They may be small, but they are fast!!
The Prep to Year 2 students had been training hard for this challenge – The GCC Junior Cross Country! For most of them it was a chance to zoom around the obstacle course and show mum and dad how fast they could run. To others it was a chance to be given the title of the fastest girl or boy in their year level at GCC.
Everyone came proudly wearing their house shirt with the house war cries in their heads. As classes gathered each house tent readied itself for the traditional War Cry competition. For the new Prep children this was their first experience of house competition and I am sure the noise of the cheering houses rattled their bones and ear drums! Cheeks turned brighter shades of red as students bellowed out their house war cries trying to be louder and fiercer than every other team.
The racing began with the Preps running 750m around the oval and over a collection of obstacles. The most competitive runners bypassed the obstacles with their eyes firmly on the prize of being first to the finish line. This was not quite so obvious in the Prep age group as it was by the time the Year 2 children raced!
There were some very close races and some races where the lead was established early in the race. Children showed their fitness by running over the course with ease and the determination to finish was very evident. Year 6 house leaders were on hand to lead the first runners and also encourage and support those further back in the race. “Those kids are fast! I had to run fast to keep ahead of them!” commented one of the Year 6 house leaders.
Every finisher received a souvenir place card recording their finishing position and a frozen juice to quench their thirst and cool them down. The winners received ribbons and everyone gained valuable points for their house team. Lucky spot prizes were also given to children finishing in randomly chosen finishing positions.
When all the points were totalled, Ararat were declared the Junior Cross Country Champions for 2017 and the shield was presented to the house captains.
It was great to see so many parents and family members supporting the children at this event. There was a great atmosphere and everyone ran faster when encouraged by the crowd. The new grandstand funded by the P and F was very helpful for spectators in the middle of the course and was also a great place to take photos from.
Teachers also need to be thanked for their efforts in taking their classes out for a 10 minute run each day in preparation for this event. The GCC 3000 race used the total laps run during the 10 minute runs to also find the Champion GCC 3000 class for 2017. The final result of this race will be announced soon.
The Cross Country was a great morning of running and community cheering for everyone involved.
The race results are below:
| Age | 1st Name and House | 2nd Name and House | 3rd Name and House | |
| Girls Prep | Kannika C Zion | Avah Keeble Zion | Estelle Collins Sinai | |
| Boys Prep | Bailey James Ararat | Travis Bowden Sinai | Charlie Turner Ararat | |
| Girls Yr 1 | Lilah Prentice Sinai | Amy Jones Ararat | Azulie Von Dayme Zion | |
| Boys Yr 1 | Thomas Jones Ararat | Jye Turner Ararat | Connor Gassner Ararat | |
| Girls Yr 2 | Sophie Sharma Zion | Savannah Ranken Sinai | Lily Short Zion | |
| Boys Yr 2 | Flynn Lewis Sinai | Archie Cruise Zion | Cooper James Ararat | |
GCC families can see all the photos on Pixevety.