnastics, Badminton, Football, Touch, and Basketball The most recent sport to be added to the QGSSSA fixtures is Australian Football which was trialled in Term 4, 2021 The ‘Come and Try’ days for junior BGGS girls were held at both our Rangakarra sporting fields in Fig Tree Pocket, and at the Everton Wolves Football Club Initially, many believed this to be the first foray for Girls Grammar into Australian Football; however, newspaper reports from decades earlier confirm that about 30 Grammar girls attended a coaching session on the school oval in the 1980s According to the article, the ‘girls were shown films about the rules of the game before they were taken for practical instruction in kicking, marking,

above left BGGS winners of the QGSSSA Cup in 1916 above right BGGS vs St Margaret's in Netball in 1979

Gazette

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

09

Issue 1, 2022