Students from McAuley College Beaudesert have once again taken home the percentage trophy at the Brisbane Catholic Education South East Colleges Association of Sport (SECA) Swimming Carnival.
The small but mighty school sent 47 students – one short of a full squad – to the event at Sleeman Sports Complex, Chandler in early March.
As well as winning the percentage trophy, they placed sixth overall out of 15 schools.
McAuley has won the percentage trophy every year they have competed at the SECA Swimming Carnival since the school opened in 2017.
Sports Leader Amy Richards said students held their own even as the carnival became more competitive for them.
“As the school grows larger and we move into having that full complement of year levels, historically it’s been harder for schools to maintain that percentage trophy as they get a full population,” she said.
“So now that we’ve got years 7 to 12, each time we go back we’re thinking, ‘okay, well this is really getting harder to defend’ but we take a full squad, and we fill as many events as we can.
“In most instances it’s up above 95 per cent I would suggest – I think there were three events we didn’t have participants in. It’s pretty insane, what our students do.”
She said they did the school proud.
“I’m pretty proud of how many students showed up to represent their college and just get out there and do their best for us,” she said.
“You look at the size of some of the schools we compete against and the depth of students they have to draw on for their squads, and we came sixth overall and we have the third smallest school population in the competition.
“I always say to the kids, ‘we are competing against all these schools with huge populations, some of them with 1000 and 1200 students, and we’re really holding our own and showing what a little school from Beaudesert can really do’.”
