Tennis Wrap

The Terrace Tennis season ended last Saturday for the Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 teams with an excellent day of tennis against Brisbane Grammar School and internal challenge matches between Years 7 and 8. It was a good opportunity to be able to play the leaders in tennis in the primary teams, as this provided another opportunity to learn and be challenged. 

The Tennis program caters for all abilities, and the product of 2019 was an improvement from the years before. We hope to continue this improvement in 2020. The aim is to continue to provide opportunities for those who either wish to play socially with their mates like this year’s 3rd IV team or to cater for those striving to be the best they can in the performance side of the program. Tennis is a game for all and a game for life. 

Our traditional tennis end of season break-up BBQ and trophy presentation at Ambi was held after the round on Saturday afternoon. This social event was well supported by the families involved in Terrace Tennis, with over 140 people in attendance. The award winners were as follows: 

 Best and Fairest  

• Year 5 – James Ross 
• Year 6 – Cooper Kennedy 
• Year 7 – Jack Ryan 
• Year 8 – Thomas Druve 
• Year 9 – Noah Coulson 
• Year 10 – Toby Kennedy 
• Year 11 - Serge Akkari 
• Year 12 – Cooper Simmonds 

Highest Percentage Winner  

• Year 5 – Rockford O’Dwyer 
• Year 6 – Lucas O’Kane 
• Year 7 – James Eustace 
• Year 8 – Liam Nguyen 
• Year 9 – Xavier Styles 
• Year 10 - Dominic Anderson 
• Year 11 – Sean Pacey 
• Year 12 – Bryce Robinson 

Best Team Person 

•  Year 5 – Rocco Cavallucci 
• Year 6 – Joseph Becconsall 
• Year 7 – Max Chan 
• Year 8 – George Scanlan 
• Year 9 – Xavier Styles
•  Year 10 - Thomas Davis 
• Year 11 – Kevin Ye 
• Year 12 – Charles Van Balen 

 Team of the Year

 5D 

• William Minotti  
• Rockford O’Dwyer 
• Owen Havu 
• Joshua Horner 
• Hamish Hill 
• Rafael Griffin 
• James Formosa 

 5 Year Medal Recipients 

• William Tacey  
• Emilio Mollo 
• Oliver White 
• Xavier Lim 
• Thomas Campbell 
• Charles Hopkins 
• Kevin Ye 
• Sam Scuderi 
• Matthew Schoutrop 
• Justin Jeyarajah
• Zain Wickham 

The program would like to take this opportunity to thank a few groups who have been integral in the success of the season. Firstly, the Support Group who volunteer their time, and work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the program is well supported and continues to run in the right direction. The passion that this group shows for the game of tennis and the wellbeing of Terrace Tennis can’t be understated, and we thank them for this. Secondly, the program would like to acknowledge and thank Ms Cerene Hughes, who has been fantastic in helping the program behind the scenes. To Dr Carroll, the CLT and Tony McGahan, we extend our thanks for your continued support of tennis at the College and the countless hours you all contribute. 

The program would also like to thank the students who represented the College in the Tennis program. The efforts this year, commitment to both training and match play, was described by those who know, as a significant improvement from years past.  

A big thank you to all the College Coaches, led by Head Coach Mr Graeme Brimblecombe and well supported by Mr Leon Frost and Mr John Stoddard who have all been fantastic at training and game day, supporting the boys within the program. Their knowledge of the game is equal to their enthusiasm in ensuring each boy becomes the best tennis he can be, creating a great training environment at each session. 

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the parent group for their continued support of the program and their assistance during the season. Be it early morning starts at Victoria Park or away games, the support of your sons and flexibility with scheduling during the year has ensured that the boys can get the most out of the program.  

We hope your son has had a positive experience playing tennis at the College and we look forward to seeing him involved again in 2020. 

Head Coach wrap 

Firstly, I would like to thank all of the boys who participated in the Tennis program. I would also like to congratulate all boys on the results they achieved and the effort they put in to represent Terrace.   

This year, we achieved very strong performances across our program. Our 1st IV finished fourth for the season with many other Terrace teams finishing with a positive win/loss ratio. The results have highlighted the depth in the program. 

We also achieved a record of 150 boys who represented Terrace this season in tennis. This included three year levels extending into F teams. A tremendous amount of work was put in by a number of the Tennis Directors ensuring the extra teams received high quality matches across the season. 

I would also like to acknowledge the year 12 boys who are leaving us at the end of this year. Many of these boys have played tennis for the entire time they have been at Terrace. I would like to personally thank every team member for their efforts and commitment to Terrace Tennis. 

Our Tennis Captains Xavier Lim, Charlie Van Balen and Bryce Robinson have led the program with dignity and humility and will leave in a very good position. This year, we have had a fantastic coaching group, with 13 coaches contributing to the growth of the program. This year, we have developed a good mix of professional tennis coaches alongside a large number of old boys recycling back into the program. 

I would like to thank all the coaches for their efforts and dedication. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the parent support group for their support throughout this season. Through Mr Cameron Van Balen, we have had further growth with parent participation this year. 

To wrap the season up, I would like to say that tennis is not a seasonal sport. However, GPS Tennis is. To continue your child’s development, I urge parents to try and find some time to continue with some form of tennis, whether that be fixtures, tournaments, coaching/training or social hits. For those who are interested, there are opportunities for year-round tennis at Terrace through the Lifetime commercial programs. Information has been emailed out on those programs and will be resent shortly. 

Thanks again for all of your efforts and support. 

Mr Graeme Brimblecombe | Head Coach Tennis