Interskole 2023/Paarl Girls' High

  Hockey - the future is created in the now! By Phia Heydenreich When the final whistle blew for the first team hockey match, my first thought was "I have never been prouder to be a Girls Higher." GHS went into the game as the 'underdogs', having last won Interschools hockey 17 years ago!  Paarl Gymnasium is a formidable hockey school in South Africa. Sometimes it seems as if the Paarl Gim players were born with hockey sticks in hand. In the warm-up session, the GHS players appeared like little tweety birds in one corner of the field against a Gym team that owned their half with confidence and poise. GHS could not help but go on the field with the utmost respect for their opponents. However, respect does not mean accepting a subordinate position and bowing to solid opposition. We were going to give them the game of their lives. Earlier this year, against all expectations, GHS won their match against Paarl Gim at St Mary’s. This made the GHS supporters cautiously optim...

  Skaak - die spel wat nie diskrimineer nie Deur Luca Yelverton Interskole is ‘n baie opwindende tydperk vir al die leerders in HMS. Dit is ‘n fees waarna almal heeljaar uitsien en dit is ‘n tyd propvol pret en plesier. Die doel is natuurlik om te wen, maar meer as dit is die doel om dit te geniet. Hierdie stelling klink seker soos elke praatjie wat ons nog voor elke wedstryd moes hoor, maar dis waar. Interskole is ‘n belewenis en ons moet dit waardeer en geniet. Ons is bevoorreg om elke jaar hierdie spesiale gebeurtenis saam met ons broers in blou te kan aanpak. Tydens Interskole word daar baie verskillende sporte gespeel. Een van hierdie sporte is natuurlik skaak. Ja, skaak is ‘n sport. Al die HMS-skaakspelers het hard gewerk en is reg vir Interskole. PK Subban het gesê: “Die lewe is soos ‘n skaakwedstryd. Elke besluit wat jy neem, het ‘n gevolg.” Subban se vergelyking pas perfek. Ek het persoonlik Dinsdag my eesrte interskole skaakwedstryd gespeel en dit was regtig ‘n spesial...

  Sports days, Netball and chips-on-a-stick Today was the Netball Interschools. It was quite a festive atmosphere at the Cheve fields, and in the words of my daughter, “They had a delightful spread of refreshments.” This is after all very important in the enjoyment of any sports day. I know parents believe that their children should be more bothered with winning or losing, but they are not. Yes, they walk off the field crying and upset about being out-played and out-smarted, but the mere mention of chip-on-a-stick cheers them up. Because the smell of salt and vinegar and oil is what makes sports days fun! Oh! Yes, for anyone more interested in results than memories, we will have to admit that for Girls’ High, there have been more successful days on the court than today. No, and losing does not have to define you. It should inspire you. We will have to commend the determination and single-mindedness with which the Paarl Gim girls played. Many of the matches were competitive games ev...

Uit die oog van 'n speler - die O.13 A hokkiewedstryd  deur Mikayla Barnard Sjoe, wat ’n ongelooflike ervaring was my laaste Interskole hokkie van die laerskool!!!!  Dit was ’n aftel van skooldae, laaste paar oefen sessies inpas, kreet oefen, 5uur opstaan om 6uur by die skool te wees, hare vleg en regmaak vir die groot dag, Big Brag, en uiteindelik ‘Game day’.  My maag het weer gefladder soos altyd en weer was ek herinner daaraan dat ek nie hierdie dag alleen gaan aanpak nie.  Ons het as een man saamgestaan toe ons saam met die Gimmies aantree vir ons kreet.  Maar ek het nie bang gevoel nie, net die ‘butterflies’ en die opgewondenheid wat ek nie kon keer nie.  Ek het die groot skare mense voor ons sien staan….. en dit was vir my iets wat ek altyd sal onthou…. Almal is hier om ons wedstryd te kom kyk.  Dit het my sowaar weer baie dankbaar en nederig laat voel.  Dankbaar dat ek gesond is en dat kan sport doen, iets waarvoor ek so lief is.  En m...

  The art of war: Strategy, wits, and confidence. Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster. - San Tzu -  The game chess was popularized by the series The Queen’s Gambit. There is nothing like a beautiful girl who can outthink and out-strategize her opponents with a little personal drama to draw your attention. But chess itself is a very old game with a military nature, dating back to 600 CE to the Gupta Empire in India. A game that can survive and thrive for that long, is a game that speaks to the nature of man - the ability to strategically position oneself in your family, friend, and societal circles. Goodness! I am going deep here and all I want to report on is Interschools chess. The fact is that chess as a sport has grown by leaps and bounds in Girls’ High School. We have everyone competing in chess, from the shy grade 4 and the boisterous grade 5 to upcoming intellectuals in grade 12. The commitment is not always as consisten...

  Comments from the coach's bench: Jackie Scheepers Foto: EJ Lang -  I will go to war with this team -  Last year's U 13A hockey match was an epic match. Paarl Gim had a team to die for and Girls’ High had no choice but to defend most of the game. Today I was standing next to the field trying to sort my bags and belongings out when suddenly I was drawn into the U. 13A hockey match. Girls’ High was on the attack, in fact, we struck at goal in the first five minutes. “Hello,” I told myself, “what is happening here?” This is a match! You could see it in the body language of players and their resilience. In the distance, the coach, Jackie Scheeper, was marching up and down with her whiteboard in hand. I wondered what she was thinking and how she felt. I cornered her over Whatsapp to comment on her feelings regarding the match, because I felt the game could have gone either way. Her response was such: “Wow! It was an incredibly competitive game and it could have gone either wa...