By Erin Derbyshire, Athletic Director and Instructional Lead of Health and Physical Education
The Elmwood Eagles were thrilled to be back on the court, field, and trails this fall. In both the middle and senior school, over half of our students joined a team. Any student who wanted to be a member of a team was able to do so. If your child was nervous to join a team this fall, please assure them that athletics at Elmwood is a safe and supportive space. We always spend time teaching skills, rules and strategies; all that we are looking for is a group of athletes who are keen to learn, work hard, and who have a great attitude.
SENIOR SCHOOL
Tennis
Tennis continued to build on the skills and strategies that they developed last fall, by once again practicing at ONEC with our community coaches. This season, we had entries in singles and doubles in the B division, and doubles in the beginner division. Both sets of our doubles teams (Kayla Shafai/Imara Bhulji and Charlotte Smuders/Sherry Xi) were able to play in both the qualifying and the NCSSAA Championships. There is a lot of room for more players and growth on this team, if anyone is interested in joining.
Rowing
This year we had a huge team of experienced, novice, and rookie rowers. Over the course of the season, we had various teams compete in doubles, coxed quads, and straight quads over four regattas. They started their season off with Head of the Rideau Regatta in Ottawa and finished with Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs, New York. A highlight of the season was a ‘double’ rowed by Gabrielle Jennings and Sydney Little, who finished 7th out of 24 teams at the Head of the Trent. The team is looking forward to their training camp, which will be held in Florida, in the new year.
7s Rugby
This was a rebuilding year for our 7s Rugby team, with a number of new players with no rugby experience joining the team. Coach Chin and Captain Jiggy Schonfeld created a helpful and reassuring environment, where players learned not only skills and strategies but also how to trust and support each other on the pitch. This dynamic team went undefeated in the two exhibition tournaments that they played in. They are looking forward to building their team over the winter season, with hopes to compete in the spring.
Golf
We had our biggest team in a number of years, with 10 golfers joining the team. Despite the rainy start to the year, players continued to develop their skills at the Whitesands range and course. We were thrilled to have Elizabeth Chen-Baker play in the NCSSAA competitive tournament, and a number of players play in the scramble. The team is looking forward to playing their final nine holes in the spring!
Cross-Country Running
We had a relatively young team this year which was full of positive energy and enthusiasm. They worked hard throughout the fall on their endurance and speed. We had 15 athletes compete in the East Conference meet, and 11 in the NCSSAA Championship meet. Cleo Carney had a phenomenal race at the NCSSAA Championship, shaving almost 4 minutes off her time. She finished 6th overall and will definitely have OFSAA in her sights next year.
Basketball
Our basketball team wrapped up their season last week. After two years without a team, they had a challenging start to their season. Adora Turland showed great leadership as the team’s point guard and captain, controlling the play and initiating scoring opportunities for other players. The team showed great perseverance, and following a reseeding after the regular season, they had a number of close games, winning 2 out of 3. They finished the season by winning the Cookie Jar Championship, and are looking forward to building their team next year.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
5/6 Soccer
After developing their skills throughout September, the 5/6 Soccer team had the opportunity to play in a fun tournament against other Independent schools in early October. They played 3 hardfought games, losing their first two by only one goal and winning their third. A highlight of the tournament was the sportsmanship that the team showed - even though it was against us, they supported the other team in celebrating their one and only goal of the tournament!
Grade 7/8 Soccer
The 7/8 Soccer team had a mammoth season, playing in 2 tournaments and 6 league games. Our young team showed excellent development and improvement with each game played. They were visibly thrilled to be playing team sports again. They finished in a very competitive forth place in the league. A special shout out to the team’s goalkeeper, Megan Kearney, who kept the team competitive in many games with her determination and skill.
Grade 8 Rowing
We had a huge turnout of Grade 8 students for the rowing team this fall. After learning the basics on ergs, the team was thrilled to get in a number of practices on the water. They progressed from just not tipping the boat in their first practice, to rowing in sync (in teams of four) by the final practice. Due to her excellent skill development, Poppy Klotz even got to row in a double with Grade 12 student Shelby McMahon. We are looking forward to the team continuing to develop over the winter, and competing for Elmwood next year.
Grades 5-8 Cross-Country Running
Go Eagles Go! The Cross-Country running team showed great enthusiasm, encouragement, support, and even a little singing throughout their season. The Spooky Sprint provided athletes with an opportunity to run a very challenging course at Wesley Clover Park. Our runners did very well against a competitive field, in every race an Elmwood student finished in the top 10.
Grade 7/8 Rugby
We had a number of new players pick up rugby with our 7/8 Flag Rugby team this fall. Players were keen to learn, supportive of each other and had a lot of fun. A highlight from the season was playing in a tournament at Immaculata. At the tournament, Isabel Morgan showed awesome grit and willpower, driving through opponents left, right and center!
We are proud of all of our teams and are looking forward to our next round of sports that have kicked off in the past few weeks. The overall feedback from coaches, referees, and competitors was that the Eagles consistently show amazing sportsmanship and enthusiasm.
Congratulations!