MSA AFL Girls continue to shine

Hot on the heels of the drafting of former MSA student Georgia Patrikios to St Kilda with the number 5 pick this year, comes more great news for our girls AFL program.  

The AFL have announced the players selected for the 2020 NAB AFL Women’s Academy and Maribyrnong Sports Academy have had 3 girls selected into the program.

Selected as Level 2 squad members are year 11 students Jess Fitzgerald and Ellie McKenzie while fellow year 11 student Georgie Prespakis has been selected into the level 1 program.

52 players have been selected for the academy with the intake including two squads; 17 Level One – players who are 16 years of age and 35 Level Two – which includes the best 17-year-olds across the country who will be eligible for the 2020 NAB AFL Women's Draft.

AFL National Female Talent Manager Sophia Samartzis has told AFL.COM the fourth intake is the biggest squad to date.

"With the introduction of four new AFLW teams in 2020 the demand for young talent is higher than ever," she said.

"I look forward to the development of the players over the next 12 months as they strive for the dream of playing in the AFLW."

 Academy players will have access to;

• Training sessions with AFLW Clubs (in December 2019 and January 2020)

• High Performance training camps in January, April and August

• Athlete management systems

• Expert coaches, sports science and sports medicine staff

Getting ready for Exams

When it comes to facing exams at school, studying is not the only important thing you need to do to help you pass.  Making sure you’re eating the right food, can help ensure your brain is fuelled to perform at its best.

Meanwhile looking after your mental health is also critically important, as your mood and feeling going into an exam can determine how the next couple of hours may go for you. 

MSA Dietitian Ola Luczak and Sports Phycologist Natalie Kyan have prepared some guidelines that every student should have a read of before exam time.

To read about the best way to fuel your body for exams click here

To read about theist way to mentally prepare yourself for an exam click here

2019 WOMEN IN SPORT BREAKFAST

MSA was invited to attend the sixth annual Women in Sport Breakfast held at Marvel Stadium on Friday 11 October.   Over 500 people attended the event, recognising the achievements of women in sport.

This year, the focus was World Cup representation and guest speakers were Marcia Endacott, ICC T20 General Manager; Ashleigh Brennan, Former Olympic Gymnastics Coach, Simone McKinnis, Former Netball Diamond and Melbourne Vixens Coach and Tal Karp, Former Matilda and FIFA WWC Commentator.  

The Master of Ceremonies was ABC News Breakfast Sports Presenter Georgie Tunny and her interview with Tal Karp in particular, was inspirational as she spoke about the challenges for women in sport and the importance of self-reflection when it comes to equality. 

MSA representatives were Mark McAllion (Director); Brooke Littlepage (Leading Teacher and Year 10 Program Leader) and student representatives: Lucy French (Volleyball); Aimee Jungfer (Hockey); Jessica Fitzgerald (AFL and Basketball); and Ellie McKenzie (AFL).  

It was a great opportunity to hear from so many influential guests speak who touched on the importance of everyone playing their part in gender equality in sport.

According to Lucy French, “The breakfast was a really interesting insight into what we can do as women within sport. All the girls found Tal Karp’s speech really inspirational as she is not only an amazing speaker but has overcome and thrived through many struggles. She outlined the huge expenses involved in playing at an international level as a female sportsperson and she even tried to play on the boys’ team when she was young! During the breakfast we were introduced to many colleagues of Mark’s and were encouraged to strive for our goals and be the best people we can be. The breakfast was delicious too and we all took advantage of the pastry board and had a great time snapping up pictures at the photo booth”.