Year 8 girls win silver at Volleyball Schools cup: Last weekend our Year 8 girls team competed in the 33rd Queensland Junior Volleyball Schools Cup event. This event is run annually and caters to 130 teams from across the state. Our Year 8 girls have been training very hard all year in preparation for this event, and it was so pleasing to see them rewarded for their efforts with a silver medal. This team persevered in some tight matches and held their ground against tough opposition. They have gained so much from this experience, and I am very excited to see what will come next year. A special thank-you goes out to the players involved, and to all of their parents, this competition would not have run so smoothly or been so successful without you.  

By the coach, Cecilia Webbe

SCISSA Soccer

Week 1 results:
Junior Boys: GCC lost to Matthew Flinders 0-7. Best player; Bryce Sambrook

Junior Girls: GCC lost to Suncoast 0-3. Best player; Nicole Morris.

Intermediate Boys: GCC lost to Pacific LC 0-3. GCC defeated ILC 1-0. Goal; Jacob Barbeler 1. Best players; Jacob Barbeler, Declan Martin, Riley McMillan, and Mitchell Hart.

Coach Modlin’s comments; “Unfortunately the GCC boys have once again lost ‘The Modlin Cup’ going down to PLC. To rub salt in the wound Elijah Modlin from PLC scored a goal and set up another! In the second game, the boys battled the wind and the ref (at times) to beat ILC 1-0.“

Intermediate Girls: GCC defeated Good Shepherd LC 9-1.Goals; Molly McCaughey 4, Kirra Leigh Crouch 2, Ellie Keeble 2, Chelsea Breen 1. Best player; Ellie Thompson.

Week 2 results:

Junior Boys: GCC drew with Pacific LC 1-1. Best player; Cody Hall.

Junior Girls: GCC lost to Good Shepherd LC 1-4. Best player; Lily Breen.

Intermediate Boys: GCC defeated Good Shepherd LC 5-0. Goals; Jacob Barbeler 2, Coby Schmeichel 1, Bailey Rossborough 1, Daniel Coumi 1.  Best players; Jacob Barbeler, Jacob Broderick, Mitchell Hart and Declan Martin.

Coach Modlin’s comments; Brilliant effort by the boys today to get a win with the longest drive in SCISSA. Coby Schmeichel’s goal was an absolute screamer from 25m out, Bailey Rossborough and Daniel Coumi both scored their first goals for GCC.

Week 3 results:

Junior Boys: GCC lost to Suncoast 1-5. Best player and goal scorer; Jack Freeman.

Intermediate Boys: GCC defeated Suncoast1  3-2.  GCC defeated Suncoast2  2-1. Best players over both games; Declan Martin, Jacob Barbeler, Riley McMillan, Jacob Broderick.

Intermediate Girls: GCC lost to Immanuel LC 2-3. Best player; Anaya White. Goal Scorers; Kirra-Leigh Crouch 1 and Jorja Goddard 1.

Intermediate Girls: GCC defeated Matthew Flinders AC 4-3. Goals; Molly McCaughey 3 and Ellie Keeble 1. Best player; Chelsea Breen.

Sunshine Coast Secondary schools basketball

Thanks to all parents, students and families who have supported our fourth year of participation in the Sunshine Coast Secondary schools basketball competition held on Friday nights. It is a huge commitment to get students to venues around the Sunshine Coast – especially when brothers and sisters are both playing! Most teams were in divisions a little higher than their ability, and I hope this all goes well for future years.

The Junior Boys team made the semi-final v Sunshine Beach SHS. A close game ensued with both teams trading baskets and GCC taking it up to the undefeated Sunshine Beach. Only 11 points separated the teams at ¾ time but GCC couldn’t peg back the margin and lost 48-21. Great effort from a team where only 2 players had played basketball before.

Final Round 

Intermediate A Boys v GSLC Lost 74-27
Intermediate Girls v St John’s Won 16-8
Senior Boys v MSHS Won 52-46
Senior Girls v SCGS Lost 22-9
Junior Boys v GSLC Won 38-29

GCC students shine at the Australian Junior Volleyball Championships 

Olivia McKenzie (Year 8) and Aiden McKellar (Year 11) represented Queensland in the U14 Division and U17 Maroon teams at the Australian Junior Volleyball Championships at the AIS in Canberra over the holidays. The tournament ran from Sunday 29 September to Saturday 5 October with most other States and Territories taking part, as well as teams from New Zealand and Thailand. 

Teams battled it out to take out the crown for Junior National Champions for girls’ and boys’ across four age groups (U14, U15, U17, U19), including the newly added U14 Division. This year the event celebrated its 30th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the first-ever national volleyball junior-aged tournament which was held in Canberra in 1969. After a week of action-packed sets and head-to-head matches, Queensland took out the President’s Cup for the 7th consecutive year as the best performing Member State/Territory during the tournament

Olivia’s team was the youngest and newest to this level of competition but started the week strongly, winning all but one of their pool games. This placed the girls in a very strong 2nd position on the ladder going into the Extension Pool games. After playing consistently well, the girls won these next two games and secured a spot to play in the Gold Medal match. After a long and hard-fought five sets, the girls lost to Victoria by just three points, proudly bringing home the Silver.

Aiden’s team won an impressive six out of their seven matches in the Round Robin competition and faced off against South Australia in the Gold Medal match, who they had lost to earlier in the competition. The boys were keen not to let that happen again and won decisively in straight sets with a 3-0 victory to bring home the Gold. 

Olivia and Aiden are to be commended for their commitment to prepare and train for the tournament over the last six months, with regular training sessions held in Brisbane. They have learned invaluable skills along the way, pursuing excellence and striving to continuously improve as athletes to support their team, representing their State with pride.

GCC Sports Awards Night

The sports awards evening will be held this coming Monday 28 October from 6pm in the church. 

Attending students receiving awards are required to wear formal uniform and to sit on the right-hand side of the church on the seat indicated by a name tag.

This year our guest speaker will be one of Australia’s most decorated lifesavers and former world champion ironwoman Kristy Ellis (nee Munroe). Kristy will be with us on the night to present awards and speak to us about her journey as a professional sportswoman.

Cassidy Ferris at State Athletics

Cassidy recently competed in Cairns at the Secondary School State Athletics for Javelin, Triple Jump, Long Jump and the 400m. She managed to get a personal best time for the 400m and qualified top eight for finals in two events; long jump and 400m.

Her full results were: 7th Long Jump, 7th 400, 13th in Triple Jump and unfortunately she fouled out in Javelin. Considering the quality of athletes competing in these events, Cassidy’s results are excellent. All events involved a big field of athletes and the conditions were hot and humid. 

Matthew Beattie, Head of PE and Sport