Six Flinders students are this year proudly flying the green and gold flag as they each represent Australia in their chosen sports.
The rising sports stars include in Year 12 kayakers Phoebe Wills-Grace and Alicia Fay, swimmer Katja Dedekind, and football player Bailey Ratcliff; Year 11 triathlete Ryan Marsh; and Year 7 game fisherman Ben Massurit.
Principal Stuart Meade said the College often attracted students with elite sporting goals.
“At Flinders, we have many programs we tailor to our students who are determined to achieve professionally in their sporting field,” Stuart said.
“We want to ensure these students have the best support to not only reach their sporting goals but also to achieve academically and to nurture their health and wellbeing,” he said.
“Elite student athletes at Flinders have access to dedicated teacher mentors and counsellors, study and assessment scheduling support, directors of coaching and fitness co-ordinators, as well as use of the College’s top quality sporting and fitness facilities.
“By their nature, these students have a positive ripple effect within our College community as they demonstrate to their student peers, and indeed to staff and parents, the benefits of striving to reach your potential.”
Kayaker Phoebe Wills Grace (Year 12) has represented Australia twice in kayaking, winning several gold and silver medals in the Under 18 division.
Phoebe also represented Australia in Surf Lifesaving when she captained the Australian Youth Surf Lifesaving Team in the International Rescue Challenge against six nations, with her team winning the overall International Challenge Cup.
Phoebe has her sights set on making the Australian Olympic Kayak Team in 2024 and/or 2028.
Also an Australian representative kayaker, Alicia Fay (Year 12) raced the K4 at the Junior and U23 Canoe World Championships in Romania in August this year, and placed 16th.
Alicia’s goals this year are to make the U23 Australian team for kayak and to make a final in the ski event at the Surf Lifesaving World Championships in 2020.
Graduating from Year 12 at Flinders, swimmer Katja Dedekin competed in many events in 2019, including the Hancock Prospecting Australian Championships and World Para Trials in Adelaide in April where she was selected onto the Australian World Para Dolphins Swimming Team.
She achieved sixth place in all four races at the 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships in London in September.
Upcoming events for Katja include the Queensland State Championships in December and the World Para Series in Melbourne in February 2020.
Katja’s main focus is on the Tokyo Paralympic trials in Adelaide during June to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Team.
Football player Bailey Ratcliffe in Year 12 at Flinders was selected and identified as a member of the Australian Under 18s School Boys team. The team will tour England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales in January 2020.
Bailey is hoping to pursue a professional footballing career as well as studying a Pharmacy degree at the University of Queensland.
He also intends to maintain his current position in the senior squad of the Sunshine Coast Wanderers National Premier League side.
Triathlete Ryan Marsh (Year 11) competed for the Australian Team in the World Triathlon Championships held in Lausanne in September 2019, in which he achieved 9th place.
He was selected as part of the Triathlon Queensland Team for 2019/2020 Season and will compete in the Australian Junior Triathlon Series for Triathlon Queensland.
Ryan will also complete a number of qualifier races to compete in the Australian Team at Edmonton 2020 World Triathlon Championships.
Game Fisherman Ben Massurit in Year 7 is the holder of nine Australian and Queensland billfish records combined.
Ben was a member of the Australian Junior Team for the 50th Anniversary Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Yellowtail Tournament 2019 and won the Junior Team Champion.
He also won Junior Tag and Release Champion and was Runner-Up Champion overall.
Read more about the Flinders Sport program.
