Sports

Hutchins has a compulsory sporting program for boys in Year 2 - Year 12 and offers boys a wide range of sporting choices. Sport is offered on an inter-House basis as well as in inter-school competitions. Some boys also participate in school-sponsored Club competitions.

In Junior School, the sports are athletics, cricket, mixed games, softball, swimming, tennis, T-ball, bushwalking, Australian Rules football (modified rules), hockey, soccer, cross-country running, table tennis and basketball.

Middle School boys can select from athletics, basketball, cricket, orienteering, rowing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, sailing, surfing, touch football, Australian Rules, badminton, cross-country running, hockey, Rugby Union football, soccer and water polo.

In Senior School the choice is even wider, with athletics, basketball, cricket, orienteering, rowing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, sailing, surfing, touch football, fitness development, weights training, Australian Rules, badminton, rock climbing, cross-country running, hockey, Rugby Union football, fitness for winter sports, soccer and water polo.

In all parts of the School, participation is the key element and all boys' participation at whatever level is encouraged and praised. At the Open level and in State Championships there is very enthusiastic competition in most sports and Hutchins frequently wins State Premierships in many sports. The School is also recognised nationally and internationally for the prowess of its sailors.

A Winning Attitude

Many have asked about how as coach you develop a winning attitude in a team. It is important to instill right from the start that you are going to win eventually. However the meaning of winning needs to be tweaked. A game is played, we win it or we lose it, and the outside world will define us based on that win or loss. Unfortunately that is how most people see it, but should it be this way?

When we win a game, not everything is right. When we lose a game, not everything is wrong. Sometimes a loss can be your greatest victory. If teams play as hard as they possibly can and come up short, did they really lose? Isn't it the team that does its best in every situation a winner? If as coaches/parents/players we only look at the win/loss column to determine whether we are doing well then we are not using the right measure.

A real winning attitude is about standards of excellence, the best that you can be, and choosing to give my best regardless of the result and or situation.

If you gave a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet with A being the value of 1 and Z being the value of 26 and spelt ATTITUDE it is amazing the result you receive

Choosing your attitude is about being aware of what your attitude is, and that it does affect you and others. Ask yourself, "Does my attitude help me or others? Is it helping me and our team be the way I/we want to be?" Finally, you control your attitude, not the other way around. Be positive and always give 100%. Remember that the members of the team don't have to be perfect; they just have to keep trying to be the best that they can be. That's a good definition of a winning attitude.

Wayne Brown
Director of Sport