On Wednesday 16 June the annual Wollongong Diocese Hockey Carnival was held. In what is always a highly contested affair, Mount Carmel entered the day in a positive mindset coming off the previous year’s records of no goals conceded and not losing a match (unfortunately not progressing due to a coin flip after drawing on points and goal differentials). 

This year saw the return of the majority of last year’s team with a few new faces drawn from the junior years with a view to the future. The day started off slow with a nil all draw with both Corpus Christi and John Terry; games that we could have easily won, but also did well to protect our goal line. The next two round games against Magdalene and St Benedicts saw us get on the goal sheet with Khye Poulton and Blake Waugh scoring a goal apiece to run away 1-0 in each game leaving us second in the pool. 

Moving into the semi finals we came across the perennial contender Edmund Rice who were undefeated being able to field a quality team across the park. The boys restructured the line-up switching from playing four halves in a defensive line to just the two halves with Jeremiah Myatt-Kane and Blake Waugh playing highly aggressive forward roles. This move cost us an early goal, but paid dividends late with two goals securing the win. A notable mention to Khye Poulton who turned a coach killer baseline run into a fantastic individual effort turning three defenders inside out and scoring from the line.

The grand final saw the day come full circle with a rematch against Corpus Christi. Both teams played significantly better and the Mt Carmel boys stuck to their game plan by shutting down key players and clearing the ball out of danger. Blake Whitehead and Nathan Williams covered significant ground in defense and were well supported on our own goal line by James D’Angelo and William McManus who only conceded two goals for the day. Up front Lachlan Calderbank, Ryan Sweeney, Josh Dennis, Issac Robinson and Aiden Poole harassed the attack and forced multiple turnovers that resulted in a breakaway for Blake Waugh to burn two defenders before putting one away off his backstick leveling the game. Cometh the hour cometh the man of the moment; after mounting possession down our attacking end Luke Prebble, who had been practicing his golf chip all day between games, pounced on a hip height deflection from the keeper and absolutely slotted the ball into the back net with the keeper still wondering where it went. 

With only one player currently playing hockey at club level the boys showed grit and team spirit to come away as the 2021 champions. 

Mr Rees (Coach)

MISA Dance 

On Tuesday, we had our MISA Dance group attend and perform in the MISA Dance Festival. Below is a reflection written by two Year 10 students who displayed exceptional leadership throughout the term. 

MISA Dance was an unforgettable, unique experience I am looking forward to being a part of again. I was given the job of being one of the choreographers of the MISA Dance performance this year entitled, La Danse. La Danse is French for The Dance. I was given the opportunity to choreograph the modern contemporary section of the performance. Being assigned the choreographer role also meant teaching the dancers. Teaching the modern contemporary dancers their section was an amazing experience and I commend each one of them for performing my choreography to the best of their ability. Alongside Cyrell and Alexandra, I choreographed the hip-hop segment, displaying the upbeat and energetic facade of dance. From the deep and sentimental genre of contemporary, the sudden shift to hip-hop diversified the routine, complimenting the contrasting theme of ‘night and day’. The finale, Love Never Felt so Good choreographed by Jessica, unified both modern contemporary and hip-hop dancers despite our stylistic differences. I appreciate the efforts of the hip-hop crew, learning the routine at school and in their own time. I am incredibly grateful to have danced with a dedicated group that was willing to sacrifice their time to practice and refine the piece. Taking on the role of choreographers is an experience that has enabled us to develop a greater appreciation for dance. 

Everything we had been working towards was the MISA Dance Festival that occurred on Tuesday 15 June. The day was extremely memorable and exciting for everybody involved and it was amazing to have students from Years 7-12 working together as a team. We caught a bus from school to The Cube where our performance was being held. We piled in and watched with curiosity as other schools prepared themselves for their performances. The nerves were partnered with excitement as we made our way backstage, ready to perform. Despite the fact that we were down one dancer, we re-blocked the number and made it seem like it was meant for only that number of dancers. Performing on a professional and large stage like The Cube is something that will never be forgotten. We danced our hearts out and entertained the masses that cheered along as we danced. After our brilliant performance, we sat down, relaxed and watched the other schools’ spectaculars. The MISA Dance Festival is an awesome day out where dancers can show off their talents to their fellow dancers and get the opportunity to perform on such a grand stage.

On behalf of the MISA team, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to Ms Whitworth and Mrs Asuit for guiding us over the past six weeks. Without your invaluable support our performance would not have been possible. We would also like to extend our thanks to Ms Bowen for overseeing the whole event and sacrificing her own free time to supervise us. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and guidance to make sure our performance could be the greatest version of itself.

By Jessica Littlewood and  Jasmyne Douangdara Year 10