Eumemmerring College’s southern zone metropolitan champion senior girls’ cricket team, back, from left, Kristy Borg, Jaclyn Engellenner, Chantelle Hawkins, Alexandra Johnson, Brittany Fenton, Rachel Evans, Danielle Lawrence, and front, Sarah Presnell, Ashleigh Painter, coach Brett Alexander, Jerilee Carkeek and Jessica Harder.By Marc McGowan
GIRLS are hitting back at Eumemmerring College’s Hallam Campus.
Sick of sitting in the shadows of their male counterparts’ sporting feats, a talented batch of female athletes are showing they are just as worthy.
Eumemmerring College cricket academy director Brett Alexander is playing a pivotal role in the encouragement of female sporting involvement at the school.
“We want to give them the opportunity to not just participate, but to give them more exposure in sport,” he said.
“It’s not about the blokes all the time. It’s just as important for girls to get the opportunity to participate and celebrate their successes.”
The school’s female students have achieved unprecedented sporting success this year.
Six of Eumemmerring’s female sports teams have become Casey district champions, with some of them progressing to become southern zone champions.
The touch rugby side won the state championship in term one, while the Australian Rules football, softball and soccer squads are still alive in their campaigns.
The impressive results have much to do with the school’s innovative sports academy, which offers six sports – Australian Rules football, cricket, basketball, soccer, rugby league and netball – to both genders.
There is even some talk of a female sports academy next year.
“We’re looking at bringing all the girls together to give them their own separate identity I suppose,” Alexander said.
“We’d take them for all their classes and then let them branch into their sports from there.
“We’re in discussions at this stage – it’s not definite – but it might be one way of harnessing this year’s success and continuing it next year.”
Alexander believes that participation in sport offers a variety of benefits.
“It gives them a huge self worth and the girls are just beaming from their success,” he said.
“It also teaches them sportsmanship and other skills that apply to the classroom, work or social situations – it’s giving them the whole package of what you require for life.”
For the first time, Eumemmerring is also organising a trip for its female netballers and cricketers to Queensland to compete with its sister high school Palm Beach Currumbin.
The school’s male Australian Rules footballers played a match against Palm Beach Currumbin this month as part of their annual Australian Rules exchange.
“I’m new here this year and I was unaware of the calibre of students we had here,” Alexander said.
“What has impressed me is how passionate and dedicated they are to training, so it’s not surprising that we’re going so well.”
