Our Kangaroo Valley Public School Todd Woodbridge Cup (TWC) tennis team successfully progressed through zone and regional levels to qualify to play at the 2023 TWC State Finals in Homebush on 20 November. The team consisted of 11 players (Logan, Zach, Bruno, Elijah, Caleb, Will, Milton, Claudia, Eliza, Daisy and Abbey) who had trained every Monday morning for two terms in preparation for this event.
The team arrived in Sydney on Sunday afternoon and attended a pre-event BBQ at Olympic Park Tennis Centre, hosted by Tennis NSW for regional schools. The excitement continued with ice creams at Cold Rock and some fun hotel shenanigans before bed. In the morning, the buffet breakfast was a major highlight for the kids to fuel up before the big day. They then attended the opening ceremony before play began.
Over 7,000 kids across the state competed in TWC this year. Only 21 teams qualified and attended the state finals. These 21 schools were placed into four groups, where a round-robin format was played. The KV team played against Tamworth Public School, Barnsley Public School, Broughton Anglican School and St Raphaels Catholic School. Our kids played unbelievably well and won every round against each school. Unfortunately, there were some administration errors with recorded set scores and we were unfortunately placed second in our pool based on sets, and therefore didn’t qualify for the semi-final. As you can imagine, this was quite confusing and very disappointing for our kids. Overall, we officially placed fifth in the state, which is a remarkable achievement for our small school!
We are so very proud of our team! They were the perfect example on the court – they displayed excellent tennis technique, confidence and great sportsmanship, exceptional knowledge of the rules, beautifully executed strategies and tactics, and finally, fair play and a great team spirit. In recognition of this, and considering the errors made, Tennis NSW are sending an award for each team member to applaud their excellence in play and behaviour. Congratulations kids – you deserve it!
This year, Todd Woodbridge was able to attend the event, so it was a big highlight for the kids to meet him and get his autograph and some photos.
We’d like to thank all of those who supported us. And a big thank you to everyone who donated to help us get there, especially the KV Tennis Club and KV Social Club.
Bring on 2024!
