Front to back, Brodie Green, Hannah Whelan, Karen Alarcon, Bryony Jackson, Nicole Hallett, Madeline Jones, Samantha Lastro and Elyyce Boulter will compete at the National Schoolaerobics Championships. 49126
By Bridget Cook
STUDENTS from St Francis Xavier College will soon put their best moves forward when they compete at national level for aerobics.
Team Aftershock, which consists of eight girls from the Beaconsfield campus, will compete at the National Schoolaerobics Championships in Brisbane from 21 to 22 August.
To qualify for nationals, the team came first in the senior section at the Preliminary Schoolaerobics finals in May.
They then went on to compete at state level where they took out the gold medal – a first for St Francis Xavier College and the only senior team from Victoria to qualify for nationals.
Head Coach Kerry Townsend said she was extremely proud of the team and the effort they had put in.
“They are amazing with the way they work together and support one another to achieve their best,” she said.
“They are always looking for new ways to improve and perfect their skills.”
She said the girls had worked very hard and it had paid off.
“The girls have been training since the beginning of the year, two mornings a week and several lunchtimes to perfect their routine,” she said. “It’s very hard work.
“For some of them this has been the first time competing in aerobics and to come this far is amazing.
“A lot of these girls have many other commitments so they learn to be organised and juggle everything so they don’t fall behind.”
Since starting the program at the school four years ago, Ms Townsend said the sport had really taken off.
“In the first year I started with eight girls competing, whereas this year I have had 53 girls compete with a total of seven teams,” she said. “It’s a huge effort.
“They develop their fitness, flexibility, strength and commitment as well as friendships and have lots of laughs along the way.”
The trip will be funded by money they received last year when the won The Australian Sports Commission Award.
