Although the Junior School Swimming Carnival is a competition, our girls always go out of their way to support each other in and out of the pool.

Precariously balanced on the edge of the pool, Eleanor M (Year 6) felt nerves bubbling up from deep inside her stomach. She shook her legs as she prepared to dive into the cool water below. But as she tried to relax, she heard a familiar sound. “I could hear everyone cheering for me, saying ‘Go Ellie’ and ‘Go Patterson’. It was so nice that I wasn’t nervous anymore,” she said.

This is the second year we have been able to hold the carnival at our very own Aquatics Centre, and it was wonderful to see our pool once again at the centre of life at St Cath’s. Students from Years 3 to 6 could barely contain their excitement as they headed to the pool decked out in their house colours, ready for a day of friendly competition. As in previous years, each girl had to race in at least two events to ensure that everyone had a chance to compete. 

However, in true St Cath’s spirit, many students volunteered to swim in three or four events. We are so proud of them for pushing themselves and giving it a go! We must also congratulate the students who raced in our senior and junior house relays. It is a huge responsibility to represent your house in a relay, and these girls rose to the challenge, delivering incredible performances in the pool.

“I could hear everyone cheering for me, saying ‘Go Ellie’ and ‘Go Patterson’. It was so nice that I wasn’t nervous anymore.” — Eleanor M (Year 6)

This year, we decided to include a new component of the carnival as part of our ongoing commitment to our students’ wellbeing. As the day drew to a close, our Stage 3 students took part in a ‘House Dance Off’. Each house had a ball presenting their dances, with everyone ending the day with big smiles. Although every house performed well on the day, Barker was named Overall House Champion, with Morgan P (Phillips) awarded Junior Champion and Alexa W (Barker) awarded Senior Champion. Well done girls!

As a result of their excellent performances at the carnival, several students qualified for the IPSHA Swim and Dive Carnival at Homebush. Our students competed in various events throughout the day, with many gaining ribbons in their races. The St Catherine’s team definitely had the loudest cheer squad and showed real team spirit both in the pool and in the stands.

To progress to the NSWCIS Swimming and Diving Championships, students had to place in the top five in their events. The following students were successful in making it to the next stage of the competition: Katherine H, Morgan P, Ruby R, Alexa W and our Senior Relay team (Sarah S, Alexa W, Grace H and Chloe M). Once again, our girls gave it their all, with Grace, Katherine, Ruby, Sarah and Alexa then selected for the CIS team to compete at the 2024 School Sport Australia Swimming Championships. As this national event will be held on the Gold Coast, our St Cath’s cheer squad won’t be able to be poolside to support our girls. But you can be sure that the entire St Cath’s community will be cheering our swimmers on from home.