Sporting Highlights 2010

Ruyton Athletic Claims its First Cross Country Win
Ruyton Athletic entered an Under 20 team in the State Club Cross Country Relays on Saturday 1 May at Jells Park. Sophie, fresh from her 2nd place in the National 1500m, ran a solid first 3km leg to place the team into medal contention. Catie, running the second leg, made a succesful return to form after a disrupted track & field season; and by the final change, Ruyton lay in second place. Courtney, running the final leg, produced a commanding performance as she anchored the team to a 72 second victory in the Under 20 Championship over Box Hill and Knox. Courtney's time of 10.17 was the fastest individual leg over the demanding 3km course.
This victory bodes well for the upcoming State All Schools Cross Country Relays on May 22nd at Jells Park. Ruyton will be entering teams in the Under 14, 16, 18 & 20 age groups in an attempt to secure our 36th straight Cross Country Championship since 2003.
Cross Country News
Huge congratulations to Georgie who finished in 13th place overall at the ISF World Schools Cross Country Championship, which was held on April 21 in Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia. The course was 2 x 1.7km laps over very tough terrain and at the turn for the second lap, Georgie was sitting in 20th place. A team medal based on the individual results from each country is also awarded at this event and the Australian Girls Selected team won Gold!

Hockey News
Congratulations to Alice who was a member of the Victorian Under 18 Hockey team which won the National competition held at Port Lincoln last week. It is a great achievement in itself to be selected as a member of any State team and to go on to win at Nationals is outstanding!

Senior Softball Final
After a successful season in which they were undefeated the Senior Softball team were crowned zone premiers. This qualified them to compete in the finals held at Jells Park on Monday 22 March. In the semi-final the team faced off with Firbank. They maintained a tight field and ably supported the strong pitching performance of Tanelle and Georgie. This restricted the Firbank girls to only eight runs. They combined this excellent fielding with a dominant batting performance in which they scored twenty runs. The highlights of these were the two home runs by Captain Melanie. In the final against Kilvington, the team was faced with a tough challenge. Although the game finished with the Ruyton girls behind on the score board their performance was outstanding and demonstrated a great deal of character. The performance in both games of Keara was of particular note. Her efforts as catcher over the two games ensured the opposition could never relax. Congratulations to all members of the team for their outstanding season and their contribution to Softball over the past six years.

GSV Swimming 2010
Congratulations to all students who competed as members of either the Diving and/or Swimming teams in the 2010 GSV Championship Carnivals.
The Diving team finished in 2nd place overall in the Championship Carnival in Division 2. The Intermediate girls won their section with Emma placing 1st in the A grade and Zoe 2nd in the B grade. Special mention must go to Emma who has also qualified to compete in the elite finals evening.
The Division 1 Championship Carnival for swimming was extremely competitive. Ruyton placed 4th overall. This is a significant result for the school and places us amongst the elite swimming schools in Melbourne.

Rowing
The Rowing Season ended on a high for the Ruyton Schoolgirls following their success at the Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta last weekend on the Barwon River in Geelong.
In absolutely perfect conditions on both Saturday and Sunday the Ruyton Rowing Squad saved their best performances for the biggest event on the calendar.
Previously Ruyton's best performance for number of crews in the Final (top four) was six crews back in 2002 and 2003. This year the squad eclipsed that result with 11 of 15 crews finishing in the top four.

Ruyton Girls star at the National Track & Field Championships
The 2010 Australian Junior Track & Field Championships, held at Sydney’s Olympic Park, catapulted Ruyton from ‘regular participants’ to ‘genuine contenders’ at National level. Five medals and nine Top 5 finishes represents Ruyton’s best ever performance at the peak competition in Australia.

Equestrian News
On Friday 26 February the Inter School Showjumping was held at Hillcrest College. We congratulate Dominique who placed 2nd in her 1.05 class and 3rd in her 1.20m class.  Lucinda also had a pleasing result when she placed 7th in one of her classes, and she jumped up to 1m.

Track & Field Athletics News
The Victorian Youth Track & Field Championships were held at Olympic Park from February 26 - 28. Once again the Ruyton Track & Field athletes had outstanding results and we congratulate the following medallists:

State Champions (Gold medal)
Jess   U/14 400m
Laura   U/14 1500m
Natalie   U/15 800m & U/15 1500m
Steph   U/17 400m Hurdles
Sophie   U/18 800m
Georgie  U/18 3000m

2nd Placegetters (Silver medal)
Laura   U/14 800m and U/15 3000m
Grace   U/16 400m
Mackenzie  U/17 100m Hurdles
Sophie   U/18 1500m

3rd Placegetters (Bronze medal)
Grace    U/16 800m
Kate   U/18 Javelin
Georgie  U/18 1500m
We wish all athletes the very best of luck when they travel to Sydney to compete at Nationals later this month.

Hockey News
Congratulations to Alice in Year 12 who has been selected as a member of the Victorian Under 18 Hockey team.  Alice was also named as a member of the Under 18 Indoor Hockey squad and will travel to the AIS later this month for training and matches!

Rhythmic Gymnastics
CONGRATULATIONS MORGAN
Morgan was named a Leader sports star finalist on Tuesday night for her fantastic Rhythmic Gymnastics achievements in 2009. 
Of all the sports stars in the Boorondara area in 2009, Morgan was announced as one of the top three athletes.
This week Morgan also received her Gymnastics Victoria award for being named International Gymnast of the Year 2009. Bianca was named Levels Gymnast of the Year 2009. Congratulations to both girls on their amazing achievements.

GSV Preliminary Diving and Swimming
The 2010 GSV Preliminary Diving and Swimming Carnivals were held on Friday 26 February at MSAC. 
The Diving team which comprised both experienced and beginner divers finished in 5th place overall.  Special mention to Emma who not only won the Intermediate A diving, but also received ribbons in all four of her swimming events (two x 2nd and two x 3rd places)!  The Diving team finished in 5th place on the day and has qualified for Championship Division 2 which will be held on Tuesday 16 March (event times - Seniors 12.30pm, Inters 1.20pm, and Juniors 2.10pm)
The Swimming team finished in 2nd place overall and also won the Points to Population trophy.  The Swim team has qualified for Championship Division 1 which will be held on Wednesday 17 March at the same time as Prelims (leave Ruyton at 7.15am, events start at 9am).
Good luck to all competitors when they swim and dive at Championships

RUYTON’S RHYTHMIC GYMNASTS TOUR USA
Two of Ruyton’s top rhythmic gymnasts, Morgan (Year 10) and Bianca (Year 11) represented Ruyton in two major international events in the USA in January. The girls first competed in Seattle at the Yule Cup. Morgan competed well in her first competition as a Senior international gymnast, placing 8th All around.  Bianca competed extremely well in Level 9 Senior to place 5th in Hoop, 4th in Rope, and win silver in Ball and Ribbon, leading her to win bronze in the all around.  Our Ruyton team also won the team competition in both Level 10 Junior and level 9 Senior.
The team then competed in Los Angeles at the LA Lights Tournament of Champions.  Morgan competed exceptionally well on three apparatus against top gymnasts from all around the world, including six Olympians.  Finishing 17th All around, 11th on Ball and 14th on Hoop, Morgan was the 3rd ranked Australian, putting her in ideal position for the Commonwealth Games Squad selection trial this weekend.
Bianca also had a good competition against a tough international field, winning our only medal at this event for her Hoop routine.
Congratulations girls, and good luck to Morgan for the National trial this weekend.

Rhythmic Gymnastics News
MORGAN NAMED IN FINAL COMMONWEALTH GAMES SQUAD....
Ruyton's top two Rhythmic Gymnasts competed at a National trial on the weekend, gaining sensational results.
Morgan (Year 10), a first year senior gymnast knocked out previous National Champions and World Championship competitors to place 4th all around. Such a great result lead to Morgan being named reserve for the Australian Pacific Rim Team to compete in April. Morgan was also named in the final Commonwealth Games squad of six which will see her involved in a series of trials before final selection of the Commonwealth Games team in July. An outstanding achievement for her first National event as a Senior. Our top Junior gymnast also blitzed the junior field, winning all around and being named in the Junior Pacific Rim Australian team, along with Ruyton's head coach being named coach of this Australian team.

Sporting Highlights 2009

Cross Country
Two Junior School girls, Laura and Natalie qualified to run in the VPSSA State Primary Schools Cross Country Championship which was held at Bundoora Park on Friday 24 July. Both girls had outstanding races and we congratulate Laura on winning the Gold medal in 10 Years section and Natalie on winning the Bronze medal in the 12/13 Years section!
2009 Australian Gymnastics Championships
Ruyton’s top rhythmic gymnasts that were selected in the 2009 Victorian Team competed at the National Championships in Brisbane over the holidays. Victoria had their most successful Nationals in years, primarily led by Ruyton gymnasts.
Morgan placed 2nd all around in Junior International Stream and won 3 silver medals in the apparatus finals, an amazing achievement gaining selection into the National Squad and 2010 Commonwealth Games shadow team. Bianca became the All Around level 9 National Champion and won 3 gold medals in the finals, also gaining selection into the 2009 Australian Levels team to compete in New Zealand later in the year. Shelley competed well in the top division, Senior International placing 12th All Around and Danah Cummins placed 22nd in level 8 all around. Jaime was also exceptional, leading the Victorian level 7 team to win gold and Jaime placed 2nd all around and won 2 apparatus finals medals, quite an achievement for such a young gymnast.
All these gymnasts have worked tirelessly over the past months to achieve such outstanding results for themselves, Ruyton and Victoria. Congratulations girls.

Ruyton’s Rhythmic Gymnasts Blitz the Victorian Championships
Ruyton’s top gymnasts again showed their dominance in Rhythmic gymnastics in Victoria  on Sunday, winning all around titles in almost every level  at the 2009 Victorian Championships.
Senior International: SHELLEY All around Victorian Champion, clean sweep of gold in apparatus finals and winner of the Leslie White trophy.
Junior International: unforturnately top Junior gymnast Morgan had to withdraw due to injury, but Ruyton gymnast ,Taylor (non Ruyton student) took the all around championship and clean sweep of gold in the finals.
Level 7 : JAIME (non Ruyton student) : all around Victorian champion and clean sweep of gold in apparatus finals
Level 8 DANAH: all around Silver and silver in all 4  apparatus finals
Level 9 BIANCA : Silver all around, 2 gold, 2 silver in apparatus finals,  Stephanie ( non Ruyton student) All around Victorian Champion and 2 gold, 2 silver in apparatus finals
LEVEL 10: All around champion  & clean sweep of gold in apparatus finals, another Ruyton gymnast but non student.
All the above gymnasts were selected in the 2009 Victorian team to compete in the Australian Championships in Brisbane in July.  We wish the girls luck and congratulate them on their outstanding results.

Congratulations to our Rhythmic gymnasts who have competed overseas in the past week.
Congratulations to Morgan on achieving the following results at the 8th Irina Deleanu Cup In Bucharest (ROU) on the 25 - 26 April 2009:
Morgan: AA 10th/21 78.275

After the Irina Deleanu Cup, Morgan travelled with her coach Emma Taylor to Italy to compete in the Pesaro Junior International Tournament on the 30 April – 2 May 2009. She achieved the following results in a high standard competition:
Morgan: AA 22nd/25 75.850

State Champions in Little Athletics
We congratulate Natalie in Year 6 and Laura in Year 4 for their recent success at the Victorian Little Athletics State Championships. Natalie won Gold in the Under 13 800m race, making her the Under 13 Victorian State Champion and she also finished 3rd in the Under 13 1500m event. Laura won Gold in her Under 10 800m event, breaking the State record by 3 seconds which had been held since 1984. She also finished 2nd in the 400m event, running a personal best time.

Year 9/10 Hockey
Congratulations to the Intermediate Hockey team who played a thrilling GSV Grand Final on Wednesday 10 June. The girls put in a gallant effort, but were unlucky to lose 2-1 to Melbourne Girls’ Grammar. 
After a quick goal from the opposition in the first two minutes, the girls started on the back foot. Luckily the girls regrouped and put in a fantastic effort to finish the game with a 2-1 score line. The team’s only goal was scored by Georgina. The standard of hockey was very impressive by both teams. Well done girls!

Victorian All Schools Road Relay Championships @ Latrobe University
On Saturday 13 June, Ruyton won the Victorian All Schools Road Relays at Latrobe University. This is the teams' second Victorian Cross Country Championship of the 2009 season and the teams' fourth major event win for the year. Congratulations to the 44 runners who competed on the day with special mention to the following teams who received medals - Gold Medal - Under 14 Team # 1: Laura, Jess, Paris, Natalie. Silver Medal - Under 16 Team # 1: Courtney, Lucy, Zoe and Grace.  Once again, thanks to all the parents who came along to support their daughters and the Ruyton team. The Cross Country team has now won 34 consecutive Victorian and GSV (combined) events.

GSV Preliminary Cross Country
Congratulations to all girls who competed in the GSV Preliminary Cross Country event on Tuesday 19 May at Yarra Bend Park. Ruyton came 2nd in Junior and won the Intermediate and Senior Divisions, and also won the Aggregate trophy and as such the team proceeds to Division 1! Schools record results of their top 10 runners who are awarded points that correlate directly with their place in the field i.e. 1st = 1 point, 39th =39 points etc – the six best individual results combine towards the team result and the lowest score wins. 

Junior School Cross Country
On Monday 11 May, 30 Year 4, 5 and 6 girls travelled to Fawkner Park where they competed in the SYDSA (South Yarra District) event.  Ruyton finished in 1st place in the aggregate girls' trophy which is an outstanding achievement by the team! 

Junior School Swimming news
On Monday 27 April, Ruyton was represented in a record number of events at the VPSSA Sate Swimming competition. Laura (Year 4) and Phoebe (Year 6) both competed in 50m Backstroke events. Laura won the gold medal in the 10 Years event and Phoebe won Silver in the 12 Years event. Phoebe went on to swim in both the
4 x 50m Freestyle and 4 x 50m Medley Relays. She joined Eliza, Natalie and Georgia in winning silver medals in both these events! Congratulations to all these very talented young swimmers.

Basketball news
Congratulations to Ellen (Year 9) who has been selected as a member of the 2009 Victoria Metropolitan U/16 Girls’ State Basketball Team. She will be competing at the 2009 Australian U/16 National Championships in Ulverstone from the 11 - 18 July. All other states and territories will be represented by their metro teams and all states will also be sending a country team.

Congratulations to the Ruyton Rowing Team
Congratulations to all the crews and coaches who took part in the Head of Schoolgirls’ Regatta over the weekend. The results were the best that Ruyton has achieved at this regatta with three Year 9 crews – 2nd, 4th and 5th – all winning their A finals. 

The event will always be remembered, not only for the crews’ successes but because of the wonderful support provided to the girls who chanted their support from the river bank.

Swimming News
After a stunning performance at the Telstra Australian Swimming Championships last week, Ruyton swimming captain Libby is now ranked in the FINA world top 50 women breaststrokers.
In the world championship trials, held at the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre, Libby swam against a number of Australian Olympic and Commonwealth Games representatives to reach the semi finals of the 50 metre breaststroke.
In the 50 metre semi final, Libby swam a 32.64 to smash the Victorian record for 16 year olds - a record which had been held for several years by Sarah Katsoulis who is now the overall Australian champion and world number 2.
Libby now holds two Victorian records and is ranked in the Victorian All-time top 10 women over 50 metres.

Over the weekend, Sarah won two gold medals at the Victorian All-Junior Championships at MSAC!
Sarah placed first in the 50 metre backstroke in a national open qualifying time of 32.44 which entitles her to compete at next years Australian championships. She also placed first in the 50 metre freestyle in a national age qualifying time of 28.6.
We wish both girls the very best of luck in their next major competition which will be the Telstra Australian Age Championships in Sydney in April.
State Swimmers

Congratulations to Phoebe, Georgia, Elizaand Natalie from Year 6 and Laura in Year 4 for qualifying for the State Swimming Finals last week. We are all excited about the prospect of the girls winning a medal next month.

GSV Swimming Season 2009
Congratulations to all students who competed as members of either the Diving and or Swimming teams in the 2009 GSV Preliminary Carnival and Championship Carnivals.

The Diving team which comprised of both experienced and beginner divers finished in 6th place overall at the Preliminary Round. In the Championship Carnival the Intermediate and Seniors won their sections. Special mention to the 2009 Diving Captain Amanda Pike and to Emma Jamieson who qualified to compete in the elite finals evening.

In the Preliminary Carnival the Swimming team finished in 1st place overall and also won the Points to Population, Intermediate and Senior age trophies. Listed below are the girls / relay teams who received 1st, 2nd or 3rd place on the day. Special mention must go to 2009 Swimming Co-Captain Libby, who broke the Year 11 Breaststroke record.

The Division 1 Championship Carnival was extremely competitive and Ruyton swimmer should be proud of their efforts in the pool.

Zone Swimming
Congratulations to the girls who swam last week in the Zone Swimming finals. Phoebe Dammersmith broke a seven year old record by winning the backstroke. The following girls will now move on to the Regional Finals: Natalie Rule, Georgia Johnson-King, Phoebe Dammersmith and Eliza Li from Year 6 and Laura Powell from Year 4. We wish the girls the best of luck! 

Ruyton Equestrian Team
On 1 March at Geelong Grammar School Lucinda Leptos and Bobby Rankin, both of Year 9 competed in the dressage and showjumping day.  Lucinda came 8th overall in the showjumping which was a very good effort considering the strength of the competition. Bobby made a first appearance on her new horse which was a little bit overwhelmed on the day. He shows a lot of promise and we look forward to some exciting competitions. Congratulations to the girls and thank you to their parents for their efforts.

Triathlon
We congratulate Holly, who won the Gold Medal in Women's Triathlon at the Youth Olympics which were held in Sydney in January. Holly is extremely dedicated to her sport, and has also recently been selected to represent Australia at the World ITU Triathlon Championships which are to be held later this year. This is will be Holly's second year as a member of the Australian team and we wish her well with her preparation. 

Swimming
Our congratulations to Libby who won the gold medal for the 15 year old 100m breaststroke at the Victorian Age swimming championships in January! At the Victorian Open championships, Libby was in the final of both the 50 and 100m breaststroke. During the Age and Open championships Libby also won a number of silver and bronze medals in various freestyle and medley relays. Libby will be competing at the Telstra Australian Championships (World Championship selection trials) in Sydney in March and also at the Australian Age Championships in Sydney, in April. 

Sarah also performed exceptionally well at both the Victorian Age and Open championships. Sarah made a number of finals and has set personal best times for both the 50 and 100 Freestyle, cementing her ranking in the top 10 for her age in Victoria. Later this term, Sarah will be competing at the Tasmanian Age championships in Hobart in March and at the Australian Age Championships in Sydney in April.

Sailing
Congratulations to Philippa who won the Under 17 Women's National Hobie Cat Championships and placed second in the Open section. The event, which ran over nine days, was held off the coast of Yeppoon. During the regatta, sailors were challenged by a variety of weather conditions that ranged from excessive wind to the fleets being becalmed!

ROWING NEWS
On the weekend the Ruyton Rowing Squad competed at two regattas with the Senior squad at Nagambie and the Junior Squad at Geelong.

Perfect rowing conditions at both venues allowed crews to compete without being disadvantaged by cross winds.

The Senior crews did well making the finals of their respective divisions.

The Junior crews also performed very well with seven out of nine crews finishing in third place or better. Congratulations to the Year 9 4ths and the Year 9 5ths who won their finals.

Having coached school girls as a Director of Rowing since 2001 I have been fortunate to enjoy some major highlights along the way...but few will compare to Saturday when Mikaela ran to the Year 9 squad at the boat trailer with exciting news to say "look at what we've got!" The coaches and I turned to see Paige and Sarah running towards us (100m away) with a big trophy above their heads for the most successful Year 9 school at the regatta!

It was perfect timing because the Year 10 squad had just arrived and saw the Year 9’s excitement unfold. In the afternoon the Year 10s performed brilliantly with a new belief in themselves that if the Year 9s can do it...WE CAN TOO!

 

Sporting Highlights 2008

Track and Field News
Ruyton's Track and Field Team has followed on from its impressive showing at the Pacific School Games Selection Trials with outstanding results in the State All Schools and State Primary Schools Championships.

Results from the State All Schools Track & Field Finals
Haylee              1st      U/15 Pole Vault
Grace               1st      U/14 400m & 800m
Georgie             1st     U/16 3000m
Sophie               2nd    U/16 400m & 800m
Kate                   2nd    U/16 Javelin
Phoebe              3rd     U/18 800m & 4th in 400m
Stephanie          3rd     U/15 200m Hurdles & 5th in 80m Hurdles
Mackenzie         4th      U/15 90m Hurdles
Courtney           4th      U/14 1500m

Finally the depth in middle distance is being matched with some impressive technical event performances. Pole Vault, javelin and hurdles are gaining momentum at Ruyton.
Results from the State Primary Schools Track & Field Finals
Natalie              1st  12-13yrs 800m & 3rd 12-13yrs 1500m
Sarah               3rd  10yrs 100m & 2nd 10yrs 80 m Hurdles

Natalie set a State Championship record in the 800 metres breaking Bronte Gange's mark set in 2003. Sarah became the first Ruyton girl in 15 years to place in the 100 metres at this Championship.

More Gold for Ruyton’s Gymnasts
Ruyton's senior gymnasts had a clean sweep of gold on the weekend in the Multiples invitational. Our top gymnasts won everything they entered!
Shelley and Morgan GOLD in both same pair and mixed pair
Bianca and Lucy  GOLD in mixed pair, GOLD same trio
Danah GOLD in same pair, GOLD in mixed trio,
Emma, Jaime and Renee GOLD in same trio, GOLD in mixed trio and Emma and Jaime GOLD in mixed pair.
Our junior gymnasts also competed well, all winning a medal. Hannah and Georgina GOLD in pair, and SILVER in their trio with Laura.  Laura also won a bronze in her pair with Helena, along with Joanna and Harriet winning two BRONZE medals in their pair and trio.
Congratulations to all these gymnasts and good luck to those competing in the National Clubs Championships in the holidays.

GSV Preliminary Track & Field Athletics
Congratulations every member of our 2008 team for a fantastic win in our Preliminary Carnival which was held at Olympic Park on Friday 8 August.  Ruyton won all possible trophies on the day – Points to Population, Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Aggregate!  There were many great performances on the day and the team has qualified for the Division 1 Championship, which will be held on Tuesday 19 August at Olympic Park.

Cross Country
Congratulations to Sarah, Grace and Natalie who will all be competing in the National Cross Schools Country competition which will be held in Geelong on August 23rd.  We wish all three athletes the very best of luck in their respective races.

Victorian All Schools Road Relay Championships @ Bundoora
On Saturday 26 July, Ruyton won the Victorian All Schools Cross Country Championships which were held at Bundoora.  This is the teams' third Victorian Cross Country Championship for season 2008 and the teams' fifth major event win for the year. 

Congratulations to the 36 runners who competed on the day with special mention to the following girls who finished in the top 20 of their respective age groups – Under 14: Grace (5th), Natalie(10th), Courtney (17th); Under 16: Sophie (9th), Georgie(11th); Under 17: Camille (8th), Olivia (15th), Claire (19th); Under 18: Sarah (6th), Emily (12th), Phoebe (18th); Under 20: Penny (17th).  

The age group team results were outstanding and we congratulate the following girls: Gold Medal - Under 14 Team; Gold Medal - Under 15 Team; Silver Medal - Under 16 Team; Silver Medal - Under 17 Team; Gold Medal - Under 18 Team; Bronze Medal - Under 20 Team.

Thanks to all the parents who came along to support their daughters and the Ruyton team.  The Cross Country team has now won an incredible 30 Victorian and GSV (combined) events in a row over the past five and a half years!!

Diving News
At the end of the holidays Emma competed in the 2008 Australian Junior Elite National Diving Championships which were held in Melbourne at MSAC from the 11th to the 13th of July. Emma competed in the Junior C ( U14) division and won one gold medal (1 metre), two silver medals (3 metre and platform) and a bronze medal (Synchro).As a result of this, Emma was awarded the 2008 Australian Junior C Female Diver of the Year! As a result of her outstanding achievements, Emma was selected as a member of the 2008/09 Diving Australia National Junior Squad.  After a week off, Emma has returned training for 10 sessions per week in preparation for future competitions which include the Pacific School Games (end of November) and the Open State Championships in December.

Victorian All Schools Road Relay Championships @ Latrobe University
On Saturday 14 June, Ruyton won the Victorian All Schools Road Relays at Latrobe University.  This is the teams' second Victorian Cross Country Championship of the 2008 season and the teams' fourth major event win for the year.  Congratulations to the 48 runners who competed on the day.

Senior Netball
This Term the Senior B Netball team went through the season undefeated and as a result were deservedly crowned Zone Champions. The title of Zone Champions also came with the opportunity to meet the winners of the other three zones in an attempt to become GSV Premiers. On Monday 2nd June the team made their way out to Waverley Netball Centre where their first opponents were Korowa. After a slow start the girls soon gained their composure and found themselves locked in a close tussle. Unfortunately, at the final siren the result had not gone their way. Filled with confidence after a strong second half comeback the team played a consolation final against Firbank. Again the team got off to a slow start. In a match full of strange events the girls fought admirably and went down by the smallest of margins.

World Schools Cross Country Championship 2008
We congratulate Holly, Madeleine, Sarah, Camille, Emily and Sophie for their wonderful achievements in the Czech Republic. The Australian Team finished in 5th Place behind China, The Ukraine, Algeria and Turkey. The team finished well ahead of such countries as New Zealand, England and France. The Australian team also received the Fair Play Medal which was voted by all the other countries for behaviour both on and off the field. Our thanks to Stephen Ellinghaus our coach who guided the girls throughout their preparation and competitions. His knowledge, support and enthusiasm was a vital part of the girls success.

Diving News
Emma's outstanding achievements in the sport of Diving continue.  Emma recently returned from Aachen in Germany where she competed in Europe's largest International Junior Diving Competition.  Although technically Under 14, Emma competed in Under 16 throughout this competition against over 30 divers from 21 countries.  Emma dived extremely well and reached finals all events, with her results being 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th.  More recently, back in Melbourne, Emma represented Ruyton in the 2008 All Schools Diving Championships at MSAC on Saturday 3rd May, and won the Year 7 and 8 event!

Cross Country runners win State Title
On Saturday 10 May Ruyton won the Victorian Schools Cross Country Relays for the 5th consecutive year and is once again the Premier girls' school in this event.  Special mention to the following girls who received medals: Under 14 team # 1 Gold – Grace , Natalie , Lucy and Courtney ; Under 18 team # 1 Silver – Emily , Camille , Phoebe  and Sarah.

Junior School Cross Country News
Our Year 4, 5 and 6 girls have again been enthusiastically involved with Cross Country running this term.  On Monday 12 May, 32 girls travelled to Fawkner Park where they competed in the SYDSA (South Yarra District) event.  Ruyton finished in 2nd place in the aggregate girls' trophy.  Three girls received medals on the day and we congratulate Natalie (1st place 12 Years), Phoebe (1st place 11 Years), and Sarah  (2nd place 10 Years) on their fantastic races.  Congratulations also to the following runners who finished in the top 20 in their age groups in fields of more than 70 runners: Millie  (7th - 10 years), Paris (11th - 10 Years), Charlotte (14th - 10 Years), Lucy (10th – 11 Years), Phoebe  (14th - 11 Years), Emily (7th – 12 Years) and Tesse  (8th – 12 Years). Well done to every single girl who competed on the day in this very challenging event.

Tintern Interschool Horse Trials 
On Saturday May 10th and Sunday May 11th five riders headed for Wandin Park for the Tintern Horse Trials. This event contributes points towards the overall 2008 score for the Victorian Interschool Equestrian championship. Two of our riders, Felicity, Year 10 and Lucinda, Year 8, achieved 1st and 3rd respectively in their sections. This is an excellent achievement as there are about thirty riders in each section. Over three hundred riders and eighty five schools were involved.  The girls and their parents spent all weekend at the venue, some of them camping out, to represent Ruyton at this demanding sport. The time and effort required to train and prepare for a team event such as this is vast and I would like to thank all the riders and parents involved. I congratulate Felicity and Lucinda for their success and Lucy , Jessica and Louisa (representing Ruyton for the first time) for representing their school so capably.

GSV Swimming & Diving Finals Evening
The GSV finals evening was held on Friday 11 May at MSAC.  This exciting event showcases the top 10 competitors from the 24 GSV member schools in both swimming and diving.  Once again we congratulate all Ruyton qualifiers who competed and as such are ranked in the top 10 in their event for 2008.

Track & Field Athletics National Championship Results
Not since 2003 has a Ruyton girl made a final at the National Track and Field Championships. Of the four Ruyton girls who qualified, three made finals.  To add weight to the three girls' performances, these were the highest quality Nationals on record.  Nearly every event was at or under the meet record. Phoebe, Sophie and Sarah join Kim , Georgie, Jane, Jenny and Melanie as Ruyton's National Finalists in Track and Field in the last 15 years. Phoebe - 5th U/17 800m Final; Sophie – 9th U/15 800m Final; Sarah - 7th - U/17 3000m Final; Georgia - 8th - U/18 800m Heat.

State Championship Results
Kate performed admirably in the U/16 State Javelin Final.  Kate achieved a personal best throw (over 31 metres) finishing 4th in a very competitive field. 

Diving
On the weekend of February 23rd  and 24th , two Ruyton Divers competed in the Victorian Age and Junior Elite Championships.  Our School Diving captain Hannah competed in the 16/18 Years Age section.  She achieved excellent results in a very competitive age group, finishing 4th in the 1m, 2nd in Platform and winning the Synchronised 1m.  Emma won 4 Gold medals in the Junior Elite category - U/14, 1m, 3m, Platform and 3m Synchro.  These outstanding results have secured Emma a place to compete in the Junior International Competition which will be held in Aachen, Germany in April!!

Schools Surf League
On Wednesday  February 27th, two Ruyton teams competed in the 2008 Schools Surf League Twilight Round at Mentone SLSC.  Several bayside schools made up the eleven girls teams competing in this round.  The cold and windy conditions did not affect the enthusiasm of the any of the participants as they competed with determination in the various beach and water events.   There were some excellent individual and team results on the day. In this competition the first 3 teams progress to the final and the Ruyton 'A' team finished in 4th place, missing out by just one point!