THE Penola High School oval was a hive of activity last week for the annual Feeder Schools Sports Carnival.
This year the line markings were set up for touch footy in a welcome variation to the traditional soccer carnival.
Schools involved in the carnival included Penola, Kalangadoo and Nangwarry primary schools.
As a lead-up to the carnival, some feeder schools had taken part in touch footy clinics with Penola High School’s district winning touch footy team members who travelled to Adelaide earlier this year for the state championships.
Despite the heavy rainfall the night before and intermittent showers during the day, this did not impact on the performance of the players.
Nangwarry teacher Kamari Westland said her students had been counting down the days to the carnival all term.
Splitting into five teams, physical education coordinator Chloe Long turned the coaching over to the Year 9 and 10 sport students who are currently studying a unit on sport organisation.
This includes a focus on umpiring, coaching and managing roles in the sport and recreation industry.
After the first break, the coaches and their teams participated in the first round of “come and try” games in a round robin style tournament where players learnt how to stay in their lines and move the ball across the field.
After refuelling in the lunch break thanks to a generous supply of sausages, courtesy of the Penola High School student representative council, the games continued with a renewed intensity.
Match quality intensified and high-quality skills were displayed in a number of close matches.
“It was great to see the students from different schools interact positively with one another, even though it was the first time they had met some of their team mates,” Penola Primary School Year 9 level organiser Jackie Poumako said.
Each of the students who participated received a certificate of participation to recognise their efforts on the day.
