From the classroom to championships

There are many reasons why young people enrol at Haileybury Pangea — one of them is that they need greater flexibility to train and perfect their skills in a particular sport so they can perform at an elite level.

Students involved in competitive sports need the benefits that come with a more flexible and personalised approach to their education. This also appeals to parents because there are no more missed days of school, students can take their schoolwork with them and log in from wherever they are based, and teachers are there to offer support each step of the way.

From snowboarding and equestrian sports to soccer and freestyle scootering, the sporting prowess of Haileybury Pangea students continues to evolve and many of them are already showing the potential to be state, national and international champions of the future.

What do they love about their sport, what have been their special sporting highlights so far, and how do they fit study and schooltime around their demanding schedules?

Success on the snow

Lucinda (Year 10) has been a snowboard cross specialist for four years. Snowboard cross sees athletes race against each other while performing turns and jumps and navigating a downhill ski slope to cross the finishing line first.

As a member of the 2024 Emerging Talent Program in Snowboard Cross, Lucinda trains on snow for around 30 hours per week and spends eight hours a week in the gym. She trains with a team at Mount Hotham but travels to races in NSW during the snow season and her sport has also taken her to France, Austria, Italy, Czechia, Switzerland and Poland.

“I’ve competed in three races so far and have won awards in all three. I came second in a junior race in Czechia and first in a junior race at Mount Hotham last season,” she says.

Lucinda says Haileybury Pangea delivers the flexibility she needs, and the ongoing support from her teachers enables her to snowboard and study.

“The teachers are always available when I need support with subjects and they understand my schedule,” she says.

The slalom stars

Brothers Bowie (Year 6) and Saxby (Year 8) are full-time members of the Team Hotham Winter Sports Race Club and the International Racer team in Europe. They specialise in slalom, giant slalom and super G. They started skiing recreationally when Saxby was five and Bowie was three, and joined the Hotham race team eight years later.

Along with attending classes in Middle School English, Maths, Science and Humanities, during the Australian winter, they will train 40 hours a week and during the European winter they train in the Italian Dolomite mountains, Norway and Sweden for up to 60 hours a week.

“We train on the snow and off to keep up our fitness. When we’re not skiing, we have a personal trainer twice a week, we do Jiu Jitsu twice a week and we do snow performance training to stay strong for when we return to skiing,” says Saxby.

So far, Saxby has finished second at the Danish Winter Games in Norway and Bowie finished fifth. They also placed in the Ski Star Winter Games in Sweden and Norway earlier this year.

Maia’s on the ball

Maia (Year 12) discovered a passion for soccer when she was nine years old and watching her friends play soccer with a local team.

“I couldn’t stand being on the sidelines and after watching for a few minutes, I asked the coach if I could join in. The second I kicked the ball, I fell in love with the sport,” says Maia.

Maia plays with Melbourne Victory Youth Academy team and has been part of the National Youth Championships where she was top goal scorer. She has also been in National Premier League grand finals.

After sustaining an injury that required surgery, Maia is completing a rehabilitation program and cannot wait to get back on the pitch.

Success in the saddle

Annabelle (Year 8) has been riding horses for a long time, but it was not until October last year that she began to compete.

“I didn’t think I’d place because it was my first time, but I came home with second and third place ribbons,” she says.

Annabelle has had a busy start to the year, competing in a range of Interschool Dressage competitions. She also qualified to be part of the Victorian Representative Team, to compete at the 2024 Equestrian Interschool Championships in Tamworth later this year — an incredible result given this is her first year competing in interschool comps.

The flexibility of studying, along with the self-paced coursework and programs, at Haileybury Pangea allows her to care for and train her two horses and prepare them for competition.

Maddison (Year 8) began horse riding when she was three years old and after initially being drawn to dressage, she is now an up-and-coming showjumper. She rides and competes on two horses and works with each of them for two hours every day, with feeding and caring for the horses taking additional time.

Maddison participated in the Novice Dressage Class at the Australian Youth Dressage Championships and was Reserve Champion twice. She also came fourth in the Children’s Show jumping Class at the 2024 GDP Classic in Victoria.

“I’ve mostly competed in Victoria so far and hope to compete in NSW soon. I’m also part of a select team that competes in New Zealand. My dream is to compete at the Olympics one day, and in the USA or Europe,” says Maddison.

Cate’s at home on the water

Cate (Year 10) is a dedicated rower. During the 1990s, her dad was a competitive rower, and he has coached the USA, Norwegian and Swiss national teams so it is perhaps not surprising that Cate inherited his love of the sport.

“When I was finally old enough to get in a boat, I asked my dad if he would coach me,” says Cate. Her main racing boat is the single scull — a one-person boat with two oars. However, she also competed at national level in coxed and coxless quads, pairs and doubles.

Each week, Cate’s program encompasses training on the water, as well as indoor rowing, indoor cycling and weightlifting. Highlights of her achievements so far include winning the Head of the Schuylkill in the Junior varsity single in Philadelphia and she won the U16 single in NSW during her first competitive racing season with her dad as her coach. This year she also represented Victoria at the Junior interstate regatta.

Across three seasons Cate has won 13 combined state titles in schoolgirl and senior state championships.

“My main goal is to compete at a very high level and to continue to enjoy my sport as much as I do,” says Cate.

Finding her freestyle on a scooter

Alex (Year 9) discovered the art of freestyle scootering during the 2021 pandemic lockdowns when she was looking for a new hobby. Fast forward three years and Alex is making her mark in the world of competitive scootering.

Most recently, she competed in New Zealand and has her eyes firmly focused on a place at the World Skate Grand Finals. In New Zealand, Alex competed against athletes at least 10 years older than her, many of whom were scooters she has looked up to.

She is one of the few females in the world able to perform a front flip and trains for up to 12 hours a week. Freestyle scootering is not yet in the Olympics, but Alex hopes it will be introduced within the next ten years. She hopes to be one of the first female riders to compete and win gold at an Olympic Games.

The flexibility of Haileybury Pangea is supporting these homegrown sporting talents to nurture their skills and compete on a world stage while achieving their academic goals, too. As each student trains hard to make their dreams on the ski slope, soccer pitch, water, or hockey pitch come true, we cannot wait to see what they do next.