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SPORTS

Athens Classic Marathon

According to history, the very first marathon in the world took place on this year’s Athens Classic Marathon course. In 490 BC a giant Persian army invaded the small town of Marathon near the coast of Greece. However in the Battle of Marathon that followed, the Greek army defeated the Persians, and a messenger named Pheidippides was sent to Athens to bring news of the victory. The young Greek ran the 42 km from the battlefield to the capital as fast as he could, reached the capital, announced the victory and thereafter died from exhaustion. This historic event is the reason behind the development of the marathon we know today. Apart from the obvious connection to Pheidippides, the Athens Classic Marathon is dedicated to Gregoris Lambrakis, a Greek athlete and Member of Parliament who, after his politically motivated assassination in 1963, became a national symbol of democracy and social justice.

The Athens marathon this year was considered to be one of the most successful ever with 26000 participants, amongst them elite runners, as well as a great number of Greek and foreign citizens of all ages; running the 5km, 10km or the classic marathon of the 42km race. Amongst these distances there was also a 700 meter race for young children.
It was an early start to the day, when I woke up at 6 o’clock and made my way to the train station; it was a 7 o’clock appointment there with the rest of the runners from my school about 80 in total (teachers and students), all running for the good cause; the charity of MDA and Doctors Without Borders. by the time we arrived in the centre of Athens and near the stadium everybody was eagerly awaiting the start and there was great excitement all around. The 5km race was very tiring, the atmosphere around the course was supportive and the highlight at the finish was the entering and crossing the line in the Panathinaiko Stadium first used in the 1896 Olympics. It was also a personal success as I managed to finish the race in 29 minutes and my friend Elena Papachristou in 27 minutes. Furthermore we all managed to collect a lot of extra sponsorship money for this great cause.

Having completed our 5km race we stayed at the stadium to watch the arrivals of the elite marathon runners the first five runners came in from East Africa- Kenya. Once again like last year the winner of this historic marathon course was Bett Raymond Kimutai who managed to complete the race in two hours and eleven minutes!! Amazing!
Looking forward to next year where more of us can take part and help others in need.

Teachers vs Students End of Year Football match

On the final day of term in 2012, a friendly match between the teachers and the students took place. This match takes place at the end of every term, and at the end of last summer term it was won by the students. Now the teachers were looking to get revenge.

The match was played in appalling weather conditions. Rain was pouring heavily, forcing all the students who were on the side watching to go back into the school, and miss the intense match. As usual, the students were the favourites to win, but the teachers were willing to fight until the end!

The match started. It was balanced until approximately 10 minutes in, when the teachers began to get tired. The students took advantage of the teachers’ lack of fitness and pressured their defence. Eventually, due to this pressure, the students managed to score with a great strike by Elliot Watson. After this, the goals kept coming, and in the next 15 minutes the score was 3-0. The teachers had to fight back, and with a great finish by Mr. Kolivas, the teachers scored their first goal, and made it 3-1.

The score remained constant for about 20 minutes, however, this changed when Filippos Letsas’ strike hit the back of the net and made the score 4-1. Shortly afterwards, the teachers attempted a comeback and Mr. Christo made the score 4-2 with a classy finish into the bottom corner.

The match ended 4-2, a well deserved win for the students!

Thessaloniki Sports Tournament

The breathtaking views as the bus approached Thessaloniki’s Anatolia College gave a first glimpse into the annual, late November Thessaloniki sport tournament. This charitable event involved a variety of different sports. The determination on all school fronts to compete and give it their all was what made this tournament memorable. The hustle and bustle of the panting athletes competing for gold is one that describes all athletic events, and St.Catherines in due course placed extraordinarily high in the poll standings and were repeatedly praised for their star-studded performances. With the melodious tones coming from the crowd cheering on the various outfield teams, a charismatic vibe was felt in the sporting events at Thessaloniki’s Anatolia College.
The boys tournament offered the foundation for socializing with others from completely different backgrounds. Schools who competed included I.S.A, Anatolia College, Campion, St.Catherine’s, Pierce American College, and another local school from Thessaloniki. The togetherness of these teams promoted a chemistry that was unseen in previously hosted sports tournaments. Communication was each side’s unique asset. From all the effort put into individual training sessions, schoolwork fatigue was quickly alleviated and the focus put into the games was contributed of the highest order from each player.
With this in mind, St.Catherines pursued gold day in and day out and despite succeeding in doing so for most individual sports, fell short of winning boys football and boys volleyball. The award ceremony can be characterized as momentous for last years who guided their teams and voluntarily offered younger peers a place under their wing. In coming second to Anatolia College in football by missing out on penalties with an overall score of 9-8, Elliot Watson was attributed with Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his willingness to get involved with indecisive players and to aid those who were low on self esteem.
In witnessing déjà vu from last year’s tournament, a dedicated star volleyball player representing St.Catherines named Francesco Lovascio felt proud to have had the chance to go up against the stature of a team like Pierce American College, in marking the end of his St.Catherine’s volleyball career. The team would often form in a circle after winning each point and although they could not produce the finesse of their previous games, they went home with an attitude and morale worthy of recognition.
In summing up our boys team sports, the St.Catherines Basketball side generated a consistent pace which led to victory in their final match. Sadly, in order to win a spot in the finals the team would have to have won all three of their play off matches. Nonetheless, in witnessing all sides giving their noteworthy commitments to the school, Mr J. Soumilas (HoD), Mr C. Latanis, Mr N. Moustakas, and Miss K. Voisey all spoke kind words concerning their inspiring sides.

On the flip side of the coin, a strong girls football team entered the competition with an eye for the trophy and in playing all school sides picked up the most points out of any. The team fostered players who were shy about making necessary challenges and the outcome of this tournament saw players from all levels of talent reach a common ground. In finishing 1st place, Aristea Kokkinea-Mamidaki was voted the girls football Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Finally, individual efforts involved both girls and boys running distances. In the 100m sprint Adam Groves placed 1st with Chris Davies trailing behind him in 2nd. Both achieved times of less than 12 seconds, which is the cut off point for all runners wishing to compete nationally. Rebecca Sideras made St.Catherines proud in finishing 1st in the 100m sprint, as did Francesca Dheere who placed 1st for the girls in the 240m sprint. Long distance competition was ruled out after some minutes into the dash as Morgan Mitchell came 1st in the boys 1000m run.

The whole of the school welcomed our sports teams back after an extended weekend of intense sport. “I extend our congratulations to all our sporting participants and also our gratitude to the P.E. staff for their efforts over the weekend”, remarked Dr.Bond. Overall, this sports tournament fielded one of the best teams in terms of achieving top notch results. All participants of this annual event are relishing the opportunity at making an appearance next year.