With some trepidation about what was likely to transpire, the Cadets started the 24hr Sports Challenge at the end of the school day on Thursday 12 April. Some competitive volleyball between Squads ensued, setting a good precedent for sport to continue into the night. No one was quite sure whether we would make it until 3:00pm the next day with continual sport action.
As the afternoon gave way to evening, we were treated to a Masterclass of Tennis by Mrs Classen and her husband and daughter, which was fantastic. All the cadets were keen to get involved, with many continuing playing tennis until the early hours of the morning. As the early hours rolled along, many were grateful for Jeremy Chua and Jordan Matthew’s commitment to skateboarding as their persistence in nailing tricks (and our allowance that skateboarding is a sport and not a hobby), allowed many students to catch some rest.
Many students chose to feast on the sports movies on offer and we decided at around 4:00am that a 24hr Sports Movie Marathon may have been a better idea! Nonetheless, we had a few key Cadets who dedicated themselves to no sleep and pushed through the night, alternating sports to keep themselves going.
As Friday morning rolled around, some of the more rested Cadets and leaders cooked delicious bacon and egg burgers on brioche rolls. We are very grateful to Mrs Anggadjaja for supporting us with the donation of bread rolls for both brekky and lunch. A sausage sizzle at lunch kept us going until most Cadets crashed at the end of the afternoon. It’s fair to say that, as the fatigue increased, the quality of the sport competitions went down considerably.
What started out as a fun way to spend time together and take on the challenge of sport for 24 hours actually allowed so many other great opportunities to take place. Cadets were challenged with how they relate to each other, even when faced with tiredness and crankiness. They made sure the challenge was always going and strived for both personal and team goals. They ensured others were enjoying themselves, cooked for each other, cooperated superbly and, I think it was fair to say, they all had a memorable and enjoyable experience.
Thanks go to our Cadet Leaders, Mr Murray, Mrs James, Mr Peletier, Mr Butson and Mrs Classen and a special thanks to some ex-students who were super keen to come down and help out – Catherine Astell and Jeremy Phillips!
