Rijken Cup 2023

Rijken Cup 2023

In Week 3 of this term, Tyndale Christian School competed in the second edition of the Rijken Cup. Named after longstanding former SACSA President Marcel Rijken, the event ran for a whole week, and included Year 11 and Year 12 students. Squads of 45 from each of the competing SACSA schools were permitted, with schools including Kings, Cedar, Temple Mile End and Paralowie, Prescott, Endeavour and Emmaus competing in Division 1. Across the week, sports such as netball, touch football, soccer, basketball, table tennis and volleyball were played, and the students got the week off to compete for their schools. The newly introduced annual competition began in 2022 and had great reviews after its debut – aiming for bigger and better things in 2023.

Countless weeks of training and hard work prepared the students for the big week, and the coaches felt like they had maximised the potential of each student in their respective teams ahead of the Rijken Cup.

Our students met in the Roy Magor Hall for a team meeting prior to the beginning of the day, which was a theme that continued for the week. The Sports Captains spoke words of encouragement and outlined the different props (hats, capes etc.) to be given out during the week based on performance or actions, and Head of Schools / Senior School Principal Mike Potter shared some wisdom to the team ahead of their exciting, yet exhausting week ahead.

Monday brought an intense netball competition at the Lights Community & Sports Centre in Lightsview. Tyndale came out the blocks as the most vocal of the schools with its chants and encouragement, setting the tone for the week and creating the bar that other schools needed to match. While the success wasn’t there for Tyndale, missing finals in both boys and girls, the commitment to the competition was.

Tuesday was the day of mixed touch football, at the Greenhill Road touch football fields in the city. Tyndale had some mixed results, starting the day with a couple wins but falling short of the finals due to an opposition try after the siren, breaking the hearts of the kids. Nonetheless, the spirits were high within the camp, and the camaraderie between the schools was growing. It was setting up to be an epic week of sport and friendship.

Wednesday’s soccer event was arguably the highlight of the week. The skill level across all schools was excellent and the competitiveness and desire to win was on full display. Tyndale finished third in both boys and girls, losing narrowly in both semi-finals, but the squad was improving each day. Given it was a smaller pitch, and seven-a-side, the soccer that was showcased was far above any other sport for the week.

Thursday was the first of the evening finishes, back at the Lights, with the basketball competition taking place all day and the final commencing at 8pm. This meant a long day for non-competitors, but Tyndale were unfazed, continuing their chants and encouragement from game to game. The boys finished fifth, while the girls managed to place third even after losing a key player from their team early in the piece due to injury. The boys’ final was perhaps the spectacle of the week – every school watched on as Cedar and Emmaus battled it out for gold. The chants were louder than ever and schools were teaming up to cheer one another one in the best possible display of sportsmanship and camaraderie.

Friday, the final day of a long week of sports, was the big finale. Volleyball and table tennis occupied the day, once again at the Lights – every school’s second home for the week. The team got around to every game, and while it was evident every student was weary after competing all week, the level of chants and voice was sustained. Both volleyball teams, after strong starts to the day, faded and missed finals, finishing fifth and sixth respectively, but the table tennis produced better results. The girls were competitive but missed the final, but the boys took home our only medals for the week, going down to Kings in the final to claim second place. It was a great effort by our table tennis quartet.

Overall, the week was a big success in terms of abilities shown and friendships developed amongst peers. It was fantastic to see every school bond together over sport, and the level of play was immensely high – setting the bar for years to come.

Marley Raikiwasa (Year 12) and Noah Algate (Year 11) received the Tyndale MVP awards for the best performing students across the week. While standing out in every sport they competed in, they also embodied what it means to be a Tyndalian; conveying eye-catching acts of sportsmanship across the week while playing to their absolute best abilities. These students represented Tyndale the way leaders should, and we are proud to call them ours.

Lachlan Jones
Specialist Sports Coach