Two Anna Bay girls have been selected to take part in the “flagship event of school sport in Australia” – the 2017 Pacific School Games.
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About 4000 students from at least 15 countries, including from each Australian state and territory, are set to compete in the Games, which is held every two years.
Amongst those students will be Andi Law, 14, and Ava Forster, 11.
The girls were selected to represent NSW in touch football at the Games, which will be held in Adelaide between December 3 and 9.
Both told the Examiner that the were “shocked” to have been selected and “excited” to compete at such a high level in their sport.
Law, who attends Tomaree High School, was selected for the Games based on her performance at the NSW CHS Touch Football Championship held in Narrabeen at the end of July.
The Anna Bay teen and five of her CHS tournament teammates were selected to play on NSW’s under-15 side at the Games.
It was announced after the final of the CHS tournament, where NSW defeated the Catholic schools team.
Forster, who attends Anna Bay Public School, was a member of the Hunter team that played at the PSSA Touch Football Championship in Wagga Wagga at the start of August.
Like Law, she was selected to represent NSW at the Games based on her performance during the three-day tournament.
Ava credited her Games selection to her training, coaches Paul John, Emily Floyd and Karley Banks plus her Hunter teammates.
Just two touch football players from the Hunter, Forster being one of them, were selected to represent NSW’s under-12 touch team at the Games.
In addition to playing touch for their schools, Law and Forster play representative-level football for Nelson Bay Touch Association.
The Pacific School Games provides opportunities for around 4000 school-aged students to participate in 10 sports at the highest level.
The sports included in this year’s program include:
- Basketball: Under-12 boys and girls
- Diving: Girls and boys aged 10 to 19
- Football (soccer): Under-12 boys and girls, under-16 boys, under-18 girls
- Goalball (for vision impaired): Under-15 mixed
- Golf: Under-12, under-17 girls and boys
- Hockey: Under-12, under-16 boys and girls
- Netball: Under-12, under-15 girls
- Softball: Under-12, under-17 boys and girls
- Touch football: Under-12, under-15 boys and girls
- Track and field: Girls and boys aged 10 to 12
As part of their selection, Law and Forster will have to travel to Sydney for training and stick to a fitness routine.
The cost to send the pair to Adelaide in December is estimated to be about $5000 each.
The girls are each seeking sponsorship to attend the Games.
Anyone interested in helping Law and Forster can phone 0401 319 885.