Viewpoint

The biggest competition was for the boys’ foil event, where there were 34 competitors from schools including Sydney Grammar, Knox, Sydney Boys, Barker, Aloysius, Newington and Riverview.

Eric Sallway competed for Riverview, entering the competition seeded 13th.

The competition started with a preliminary round in pools. This was where groups of fencers competed to determine seedings. After six bouts in the pools, Eric was ranked 10th.

The competition then moved into a knock out phase called direct elimination. Eric fought through to the round of 16 where he was defeated 15-11 by a competitor from John Monash Science School.

Eric’s final placing was 10th overall and second in the junior age group.

The Carnival got off to a rocky start with all the visiting teams having their flights delayed due to fog. Speculation about how the hosts at Xavier College would rework the schedule was a topic of conversation as the squads cooled their heals in different airport terminals.As Adelaide was the first visiting team to arrive in Melbourne, the Xavier v Adelaide match was played first, resulting in a 2-2 draw.

Upon arrival in Melbourne the Riverview and St Aloysius squads made their way as promptly as possible to the field and at 3:40 commenced a truncated match, given the failing light. The View boys sported their blue playing strip against an Aloys team weakened by the late withdrawal of a squad member. Matteo Shipman scored Riverview’s first goal of the tournament when he received the ball on the left and shot into the top far corner of the net. Alex De Laet added another 5 minutes from the end of the match. Riverview ended day 1 on top of the points table with the opportunity to secure a place in the final with their next game.

Riverview’s second match for the tournament was with hosts, Xavier College. The home team were quick to the ball and quick off the mark, opening their scoring in the second minute. They looked very strong in the opening phases of play, but the Riverview boys started to play their way back into the game and arguably finished the first half stronger than their opponents and took that edge into the second half. Chances were made and some impressive periods of play were in evidence. However, the good chances did not result in goals that would have given the Riverview boys the advantage. At the mid-point of the second half Xavier were able to score again. This knocked the wind out of Riverview’s sails and a third goal was conceded just before full time.

Game 4, the second match on Wednesday, resulted in a comprehensive victory by St Ignatius, Athlestone over St Aloysius. This gave the Adelaide team the lead on the tournament table with 4 points and a +6 goal difference, ahead of Xavier (4 points and +3), then Riverview on 3 points and Aloys after that.

Day three commenced with the Belgium v Senegal World Cup match on the telly and a leisurely breakfast for the Riverview contingent, before heading down to watch some of Xavier v St Aloysius, won by Xavier and then some morning tea and the tournament photograph. There followed the important clash of the St. Ignatius teams. The winner would proceed to the Cup final with Xavier, and the loser would play the consolation match with Aloys. A draw would see Adelaide into the final on superior goal difference. Adelaide had looked pretty slick in their demolition of Aloys on the previous day, but the Riverview bows matched it with them and opened the scoring when Alex de Laet goaled halfway through the first half, and this remained the score at half time. Sam Ryan nudged the lead out to 2 within five minutes of the second half starting to improve Riverview’s finals chances. Adelaide pushed hard and succeeded in pulling one back, but the Riverview boys showed enough grit to keep them from finding the equalizer which would have propelled them into the final in ’View’s place.

JSFC Day 4 dawned dry and partly sunny. The Riverview squad had a bit of a sleep in before breakfasting and packing for a post tournament departure. Adelaide and Aloys met in the early fixture, with the former team winning the match. Then came the Cup final with the Riverview team hoping for a better outcome that on the truncated first afternoon of the tournament. Xavier scored 15 minutes into the match and Riverview was quick to respond with Sam Ryan scoring his second goal for the tournament. 1-1 at the break would have suited the boys in blue, but just before half time the Xavier boys found another goal, and this disrupted Riverview’s momentum. Riverview battled on through the first half of the second term but another goal to Xavier put the result firmly in their hands and another goal 5 minutes before the end of the match sealed the result. So, Xavier College continued their dominance of the JSFC of recent times.

Following showers and changing into College uniforms, the teams gathered in Xavier’s Chapel for mass celebrated by Fr Chirs Middleton, a long time supporter of the carnival. Then lunch and presentations were conducted.

Sam Ryan, Matteo Shipman and Alex de Laet were named in the Jesuit Team and Alex received the further honour of being named player of the tournament. Angus King, our injured captain, accompanied the team and was presented the Ignatian Spirit award for our squad. Other squad members included: Luc Beasley, Oliver Bion, Marcus El Haddad, Charlie Hennessy-Bowden, Harry Ivancic, Drew Karakaidos, Luke Musumeci, Antony Nobilo(gk), Louis Portale, Xavier Tavano, Sam Vecchio and Lucas Yassa. The squad was accompanied by SPC and 1st XI coach, Valerio Silvestro, 2nd XI coach, Andrew Casali and Manager Peter Steffan,

The thanks of all players and staff is extended to the Xavier football community, led by Head of Sport, Michael Wilson, and Head of Soccer, Michael Skoulos for facilitating and generously hosting this event.

Congratulations to all the martial artists who earned their new ranks. They are encouraged to continue pushing their limits as they progress along the path to Black Belt.

These students achieved the following belts:

Yellow belts:

- Roco Barbaro (Year 7)
- Alexander Bubonic (Year 7)
- Alfred Holt (Year 8)
- Harrison Matthews (Year 10)

Green Belt Blue Tip:

- Mason Williams (Year 7)

Blue Belt:

- Evan Son (Year 8)

Red Belt Black Tip:

- Nicholas Morgan (Year 11)

The conditions in Hobart were relentless. What started as tactical, light-air chess matches quickly escalated into a bone-chilling, gear-snapping heavy breeze, with morning temperatures plummeting to a bitter 6°C and maximums barely scraping 12°C. As wind gusts surged past 30 knots on the Derwent, the boys kept their boats upright, managed broken equipment and battled through sheer physical exhaustion, keeping the boats fast and executing under immense pressure. Thankfully, the team was well-equipped for the elements in their new Zhik sailing gear, a huge thank you to the parents for organising this.

Sadly, the extreme weather on finals day forced organisers to slash the knockout bracket to just the top four. We narrowly missed out, having sat comfortably in the top four for the entire regatta up until the very last race.

But beyond the fierce competition on the water, the regatta was defined by incredible sportsmanship. The boys built great camaraderie on shore, chatting and spending time with the other competitors throughout the week. A massive highlight was sitting down with the eventual champions, Hutchins Gold, straight after their intense match-ups to review drone footage and debrief the tactics together.

While it was a tough way to end the week on the scoreboard, the team is walking away immensely proud. They learned and adapted through every single race, took everything the wild Tasmanian weather had to offer and loved the experience.

Leading the way in Division 1, Snowsports Captain Jarvis Smoker competed with tenacity in the snowboard events, racing in some of the harshest conditions he has encountered. Jarvis has qualified for the State Multi-Class Snowboard event, an excellent reward for his perseverance. However, his contribution extended far beyond competition. Throughout the week, Jarvis exemplified the Ignatian spirit by encouraging younger competitors, assisting teammates and providing leadership across the squad. His positive influence was evident both on and off the slopes.

In the skiing events, the absence of the performance camp was felt, with many competitors adapting to race conditions without the valuable preparation they would normally have received. Despite this setback, the boys approached every event with determination and represented the College with pride. On the final day, Ignatius (Iggy) Kong found his rhythm, producing his fastest run of the week to secure qualification for the Division 1 Ski Cross at the State Championships.

Our Division 2 (Years 9–10) students enjoyed an exceptional championships. Charlie Salter began his season by claiming a bronze medal in Ski Cross before narrowly missing the Alpine podium with an impressive 4th place finish. Charlie was also instrumental in two silver medal-winning team performances. Alongside Richard De Angelis and Bill O'Rourke, the College secured silver in the Division 2 Ski Cross Team event, while the Alpine team of Charlie Salter, Richard De Angelis, Bill O'Rourke and Josh Garling added another silver medal.

The Division 3 (Years 7–8) team recorded one of the College's strongest ever showings. With 22 competitors, it was our largest Division 3 contingent to date, and seeing a sea of Riverview blue jackets lining the start gates was a proud moment for the College. Tom Flitcroft was among the standout performers, winning bronze medals in both the Ski Cross and Alpine individual events. The Division 3 Ski Cross team of Tom Flitcroft, Hayden Lees and Ben Hodgkinson produced a superb performance to claim the gold medal, while the Alpine team of Tom Flitcroft, Hayden Lees, Ben Hodgkinson and Noah Byrne earned a well-deserved silver medal.

Our Division 4 (Years 5-6) competitors also impressed in their first taste of regional competition. Max Draaisma led the way, qualifying for the State Championships in both Snowboard GS and Snowboard Cross with top-ten finishes in each event - an outstanding achievement in his debut year of racing. Albert Stokes also enjoyed an excellent carnival, qualifying for State in both Alpine and Ski Cross, while Teddy Longley secured qualification in Alpine.

These performances culminated in an outstanding overall result, with 14 Riverview students qualifying across Divisions 1- 4 for the State Interschools Snowsports Championships, to be held at Perisher from 17 - 21 August.

Congratulations to every student who competed. Their commitment, resilience and the way they represented the College throughout the week were a credit to themselves, their families and the wider Riverview community. A sincere thank you also goes to our parent supporters, whose enthusiasm and encouragement helped create such a positive and welcoming team environment throughout the championships.

We wish the following students every success as they prepare to represent Riverview at the State Championships:

We look forward to following their performances at Perisher in August.