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Sport at Monash
Annual Report 2016
Destination MonashHandbook for international students
Destination MonashHandbook for international students
2016 at a glance
Our focus on student experiences has resulted in year on year growth of our visitations, especially amongst our students.
Monash University has the highest total annual visits to sporting facilities, services & programs in the Go8*Monash University has the second highest proportion (%) of student visits to sporting facilities, services & programs in the Go8*Monash University has the highest number of enrolments/membership sign ups to sporting facilities, services & programs in the Go8*Monash University has the highest number of Total EAFU athletes supported from the Go8**Monash University has the second highest number of students employed by sporting providers in the Go8*Monash University had the second highest number of Volunteers supporting its sport activities in the Go8*Twelve Monash University students (current and former) and alumni represented Australia at the Rio Olympics and Paralympics winning 2 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals between them.The Monash University students who represented Monash University, Australia and FISU Oceania at the 2015 3x3 World University Basketball League Final in Xiamen, China and in winning the Bronze medal was awarded 2016 Sports Team of the Year by Australian University Sport.The Doug Ellis Swimming Pool at Monash Sport (Clayton campus) was awarded Platinum Pool Accreditation by Life Saving Victoria for the fifth consecutive year. It is one of only 20 public swimming pools in the state to achieve this accreditation.We commenced significant facility refurbishments to the Group Fitness Studio (Clayton), Frearson Oval Resurfacing (Clayton), Peninsula Hockey Pitch Resurfacing (Peninsula), Cafe and Service Desk Improvement (Clayton) and Chisholm Hall Reconfiguration (Caulfield). Most of these projects will be completed in the first half of 2017.In partnership with the City of Monash, Monash University was awarded 2016 City in Motion status by the International University Sport Federation (FISU) and one of only three City: University partnerships to receive this endorsement, the others being Lausanne and Oslo.We planned and executed a number of successful student engagement events including College Clash, Monash Games, Let It Glow, Footy Colours Day, Play On!, Mega Swim and Monash In Motion.Implemented in July 2016, the Links System is an integrated POS linking to University systems allowing for better student & staff service for sporting facilities, memberships and programs.
* Group 1, n=6 respondents ** Group 1, n=5 respondentsSource: 2016 Australian University Sport USBA Survey Results, Centre for Tourism and Leisure Management, UniSA
Contents
04 IntroductionA Dynamic Year of Achievement, Progression and Enhancements
10 Awards and Achievements2016 saw Monash succeed in a number of areas - high performing students, sporting programs and our own staff were rewarded for their initiative and hard work in taking their endeavours to national and international levels.
22 Sport HighlightsOur sports clubs and programs created a wealth of opportunities for students to engage in campus life at Monash. Core to our values are facilitating a welcoming, inclusive and supporting environment. In 2016, we saw many examples of the breadth of opportunities there were available to be involved in sport, and how sport enhanced student lifestyles at Monash.
36 Participation EventsCreating an engaging and interactive environment was integral to our service provision, and our 2016 events were a prime example of just that. From introducing international students to AFL to innovative transformations of spaces that lit up faces of all ages. We delighted our community through engaging with them through interactive events.
46 Built SpacesMonash has invested significant time and effort into ensuring our spaces met the high expectations of our community of Monash staff, students, alumni, visiting schools and the local community. 2016 marked a year in which every Monash Sport site saw an enhancement to it’s environment for the benefit of our students and staff.
A Dynamic Year of Achievement, Progression and Enhancements
The 2016 year heralded some great achievements and notable highlights for Sport at Monash University. Whilst our students continued to strive for their personal bests with respect to their health, fitness and competitive sports performance, there was a concerted organisational focus on improving service delivery, streamlining administration processes, continuing to enhance facilities and growing participation in key programs, services and events. There were significant strategies and actions delivered in 2016 to achieve these outcomes and improve the campus experience for Monash students.
To deliver these outcomes to the Monash Community, two departments at Monash University (Monash Sport & TeamMONASH, both a part of the Campus Community Division) work collaboratively with students to enhance the campus experience. We take great pride in presenting, and hope you enjoy reading about how this has been achieved in our ‘2016 Sport at Monash University Annual Report’.
Our facilities, services, programs, activities and events hosted over 1.3 million visitations, which saw Monash University ranked first (most number of visits) of all the GO8 Universities in Australia. Monash was also ranked number 1 of the GO8 Universities for memberships and enrolments with over 45,000 individual membership, program and activity enrolments and registrations in 2016, highlighting the strength of our student and staff participation in sports and recreation endeavours (source: Australian University Sport USBA Survey Results 2016 – Monash University).
The perceived quality of our overall service delivery has also increased in 2016 with our student Net Promoter Score achieving a new high benchmark of 92% (n = 1,071), compared to 81% in 2016 (n = 1,324). This is our primary satisfaction measure, indicating students likelihood to recommend Monash Sport’s services and programs to their peers.
Monash University supported 284 elite student performers in 2016 through the Elite Athlete Friendly University (EAFU) scheme and employed at over 200 Monash students in a variety of service delivery roles such as gymnasium instructors, swimming instructors, customer service officers, social sport referees and umpires as well as mascot actors and team administrators.
Monash Sport’s Water Wise swimming program has received national recognition, winning the prestigious ‘Best Swim School Innovation’ Award at the annual Swim Australia Awards, in September 2016. Over 3,000 Monash students have participated in this free program since its inception in 2015. The program was evolved in 2016 to incorporate opportunities for students to experience moving water at the Monash Aquatic & Recreation Centre wave pool, as well as a beach visit to Sorrento.
In terms of organisation there was a significant focus on enhancing processes and procedures in 2016. Firstly, Team Monash developed a set of robust Critical Incident Management Procedures in May, which were specifically designed to reduce and mitigate risks for students participating in representative sport (including inter-varsity sport and clubs competitions). Then in July, Monash Sport released a new point of sale and management system, designed to streamline administrative processes, improve on-line communication & sales and provide more effective participation reporting. Both new systems better position the University to manage its risk and administration responsibilities.
Our Staff Wellbeing and Activity Program (SWAP) was also positively recognised in being a key driver in the University winning the prestigious ‘2016 Global Healthy Workplace Award’ in Washington, USA in June 2016. The award was judged according to World Health Organisation criteria. The SWAP program at Monash Sport delivered a total of 176, six to ten week exercise programs to University staff across multiple locations and campuses, achieving more than 15,000 individual visits. It was great to see our staff, Caroline Lawrence, Melanie Elston and Matthew Sheldon-Collins, recognised with the 2016 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Exceptional Performance by Professional Staff for their sustained efforts in growing and delivering this wonderful program, as well as Global Walk/Run events.
Facility enhancement projects have again seen great improvements in 2016 with the much-awaited development of the ‘Tan Track’ walking and running track at Clayton campus, the resurfacing of the Peninsula Regional Hockey Pitch at Peninsula campus, the refurbishment of the Group Fitness Studio, Cafe and Service Desk at Clayton Campus and the installation of new gym equipment at our gymnasia at the Caulfield, Clayton and Peninsula campuses. Additionally, we converted the Chisholm Hall into a multi-court stadium at Caulfield campus to cater for the growing usage trends of students, particularly in relation to basketball and indoor soccer.
The Tan Track hosted the ‘Glow Walk/Run’ and ‘Global Walk/Run’ events and had seen over 1,000 people record a run time for the 1 kilometre circuit in the ‘Strava’ running app, by the end of December 2016. Many students and staff are eagerly awaiting the bump in of the new Sumo Cafe at the Clayton sports building in early 2017, which will provide healthy meal options.
Student Engagement events continued to grow in number and popularity in 2016 with a number of successful events conducted, including College Clash, The Campus Community Cup, Monash Games, Let It Glow, Footy Colours Day, Play On!, Mega Swim and Monash In Motion, which was a collaborative event with Monash City Council. Highlights included over 7,000 people attending the Let It Glow event in the sports precinct at Clayton campus, as part of the Universities WinterFest event, despite the freezing August weather, and the Campus Community Cup cardboard boat race which attracted several hundred spectators amid much hilarity and cheering as the participants competed. Monash University was again recognised as having the largest teams of any tertiary institution in the Mothers Day Classic, Around the Bay in the Day and Run for the Kids community events.
Sports facilities also hosted major University events such as University Examinations, the University’s Careers Expo, 2016 WinterFest activities (such as formal dinners, movie events and student dance parties) and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremonies. We are proud of our progress in developing effective partnerships and relationships with a range of University stakeholders and the broad appeal of the services and partnering initiatives provided are captured in this report.
We passionately believe that active bodies complement active minds and endeavour to facilitate more student and staff participation in order to encourage our community to become more active, more often. We hope you enjoy reading this report which highlights some of the key successes and achievements from what was a bold, progressive and exciting year serving the University community.
Brett Lavale Martin Doulton Director, Monash Sport Director, TeamMONASH
Water Wise
“Acti
ve bo
dies,
vibra
nt mi
nds”
Memberships
SWAP (staff wellness activity programs)
Aquatic Programs
Health and Fitness Programs
Participation Events
Student Engagement
Major University Events
Community Fitness Events
Volunteering
Sport Hall of Fame
Elite Student Performer Support
Sport Facilities
Free Play
Social Sport
Sport Clubs
Varsity Sport
Representation
Mona
sh S
port
TeamMONASH
Indoor and Outdoor Sports programs
2016 Monash Sport feedback and customer insightsMonash Sport undertakes an annual feedback cycle, which includes the assessment of it’s services, programs, facilities and events by actively seeking input from customers, members and participants. The below report outlines results from a combination of feedback mechanisms in place at Monash Sport in 2016.
Survey methodology involved hard copy, online, iPad and staff entered feedback, using a Likert scale from 1 to 7, where 7 indicated the most favourable response. Results were produced by combining a number of reports generated from targeted feedback campaigns to Monash students, staff and community members, all of which were active users of Monash Sport services, programs, events and facilities. We received a minimum response rate of 907 per question, and a maximum of 2,356.
Our overall customer satisfaction rating (the percentage of customers that are satisfied with Monash Sport) and our net promoter score (the percentage of customers that would recommend Monash Sport) is calculated by the average response rating, converted to a percentage.
Results from key survey questions
Monash Sport customers that reported an overall positive service experience.
Monash students that were satisfied, or very satisfied with the range of services at Monash Sport.
Monash students that were satisfied, or very satisfied with the quality of services at Monash Sport.
84%
92%
75%
83%
71%
88%
84%
89%
54%
Of Monash students would recommend Monash Sport to other students, friends or family.
Of respondents were satisfied with the value proposition (price, quality) of Monash Sport services.
Of Monash students agree that their participation at Monash Sport enhances their campus experience.
Monash students agree that their participation at Monash Sport helped students attain a sense of community at Monash University.
Respondents indicated that their participation at Monash Sport improved their mental health while at Monash University.
Over half of Monash students that responded, indicated that Sport programs, services and facilities were a decision factor in choosing to study at Monash University.
%
%
%
%
%
%
Comparative results over the past three years
Net Promoter Score
Overall Satisfaction Rating
Respondents by campus Respondents by student typeRespondent demographics
Respondents by gender Hours per week visited Monash Sport
82% 15%
3% PeninsulaClayton Caulfield52% 48%
International Domestic
52% 48%Female Male
23% 42% 21%1 or less 2 to 4 5 to 7
14%8 or more
Respondents by relationship with Monash University 76% 8%
Student Staff16%
Other
2016 Monash Sport by the numbers
Annual statistics calculated on individual daily visits to Monash Sport sites, services, programs, events and activities.
Monash students that are also members of Monash Sport have a higher course progression rate, when compared to the overall Monash student cohort.
Monash Sport facilities are open; 351 days per year, 110 hours per week,
1.8% 2016 Monash Sport revenue growth (compared to 2015 actual revenues)
1000+ Monash Tan Track active users on Strava (1 & 2km loops opened in July 2016)
6,000 Students attended exams hosted at Monash Sport in 2016
New cardio equipment installed at Caulfield, Clayton and Peninsula campuses over the University close-down period.
2015 2016 Difference
Caulfield 96,027 110,023 13,996Clayton 747,797 730,946 -16,851
Peninsula 138,454 154,472 16,018Participation Programs 91,490 94,712 3,222
Total Visits 1,073,768 1,090,153 16,385
2015 2016 Difference
Facebook likes 5315 6288 973Facebook engagement 406,820 1,165,638 758,818
Website visits 280,633 272,567 -8,066Blog visits 11,039 35,763 24,724
VISITS
Awards and Achievements2016 saw Monash succeed in a number of areas - high performing students, sporting programs and our own staff were rewarded for their initiative and hard work in taking their endeavours to national and international levels.
Congratulations Monash Olympians & Paralympians
Congratulations Monash Olympians & Paralympians!
The 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics saw 12 Monash athletes compete in a wide range of sports from Taekwondo to Rowing, seeing Monash University well represented.
ArcheryAlec Potts (Bachelor of Business) Alec competed in both the Men’s Individual and Team events for Archery. The Individual event saw Alec just missing out in advancing to the next stage losing to Bernardo Oliveira from Brazil 6-4 in the 1/32 eliminations. The team event saw Australia win against France (5-3) in the quarter-finals and lose to the Republic of Korea (6-0) before moving onto the bronze medal match against China. Australia won 6-2 against China seeing Australia, and Alec, win the bronze medal.
AthleticsLinden Hall (Master of Dietetics) - 1500mLinden put in a strong effort in the women’s 1500m coming 4th in her heat with a fantastic time of 4:11.75. Unfortunately she missed out on a finals spot coming 8th in her semi-final with a time of 4:05.81.
BadmintonMathew Chau (Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Commerce) - Men’s DoublesSawan Seasinghe (Bachelor of Business Information Systems) - Men’s DoublesThe dynamic duo of Mathew and Sawan teamed up together to compete in the Men’s doubles. Unfortunately they were knocked out of the preliminary rounds losing to Chinese Taipei (2-0), Russian Federation (2-0), and Republic of Korea (2-0).Leanne Choo (Bachelor of Interior Architecture) - Mixed DoublesLeanne played exceptionally in the Mixed Doubles Badminton but unfortunately was knocked out in the Group Play Stage, losing to Indonesia (2-0), Malaysia (2-0), and Thailand (2-0).
CyclingCarol Cooke (Alumni)Carol won gold medals in the Women’s Time Trial T1–2 and Women’s Road Race T1–2.Stuart Tripp (Alumni)Stuart won the silver medal in the Men’s Road Time Trial H5, he also finished seventh in the Men’s Road Race H5.
RowingJoshua Dunkley-Smith (Bachelor of Arts) - Men’s FourJoshua and the Australian team were strong competitors throughout the games. The Men’s Four came first in their heat with a time of 5:54.84, as well as coming first in their semi final with a time of 6:11.82. The final saw a tough contest but Joshua and his team mates came away with the silver medal.Karsten Forsterling (Bachelor of Engineering) - Men’s Quad ScullKarsten and the Australia team came out in force during the Men’s Quad Scull winning their heat with a time of 5:50.98. The final saw a very close race with Karsten and his team mates winning the silver medal.
ShootingLaetisha Scanlan (Bachelor of Communications) - TrapLaetisha was off to a strong start in the Women’s Trap Shooting coming first in the qualification round with a score of 70. Unfortunately she just missed out on a spot in the final coming in 5th with a score of 10 in the semi final. We also loved Laetisha’s pre games warm up with Hamish and Andy!
Table TennisHeming Hu (Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Education)Heming played valiantly but was unfortunately knocked out in the first round losing to Hong Kong, China 3-0
TaekwondoCaroline Marton (Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Arts (Hons) & Masters of Laws) - 57kgsCaroline fought spectacularly but she unfortunately missed out on progressing to the next round losing to Nikita Glasnovic from Sweden (4-0)
Well done to everyone who competed in Rio you all did a fantastic job, and congratulations to all for representing Monash and Australia with pride!
Water Wise program receives national recognition
Monash Sport’s Water Wise swimming program has received national recognition, winning the prestigious “Best Swim School Innovation” Award at the annual Swim Australia Awards, held on the Gold Coast in September 2016.
The Swim Australia Awards are an annual event, recognising the best services and programs run by aquatic providers throughout the country. They are divided up into categories such as servicing the community, customer service and innovation.
The awards committee presented Monash Sport with the “Best Swim School Innovation” Award for the Water Wise program. Monash Sport was recognised due to the originality of Water Wise in helping university students learn how to swim, as well as its accessibility by being a free swim class.
The Water Wise swimming program is an introductory program for Monash University students who have had no formal swimming lessons and limited or no experience in the water. The aim of the program is to increase skills for water safety and confidence, building swimming ability of Monash University students, particularly international students who are not accustomed to Australian aquatic environments.
In 2016 the program evolved to include moving water experiences at the indoor wave pool at Monash Aquatic and Recreation Centre, as well as a visit to the beach. For many program participants, this was the first time they had experienced swimming in moving water. It was amazing to see their capability and confidence growth throughout these experiences.
The Water Wise Program is funded by the Student Services & Amenities Fee (SSAF), meaning students who enrol in Water Wise do not have to pay for the classes. Monash Sport receives overwhelmingly positive feedback about the care, patience and teaching ability of the swimming instructors who run these classes
Since Water Wise was launched in January 2015, more than 3,000 Monash University students have enrolled and participated in the program, at no cost to the students.
Student Engagement
A recent study has revealed Monash University as a leader in student sporting activity over Australia’s most prestigious universities. The Australian University Sport Business Analysis Survey for 2016 identified Monash’s sporting facilities to have the highest number of annual visits from the Go8 (Group of 8) this year, at 1,285,417 visits.
Of total visits to Monash Sport and Team Monash services, activities, programs, events and facilities this year, 62% have been students, ranking Monash as the second highest proportion of student visits in the Go8. When compared to other Group of 8 universities such as The University of Melbourne, The University of Sydney and UNSW, this ranking shows Monash to have a clear focus on student experiences on campus. Holding events such as the College Clash, MS Mega Swim and WinterFest to engage students and create an enjoyable univeristy environment.
Other key findings from the USBA survey include:• Monash University has the highest total annual visits. (Go8, n=6 respondents).• Monash University has the second highest proportion (%) of student visits. (Go8, n=6 respondents).• Monash University has the highest number of enrolments/membership sign ups. (Go8, n=6 respondents).• Monash University has the highest number of Total EAFU athletes supported. (Go8, n=5 respondents).• Monash University has the highest number of enrolments/membership sign ups. (Go8, n=6 respondents).• Monash University has the second highest number of students employed. (Go8, n=6 respondents).• Monash University has the second highest number of student volunteers supporting its sport activities. (Go8, n=6 respondents).
The Australian University Sport Business Analysis Survey is facilitated by the Centre for Environmental & Recreation Management, a department of UniSA, in collaboration with Australian University Sport. These results clearly demonstrate that our focus on student experiences has resulted in year on year growth of the proportion of our student visits.
Australian University Sport USBA survey results 2016 – Monash University
Your result 2014
Your result 2015
Your result 2016
Group 1 median n=6
Rank within group
Participation
Total visits 1,000,253 1,140,047 1,285,417 1,285,417
1,285,417 1,285,417
1,285,417 1,285,417
682,256 1 Total Student Visits to Total Visits 54% 58% 62% 57% 2
Direct Visits 683,872 901,401 1,092,605 413,769 1 Indirect Visits 100,025 85,818 192,812 184,775 3
Informal Visits to Total Visits 22% 13% 14% 15% 3 (out of 4) Total Enrolments/Memberships 40,064 35,936 45,862 16,784 1
Student Enrolments/Memberships to Total Enrolments/Memberships
33% 41% 49% 63% 6 University Student Athlete Support
Student athletes supported 4,181 1,917 2,108 1,231 3 Total EAFU athletes supported 89 88 193 45 1 (out of 5)
Human Capital Full time equivalent staff 61.54 55.03 54.9 33.4 2
Total staff numbers employed 261 264 280 178 2 Total student numbers employed 120 121 127 93 2
Total volunteers 652 973 1,025 798 2
Trend data 2014-2016 The first year of data collection shows some variation across sites and groups. This is often due to difficulties accessing data in the early stages of surveying. Trends for medians have been included in the tables below with individual site comparison for Group 1, however many sites in Groups 2 and 3 had limited data available in the first year. For this reason, median trends have been included for these groups but not site trends as yet. Data availability appears far more consistent over the past two survey periods for these groups therefore it is anticipated that individual site trends will be available for group 2 and 3 sites next year.
45%
50%
55%
60%
65%
2014 2015 2016
Monash
G08 median
30%
40%
50%
60%
2014 2015 2016
Monash
G08 median
Figure 1: Student visits to total visits over time, compared to medians
Figure 2: Student enrolments to total enrolments over time, compared to medians
This indicator shows the student proportion of visits to your facilities and programs. Monash generally has a larger-than-median proportion of student visits.
This indicator shows the student proportion of enrolments to your facilities/activities/clubs has consistently been smaller than the median.
5 years running for ‘platinum’ Doug Ellis Swimming Pool
The Doug Ellis Swimming Pool has joined an exclusive club alongside only 20 other Victorian aquatic facilities, by being awarded the highest award possible for maintaining an outstanding level of water safety.
The Platinum Pool award is a program managed by Life Saving Victoria (LSV), the leading organisation for safety pertaining to Victorian beaches and swimming pools. To achieve the Platinum Pool award, the Doug Ellis Swimming Pool has had to undertake a rigorous series of assessments and audits to ensure it met all of Life Saving Victoria’s criteria for the accreditation.
2016 marked the fifth consecutive year which the Doug Ellis Swimming Pool has earned Platinum status for it’s standards with respect to water safety, proving a consistency in achieving high water safety standards and dedication to maintaining a safe environment for swimmers. In a similar fashion to the accreditation of a lifeguard, pools undergo a thorough assessment of their skills and performance and must maintain a consistently high standard to meet the criteria for Platinum Pool accreditation. The award recognises facilities which have met the highest safety requirements in the aquatic industry.
LSV General Manager for Public Training and Pool Safety, Andrew Dennis, said only the aquatic facilities who can maintain a high water safety standard are considered for this highly respected industry award.
“We are very selective when awarding Platinum Pool accreditation,” Mr Dennis said,
“LSV must be satisfied that exemplary levels of aquatic water safety are being achieved and constantly maintained before the award is issued.”
Monash Sport continues to provide world class facilities, featuring high quality programs available to the Monash University community.
Dual triple jump success for Monash University at nationals!
The two best triple jumpers in the Oceania region for 2016 are Monash University students. The 2016 Australian National Track and Field Championship Meet was held in Sydney, with some outstanding results.
Nneka Okpala won the Australian National Triple Jump Championship in resounding form with a jump of 13.91m. Nneka graduated from Monash University with a Masters of International Health at the end of last year and was our 2015 Female Athlete of the Year. She is the New Zealand National Record Holder and is currently ranked 10th in the world.
Current Bachelor of Nutrition Science student Meggan O’Riley also had an amazing tournament. Meggan took out the Australian Women’s National Triple Jump Title, after finishing second behind the New Zealand national Nneka. Meggan’s jump of 13.42m ranks her fifth in the All Time Australian Rankings, and currently ranking 35th in the world.
Meggan O’Riley Nneka Okpala
Monash Sport Game Changers
A big congratulations to Donna Innes-Wardell, the Monash Sport Annual Game Changer Award Winner for 2016!
Donna has been an outstanding staff member showing dedication and enthusiasm in her work as a swimming instructor. She is one of our highly sought after swimming instructors, so much so that extra classes have been put on at the Doug Ellis Swimming Pool. Her swimming students describe her as passionate, caring and patient.
The Monash Sport Game Changer award is a staff recognition framework featuring a peer nomination process which is driven by Monash Sport staff at all levels. A monthly evaluation and award panel, meets to determine the monthly game changer award winner against specific criteria, which reinforce the cultural behaviours established.
These criteria include demonstrated leadership behaviours, exceptional teamwork, outstanding customer service, enhancing operational procedures or driving the performance of services and programs.
Donna was nominated under three areas; demonstrating leadership, an exceptional team player, and providing exceptional customer service. Her positive attitude and passion for teaching water safety to water wise students was exemplified by her commitment to the summer beach day where water wise students travelled to Sorrento to experience the beach in a safe environment. Donna is an in demand instructor and we continually receive positive feedback, particularly from her adult students.
Congratulations to Donna, and the staff members below who won monthly awards, plus all staff nominated, on an outstanding year!
The nominees for 2015/16 were:July 2015 - Caroline LawrenceAugust 2015- Erin WicksSep 2015- Andrew TurtonDec/Jan - Clarissa AuFeb 2016 - Izaak LeaMarch 2016 - Donna Innes-WardellApril 2016 - Arthur Lim and Kamil ChettyMay 2016 - Rosie WilsonJune 2016 - Steffanie Poort
Australian University Sport - Team of the Year
The Australian University Sport Award winners for 2016 are... The Monash University Women’s team that represented Australia in 2015 and won Bronze at the 3x3 Basketball World University League are the team of the year!
Being recognised as the best team in Australian university sport this year is a tremendous honour and we are so proud of the girls and what they have achieved. Congrats to Lucy, Sophie, Lauren and Sammie.
From social sport to national championships
When Monash Budgeting & Reporting Accountant, Michael Dower, joined Monash Sport’s Social Netball Competition in 2013 at Clayton campus, little did he realise that just a few short years later he would be a team member in the Australian Men’s & Mixed Netball Championships. Michael played a couple of netball seasons in his younger years but it wasn’t until he moved to Melbourne in 2013 from Foster in South Gippsland that he reconnected with the game, as a way to meet people in his new home city. His initial return subsequently continued playing Social Sport at Monash Sport as well as in a series of competitions and teams, including the Victorian m-league.
When Michael saw the advertisement for the national team trials and knew his coach was trying out, he was tempted to give it a shot as well, “The hardest thing though was convincing myself to give it a go.” It’s a good thing he did because after trying out, Michael was selected for the Mixed National Netball team, one of five adult teams that participated in the 2016 national competition. Michael and his teammates went on to have a successful Championship winning the Grand Final on the final day of the week long tournament. Victoria came away with 3 adult Championship winning sides. The 2017 National Netball Tournament will be held on the Gold Coast in 2017 which Michael has again been selected to represent his state.
Monash University named world’s healthiest workplace
Monash University won the 2016 Global Healthy Workplace Award in recognition of its healthy workplace programs, and contribution to workplace health, in the large employer category. Now in its fourth year, it is the only international awards program dedicated solely to the recognition of healthy practices and programs in the workplace.
Speaking after the awards ceremony in Washington DC, Monash University’s Occupational Health Physician, Dr Vicki Ashton, said the award adds to the University’s national and international reputation as an employer of choice.“We are delighted and honoured by the Global Healthy Workplace Award. It is tremendous recognition for Monash as a university that knows a healthy workplace directly contributes to an engaged, productive and healthy workforce,” Dr Ashton said.
Hosted by Washington DC’s American University, the 2016 Global Healthy Workplace Awards and Summit brings together leaders in global health and wellbeing from around the world to highlight the importance of employer health programs, establish best practice, discover emerging innovations in workplace wellbeing, and identify opportunities to replicate these initiatives in workplaces around the world.
As the capstone to the summit, the awards recognise those workplaces that have made the biggest impact on the health and wellbeing of their workforce. Monash University was short listed as one of three finalists in the large employer category. In good company, these finalists included Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil and Johnson & Johnson, Brazil.
Dr Ashton said that Monash is uniquely positioned to be proactive on important public health issues through its engagement with thousands of students, staff, alumni and the wider Monash community.“The University values, supports and promotes programs and policies that improve the physical and psychological health and wellbeing of its employees and allocates the essential funds to support participation,” she said.
Following a formal written award submission, finalists were invited to present to an international judging panel in the US capital. These judges represent five continents and a combination of expertise in health promotion, health policy, occupational health and associated disciplines. Applications were reviewed against the World Health Organisation healthy workplace framework and model for action.
The Wellbeing at Monash program is delivered across each of the University’s campuses, and is underpinned by a range of programs, services, policies and procedures. The core of the program is focused on equipping, facilitating and supporting employees to improve and maintain their health and wellbeing for the long term.
Major successes under the Wellbeing at Monash program include: the 10,000 Steps Challenge; targeted Staff Wellbeing Activity Programs (SWAP) that provide tailored physical activity classes; health risk reduction programs for cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, nutrition and stress; education programs for mental health and mindfulness; and the introduction of a smoke-free University in 2016, with fully funded quit support programs for both staff and students.
The SWAP program at Monash Sport delivered a total of 176, six to ten week exercise programs to University staff across multiple locations and campuses, achieving more than 15,000 individual visits. It was great to see our staff, Caroline Lawrence, Melanie Elston and Matthew Sheldon-Collins, recognised with the 2016 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Exceptional Performance by Professional Staff for their sustained efforts in growing and delivering this wonderful program.
Sport HighlightsOur sports clubs and programs created a wealth of opportunities for students to engage in campus life at Monash. Core to our values are facilitating a welcoming, inclusive and supporting environment.
In 2016, we saw many examples of the breadth of opportunities there were available to be involved in sport, and how sport enhanced student lifestyles at Monash.
Australian University Games
2016 saw another successful year at the Australian University Games for Monash. Again, we took the largest team of all Universities, featuring 572 Monash representatives, competing in over 30 different sports over the course of a week.
Monash placed fifth on the overall medal tally, but a staggering majority of teams were in medal contention, only a few different results on the final day would have seen Monash place higher overall.
But, results aren’t what it’s all about and the spirit of our team shone through throughout the course of the week.
Alysha Waye, Monash student, softballer, and her team’s Team Organiser, was diagnosed with Brain Cancer and was forced to miss the Games. As a sign of support for a fellow member of the Monash community, all Monash University Australian UniGames competitors wore a purple ribbon during the games to raise awareness for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.
Following the games Monash University was presented with the Spirit of the Games Award, as voted by our fellow universities. The Spirit of the Games is presented to the University that embodies the spirit of university sport. We could not be more proud of our team and the attitude and sportsmanship that they showed during the Australian University Games.
Monash Team Captains Sarah Tarabolsi Mitch Burman
What can a Monash University sporting club offer to students?
Benedict Chiu, President, Monash University Baseball Club
The answer: Plenty! Judging by the healthy landscape of Monash sporting clubs that exist across campuses, there is almost no excuse not to get involved in some way. Here are some examples –
• The shared interest in a sport - if there isn’t a club for your sport go and start one up! Or, if you’re new to a sport or pick up another one as it’s your offseason from your summer sport, it’s the perfect time to choose one.
• The facilities available to the club and its members on and off campus.• Opportunities to take leadership roles in a club, which you can then carry through on your resume and your LinkedIn profile.• The chance to participate in IV / University Games and play against the best in Australia and the world… Plus a little partying too.
Best of all, making lifelong friendships with people you wouldn’t otherwise meet
The Baseball Club was honoured to be awarded as the 2016 Monash University Sporting Club of the Year, and it was in no small part due to people like Ben Drinkwater. Ben describes his experiences at the club as follows –
“The decision to join The Monash University Baseball Club is probably the best decision I’ve made whilst at university. From day one at the club, the members were more than willing to show me the basics and answer any questions I had about the sport. That was 4 years ago and since then, the opportunities available at the club both on and off the field have been never-ending.
“Now, in the role as treasurer, I feel honoured to be on a board whilst being a student at the university. This role, whilst keeping me busy, allows me to put in practice some of the skills I have learnt in one of my degrees whilst giving back to a club that I love to be a part of! Moreover, whilst employing these skills, you make friends with individuals that you otherwise never would have met.
“This only makes the whole sport club experience more enjoyable and you develop memories that you keep for life! I would say that whilst it is a cliché, joining a University club is an invaluable experience and if clubs involved with Monash sport like the baseball club offer so much to students, I would embrace it with open arms!”
So if you’re on the sideline about whether to pick up a new sport or join a sporting club, try one or try as many as you can – you will almost certainly find one that you love – and you just never know where it may take you!
Baseball Club Treasurer Ben Drinkwater and Baseball Club President Benedict Chiu with the 2016 Monash University Sporting Club of the Year Award.
Monash Cheerleading and Dance
During 2016 Monash Cheerleading and Dance completed in a number of competitions, in which we saw wonderful achievements by our athletes.
Our first competition was Winterfest which gave our teams the opportunity to practice for the State competition later in the year. The results were outstanding as our Uni Premier Co-ed receiving 2nd place and Uni premier all girls receiving taking the silver medal.
From Winterfest our teams were able to reflect and improve the routines for the competitions ahead. Our training sessions were vigorous and spirited as we also prepared for University games in Perth and our upcoming performances. The athletes came together and worked as a group to motivate and encourage each other as the competitions came about.
The State competition saw immense success as the teams performed beautifully and supported throughout the day. Our Jazz and Hip-hop duets received first place and State Champion title. Our Uni All Girls Stunt 3/4 came third which is an amazing achievement. In the team sections our Mystics All Star Pom received State Champions, along with our Hip-Hop Team, Uni Premier Pom and our Jazz team taking first place! An excellent start to our year. Our Coaches were obscenely proud of their teams and the effort that was put into the routines. The competition was a true reflection on the athlete’s determination and hard work.
Next, we concentrated on University Games and our big Nationals competition in Queensland. Uni games was a highlight of the year, the athletes were able to show off what they had trained for. All the dance and cheer teams came to watch as we showed Perth our routines! The result was amazing, our All Girl 3/4 stunt group, Jazz team, Hip Hop team, Pom Team, Hip-Hop duet, Jazz Duet placing first. co-ed 3/4 team, All Girls 1/2 team placing second. co-ed 1/2 stunt group, partner stunt and co-ed 1/2 team placing 3rd. An awesome opportunity to practice our routines and receive feedback to innovate for the big competition Nationals!
As nationals came around the athletes were very nervous but excited as a whole year of training has come to this performance. The massive crowd support shows the #bluesu truly supports Monash Cheer and Dance!
Highlight results were our undefeated Hip hop team, Jazz team, Uni Premier Co-ed 3/4, Open Pom Division Claiming first place and the National Champion Title! Our Premier Pom team placed 3rd. We are so proud of all our achievements this year at Nationals!
2016 has been a year off successes with lots of hard work and dedication from our athletes. We can’t wait to see what happens in 2017!
EuroMilano 2016
In April 2016, a group of 22 Monash Law students currently studying at the Monash Prato Centre with the Prato International Law program took part in the 16th World Inter Universities Tournament in Milan: EuroMilano 2016.
The students played tennis, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, and futsal with 700 university students from different European countries including England, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Croatia.
The Monash students were proudly sponsored by the Monash Prato Centre and TeamMONASH to encourage sporting activity and inter-cultural exchange among students.
“EuroMilano 2016 was a wonderful opportunity for our students to consume a wonderful cultural experience,” said Team MONASH Director Martin Doulton. “Sport was the social glue that brought people of many different backgrounds together in a unique student event. Through the strong collaboration of Monash Prato, The Faculty of Law and Team MONASH this inaugural representation of Monash University at this major European student sporting event was a great success and plans are already being laid for our students to attend next year’s event.”
Hockey tour of Vanuatu
Ten athletes from Monash University men’s and women’s Inter Varsity hockey team visited Vanuatu from the 19th to the 29th of February this year. The touring party of ten consisted of athletes with high levels of coaching, playing and varsity experience and included Australian Indoor Hockey representative Thomas Sinclair.The aim of the tour was to provide coaching assistance and support for Hockey Vanuatu, deliver competition for Vanuatu’s national side as well as bring equipment for donation and use by the hockey community. Following the completion of the earliest matches, Monash were officially welcomed by the President of the Vanuatu Hockey Association, Relvie Poilapa. In her address to the hockey community, Poilapa officially opened the 2016 season. Following this speech, Monash team manager, Charles Norbury, presented the 26 bags of equipment donated by the hockey community in Melbourne to Poilapa.
Over the course of the ten days the team of Monash students successfully competed in five matches and ran two Pikinini clinics. They also donated over 100 hockey sticks, 80 sports bras, 8 dozen balls, and numerous uniforms. Aside from the interruptions caused by a cyclone threat, the program went exceptionally well and the group was gratified by the hospitality of the Nevan people. This Vanuatu trip is an example of some of the great opportunities that Monash University provides for its students to become world citizens.
Monash Blues Football Club 2016 season report
There was much pre-season excitement at the start of 2016, with the Senior side have finished the previous season as runners-up, earning promotion to B-Grade in the VAFA for the first time since 1992. This excitement translated to increased numbers on the track and ultimately led to a decision for the Monash Blues to field a fourth senior team for the first time, increasing the ability of the Club to cater for more players with a broader range of abilities.
Growing interest in women’s football led to a decision to further broaden the opportunities that the Club provides and to field a team in the inaugural VAFA women’s competition in 2017. A trial game against West Brunswick held under lights in late August saw a Monash side with a level of skill to match their enthusiasm and enough fitness to hold out the more experienced West Brunswick team.
The Senior team fixture provided no favours early on, with the Ashes matched against the two relegated teams from A-grade (Beaumaris and Old Scotch) in the first two rounds. A spirited showing saw the Ashes two goals up in round one at Beaumaris at quarter time and despite the efforts of young half back Jake Meade to nullify former St Kilda forward Stephen Milne for the rest of the game, the challenges of life in a higher grade became quickly apparent. Wins in rounds four, five and seven (against Hampton, Old Haileybury and AJAX) got the season back on track and demonstrated our expertise in the traditional Monash way of being a fast running side; and a tight win in the wet against Old Brighton demonstrated an ability to hold our own in close contests as well. We finished the first half of the season with four wins, yet sat only two points outside the four.
The second half of the season saw us as the big improver, with wins over eventual finalists Beaumaris and Old Scotch putting the Ashes in finals contention early on. However, subsequent losses to Old Haileybury and Fitzroy had the potential to end those aspirations and we entered the final round needing a win over top placed St Bede’s to secure a finals berth. Monash made good first use of the strong wind to take a five goal lead into the first break, but St Bede’s responded in the second quarter and the scores were tied at the main break. An inability to again make full use of the wind in the third quarter saw Monash precariously placed only eight points ahead at the final break. An enthralling final quarter saw the lead see-saw between the two sides, with the Monash backline holding out a number of St Bede’s attacks in the final minutes of the game to take the win and secure a finals spot.
We entered the finals as underdogs, but with justified hope, having beaten all the other finalists throughout the season. And whilst the team was competitive throughout the first semi-final against Old Scotch and was in front with five minutes to go, the experience of our opponents ultimately won them the day.
Whilst fourth spot and a finals position may have appeared out of reach early in the 2016 season, it is still something our young side is eager to atone for in 2017. We farewell retiring games record holder Andrew Hickey after 278 games, but retain the experience of dual Best and Fairest winner Maddison Hardiman who, alongside young guns Charlie Rosetti, Daniel Easson, Keenan Mason, Grange McMahon and Gerard Gillian, look set to lead us to higher honours in the near future.
It is with pride that the club offers outgoing Senior coach, Paul Groves, best wishes for the future, following his appointment as coach of the Western Bulldogs women’s team in the AFL Women’s competition. It is with anticipation that we welcome new Senior coach Mark Passador into the fold for 2017. Mark has had a distinguished playing career, including premierships at Woodville West Torrens, the Box Hill Hawks and Springvale and a stint at Carlton.
Alfie Oppy lines one up in our first Section B final in 44 years
Monash Blues - In their first ever match – an exhibition game versus West Brunswick – our Women’s team came away with a thrilling 2-point win
Monash Dance Sport Club
What a year it has been! Monash DanceSport Club Inc. is one of Monash University’s oldest student-run societies, with close to five hundred members, nine teachers, and thirteen different dance styles on offer. Since its inception in 1965, Monash DanceSport Club Inc. (MDS) has enjoyed exponential growth and has become one of Monash’s most popular sporting clubs. The club provides opportunities for Monash students, staff and alumni to make new friends and get fit by participating in a wide array of dance classes and social events. Throughout 2016, as always, we ran plenty of events jointly with Melbourne University Dancesport Club (MUDC) where our members bonded and refined their social dance skills.
The year kicked off with the much-anticipated joint Melbourne/Monash Dance Camp - this year featuring a Disney-themed dance party. RMIT University’s dance society joined us for the first time in organising camp which was a great success.
Our annual intervarsity competition, hosted by MDS in 2016, was one of the biggest in 10 years. The Club also entered a number of Hip Hop, K-pop, Ballet, Lyrical and Jazz troupes as well as Ballroom, Latin and New Vogue couples into external competitions such as the Waverley Dance Festival and Diamond Jubilee this year.
Get Bodied is a fun, social and exciting hip hop competition. This competition provides students with the opportunity to refine and perfect hip hop and theatrical dance performances that they would not otherwise have the opportunity to showcase at traditional DanceSport competitions.
Another event Monash hosts are performance night. Students work together in and outside of classes to develop routines which they can perform at this event in front of family and friends. This is followed by a beautiful evening of social dancing.
The Annual Ball is a combined RMIT, Melbourne University and Monash University event. This year’s Alice in Wonderland themed ball was a resounding success, with over 171 attendees (the biggest ball to date). A sit-down dinner and free-flowing drinks as well as dancing all night! This is a definite highlight in the social calendar, especially as we get the opportunity to mix and mingle with students from different universities.
Monash DanceSport offers a range of dance classes including; Salsa, Swing, Bachata, Zouk, Argentine Tango, Reggaeton, Hip Hop, Urban Choreography, K-pop, Ballet, Jazz, Ballroom (Standard), and Latin! During our classes, students have the opportunity to learn from dancing greats including Alex Bryan and Minx! This provides students with an all-round dancing experience, not only learning steps but learning better execution and dance etiquette. Whether you choose to take part in a group class, couples dance or solo practice Monash DanceSport caters to all in a diverse and inclusive manner. In O-Week classes are even free to ensure that you can try whichever classes you like and hopefully continue them throughout the semester. Furthermore, Monash allows you to take up classes for both beginner and intermediate levels providing room for improvement and space to grow!
The vision of Monash DanceSport is to promote dancing among students by providing affordable yet professional dance classes in a wide array of styles. In keeping with that vision, we expanded our timetable to include five additional styles (New Vogue, Reggaeton, Dancehall, Intermediate Argentine Tango and Kpop) in response to student feedback from 2015. Monash DanceSport provides a safe and comfortable environment in which you can socialise, get fit and have fun. We hope to see you in class!
Monash DanceSport MDS vs. MUDC at Intervarsity
Monash Ultimate Frisbee Club
The Monash Ultimate Frisbee (MUF) Club had another successful year with over 100 active members throughout 2016. MUF is a highly social and inclusive club that always welcomes both beginner and experienced players. Our club holds a weekly social training session every Wednesday in which members are coached by experienced Ultimate players, some of which have been ex-MUF or from the Ultimate community.
MUF aims to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourages members to stay fit and active by getting our members to attend social trainings, as well as competitions that are hosted by the club and Ultimate Victoria. We aim to teach players of all levels how to play the game whilst also encouraging them to make new friends and to promote the idea of community.
With those aims in mind, MUF hosted a number of Ultimate events throughout the year in hopes to encourage an active lifestyle while also contributing to the growth of the sport. Some major competitive events included the Kings and Queens, the Autumn Hat, and the Pre-AUG tournament - all of which attracted a large number of players and audience from Monash and other universities in Victoria. Other non-competitive events included Trivia Night, Kaliviotis Night (Awards Night) as well as pub crawls, which are all highly anticipated by both MUF members and members from other Ultimate clubs. Our club members also partake in regular dinner outings after Wednesday social training sessions.
In 2016, we competed at both the Southern University Games as well the Australian University Games. This is always a great opportunity to not only grow the sport and develop our players, but it is also great for team bonding and forming new friendships. MUF sent two mixed-gender teams to compete in the Southern University Games which was held in Footscray, Melbourne. Our A-Team finished the games at third place, while our B-Team showed displayed tremendous growth during the tournament. The Australian University Games team sent 17 of our finest women’s and men’s athletes to Perth to compete in a gruelling 5-day tournament for the bid to win gold. Throughout this week, both the men’s team and women’s team supported each other on the sidelines to get each team across the line. The men’s team came through the first 4 days undefeated, beating every team in pool play before falling short in the semi-final, taking home a well-deserved bronze medal for the campaign. Our women’s team, through thick and thin, continuously battled the turbulent weather of hail and sunshine to finish 8th, ending a wonderful campaign with many long term friendships made.
The Monash Ultimate Frisbee Club is thrilled to be highly regarded by Monash Sport. As a club, we aim to create an environment where members can stay fit and active, make new friends and look to do something in addition to their studies at university. We always welcome new members with open arms and look forward to what’s in store for 2017!
One of our Monash Ultimate players representing Victoria in the Under-22 Ultimate Championship
Friendships last forever at MUF and when it comes to cooling down after training, a bit of fun never hurts anybody
The Monash Sport Clayton Campus Running Group
Run Monash, or to use its full title, The Monash Sport Clayton Running Group, is a very informal sporting club.
That doesn’t mean we’re not serious about running. Some of the club’s achievements in 2016 include:
• Three former club members competed in running events at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. David Carver ran the marathon for Mauritius. Two Solomon Islands Olympians, Sharon Firisua and Rossi Siosi, both coached by run Monash coach Trevor Vincent, ran the 5000 metres.
• Run Monash members participated in many other events, including the Two Bays Trail Run, City2Sea, the Melbourne Marathon, the Emer Casey Run, the Great Train Race, the University Games, the World Orienteering Championships, various triathlons up to half-and full-Ironman and even beach sprinting.
• There were big turn-outs (up to 100 runners) for our regular 2km time trials on the main university ovals.• We experienced an increased number of followers on our Facebook page and introduced a Strava presence.• Plans are in development for a Run Monash presence on the Caulfield campus.• Improved ties with our preferred athletic club – Glenhuntly Athletics.A large Run Monash involvement in a weekly hill session at Jells Park.
Students, staff, alumni and the entire Monash community can actively participate in the Running Group. Prospective members are able to join just by meeting us at the Baseball Pavilion, in the south-east corner of the campus, below the Frearson Oval on any Tuesday night at 6pm. Membership is confirmed by signing an indemnity form.
Our membership comes from diverse sources. Overwhelmingly, our members have a link with the university, with almost all coming from the student body, staff, or businesses based around the Clayton campus. Many are living in the university residence halls, a significant number of those being overseas students. At the present time we have about 200 registered members, with an average of 80 turning up each week.
Running doesn’t even have to be your main sport. Last year the Monash Rugby Club joined us for pre-season training and experienced improved results for the season. Running is the basis of all sports’ programs; participants in any sport can benefit from improved running fitness.
The Running Group’s program can be undertaken at your own level. Under the leadership of former Olympian Trevor Vincent, the weekly sessions are structured around time, rather than volume. Everyone starts and finishes together. In between it’s strictly at your own pace. The aim is to get participants back the next week.
A typical session takes around an hour to complete. We start and finish with a 15-minute warm-up/war-down around the university grounds – utilising part of the new Monash running track. In between, there is a 15-20 minute session of faster running, based around harder efforts
Southern University Games
The 2016 Southern University Games were a huge success for Monash, entering teams in 7 sports, and winning 5 Overall Pennants. Cross Country, Table Tennis and Squash events were a strong point for Monash, winning Golds and the Overall Team Pennants in all of these sports.
2016 saw history being made, with the first e-sport event being held at a University Games competition. The first e-sport of University Games was League of Legends and the competition was tough. The Monash University team had to battle it out against 8 other teams from Monash just to represent the University at the Southern University Games. The fierce competition within the initial Monash rounds and the team’s preparation paid off as The Monash University team won the Overall Championship. Winning this event at the Southern University Games means that the Monash team are now into the Nationals.
There were amazing results in the Individual Cross Country event, with athletics Team Organiser Toby O’Brien winning Gold for the second consecutive year. Monash students finished 1st, 2nd, & 4th in the Men’s Individual Race, and 2nd & 3rd in the Women’s Individual Race.
In the Cross Country relays the Monash Men’s team finished first by over six and a half minutes.
More extraordinary, in the Women’s relay teams from Monash finished 1st and 2nd. The two Monash teams battled it out to see who would finish first and ended up finishing just 43 seconds apart after running for over 50 minutes.
Incredible individual performances were also seen in the Table Tennis team. Two Monash students competed in the Semi Finals, unfortunately against each other. Scott Gilmour went into the match undefeated whilst Sam Lim had been beaten only once by another Monash student on his way to the Semi’s. Sam ended up winning the Semi in a tight 5 setter. Sam went on to win his Grand Final match and took home the Gold Medal, and Scott won his Bronze Medal match.
The Men’s Squash Championship was also taken out by Monash University, after fantastic team and individual performances. Harshil Singh won the Gold Medal Match and went through the whole competition undefeated. Team Organiser Nicholas Gibbs also won the Bronze Medal. Congratulations to RMIT on the overall win, and to Victoria University for hosting the games. Fantastic results all around.
Table Tennis
Much to our excitement, 2016 marked the first time table tennis was included in the Southern University Games (SUG) program. We sent nine of our players to represent Monash at the event from 3-7 July, which was held in Footscray.
Competition from other universities from Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania was fierce but friendly and there were many close matches. The semi-finals and grand final were particularly gripping with everyone on the edge of their seat, watching rally after rally! Sam Lim and Scott Gilmore were able to overcome many opponents to clinch Gold and Bronze respectively – an incredible achievement for them!
It was a fun event, which proved to be a bonding experience for everyone. Ultimately, we were able to take home the overall pennant due to both the high level of participation and quality of our players.
Besides SUG, players from both the Clayton and Caulfield table tennis clubs participated in other competitions such as the Australian University Games and self-organised inter-university tournaments with Melbourne Uni, RMIT and Swinburne. These events were all fantastic ways to get to involved with table tennis and socialise throughout the course of the year!
SUG 2016 - one of the many ways you can get involved with table tennis at Monash!
Monash: Inaugural Oceania League of Legends Champions!
2016 marked the historical addition of e-Sports in Australian UniGames competitions. Monash University’s League of Legends team won the Southern UniGames Championship, before finishing in the top 2 at the Oceania Championships which gained them access to the Grand Final in Perth. They then took out the Grand Final, 3 games to 1, against Queensland University of Technology to secure the Championship!
Monash won through to the Grand Final by beating the University of Western Australia in a playoff, after making their way through a field of university teams from Australia and New Zealand.
League of Legends and other eSports are on the rise. Major tournaments draw millions of viewers worldwide, and prize money for the best players can be in the millions of dollars. League of Legends is a ‘multi player online battle arena’ or ‘MOBA’ game, where two teams of five compete to be the first to destroy the other team’s base, known as a Nexus.
The players control characters called champions that each have unique abilities. The champions start out the game weak and get stronger as the players defeat enemies or complete objectives. The game takes place on a map with top, middle and bottom lanes that players travel through. There are also ‘jungle’ areas where players can find the enemies they need to defeat in order to gain the gold and experience necessary to make their champions stronger.
Winning requires the players to work as a team and play to the strengths of their champions; and it can take players hundreds of hours to master the strategies and skills needed to succeed.
Monash Team Manager Eric Lee said that while in other sports, physical skills and technique are key, in League of Legends, the best players need to master strategy and have an in-depth knowledge of the game.
“In League of Legends we practise a lot of strategy, we study a lot, we watch other teams and players to improve. There are over 100 different champions you can play and every player needs to study up on each champion to know their strengths, weaknesses and capabilities. We spend a lot of time practising, learning and studying. The really good players play thousands of hours more than the average player, but it’s not just that. To actually be a really good player you have to constantly study and look for areas to improve and try to fix your weaknesses.”
The current line-up of the Monash team played together for four months prior to AUG, and Lee said the team dynamic was key to their success.
“It’s rare for a League of Legends team to come together and have such a great natural team dynamic. Every player in our team is a vital piece in the puzzle and through competing in AUG we have only gotten stronger. These are some of the best players in Oceania and some of the most hard working and dedicated people I have met.”
Participation EventsCreating an engaging and interactive environment was integral to our service provision, and our 2016 events were a prime example of just that.
From introducing international students to AFL to innovative transformations of spaces that lit up faces of all ages.
We delighted our community through engaging with them through interactive events.
Footy Colours Day
A celebration of all things football was the stand out highlight of Week 9, Semester 2, as Monash Sport hosted Footy Colours Day across Caulfield, Clayton and Peninsula campuses.
The event involved students and staff participating in a range football themed activities, as well as wearing their favourite team’s football colours. A variety of activities were on offer to all skill levels, with some students and staff learning how to kick a football for the first time. The more sporty types tried their hands at the vertical jump test, however despite some close attempts nobody was able to better Nic Natanui’s running vertical jump record of 362 cm in 2008! Prizes were up for grabs, all while creating awareness for the Fight Cancer Foundation.
At the Footy Colours Day event on Clayton campus, the winners of the 2016 Monash AFL Footy Tipping Competition were awarded prizes, with winner Hamish Ramsay presented with a 50-inch plasma TV. Students enjoyed a barbeque, some music and a free Tai Chi class as part of the Monash in Motion event, as an exciting atmosphere filled Clayton campus’ Northern Plaza.
The handball competition put student’s accuracy to the test, while the most popular event of the day was the kicking accuracy competition, which saw students attempt to kick a football into a wheelie bin at the other side of the Northern Plaza lawn in the tradition of Stevie Johnson or Gary Ablett. Many attempted the feat, but only three students succeeded.
Over at Caulfield campus, a healthy competition developed over who could kick a football across the Caulfield Campus Green to the Soundshell. The winner came very close to achieving this feat!
Staff and students at Peninsula campus enjoyed a barbecue and football activities alongside live music by a student band.
Well done to everyone who got involved and showed off their impressive skills!
Let It Glow event the highlight at Winterfest
Approximately seven thousand students, staff and members from the Monash community ventured out into Melbourne’s cold winter evening on Friday 12th August for the Let It Glow event, the final event for Winterfest 2016.
Monash University students, staff, alumni and their families didn’t allow the chilly weather to deter them, as Monash Sport opened its Clayton campus facilities for a night of neon lights and fun activities. There was plenty to keep participants engaged with food trucks, music, rides, movie screenings and special events going throughout the evening. The giant ferris wheel, speed slide and carnival style rides were very popular.
Let It Glow hosted the opening of the new Monash Circuit Track with the Light Up the Night fun run/walk. In a sea of light and neon colour, over 100 participants walked and ran around the new 1km track which was lined with colourful neon lights. Participants also got to adorn themselves in glow sticks and neon paint to bring even more light and festivity to the event. Entry for the event was $2 which went towards helping youth homelessness and bringing an end to youths living on the streets.
For the numerous families who attended there was the kids entertainment zone which saw plenty of activities such as face painting, arts and crafts, and two feature movies screening - Ice Age and Happy Feet, played back to back on our big screen.
The festival saw a great deal of excitement with the favourite show-stopping fireworks. At 7:30pm the night sky came to life in spectacular fashion with a shower of light and colour in a breath-taking fireworks display.
Once the sky settled from its burst of light and colour, an action packed AFL football game featured our very own Monash Blues Under 19s against University High School-Victoria University Amateur Football Club (UHS-VU AFC) with the first bounce at 7:45pm taking place on the Frearson Ovals. Despite a healthy crowd of home supporters the Blues fell short by 12 points. Many international students enjoyed their first sight of AFL action during this game.
MS 24 Hour Mega Swim
The 2016 MS 24 Hour Mega Swim was held at the Doug Ellis Swimming Pool on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September, with over $19,000 being fund raised for people living with multiple sclerosis.
The 2016 MS 24 Hour Mega Swim was a fun team relay event where teams had a swimmer in the water for the entire 24 hours, and competed for the largest number of laps swum and money raised, in support of people living with multiple sclerosis.
This year there were over 100 participants, spread across eight teams, who jumped into the pool and swam for the 24 hour period, achieving a grand total distance of 638.45km, the equivalent distance of swimming between Melbourne to Tasmania (and back a little bit).
The top fundraising Mega Swim team was the Speech Whales, raising $7,393.74. The top three individual fund raisers were; Sarah Coletti who raised $1,385, Jess Dimattina who raised $1,221.24, and Annabelle Plant who raised $1,065.
We’re looking forward to hosting this event again next year, building on these achievements and continuing to engage the Monash University and City of Monash communities in being actively involved with this event.
Monash Games
The 2016 Monash Games event did not disappoint. Running for its 10th consecutive year the games were as keenly contested and exciting as ever. Student and staff participants came away with some sore muscles, but a great team camaraderie.
The popular student sport of ultimate frisbee featured in the 2016 Monash Games for the first time, and this unique and fast moving game was a highlight for the games with non-stop action happening on the field. The overall winners were the Ultimate Frisbee Club’s Frisbeelicious, with the Camel Toes team placing second after a very competitive final.
However, the more traditional sports were also well attended at the 2016 Monash Games.
Basketball is always a popular sport at the Monash Games, with the level of competition being typically strong with many teams bringing their “A game” to the court. From 3 pointers, to alley-oops, to even some slam dunks, there was a multitude of action happening in the stadium. After an intense couple of days, the Pistols team came out victorious against the Millennium Falcons, 35 to 13 in the student competition final, while Mooseless Monash Sport won against eDribblers, 15 to 9 in the final of the staff challenge.
Indoor soccer was the most popular of the sports with 12 teams entered into the student competition. Through a tough day of competition that saw many goals scored and close games, the grand final came down to Brothers FC up against Kroos Control with Brothers FC winning 7 to 6. The 5-a-side indoor soccer competition was also very popular in the staff challenge, especially with the eSolutions staff cohort who featured multiple teams in the competition. After a tough competition, the eSolutions Futsies team dominated in the second half of the grand final to win 3 to 1 against the eStrikers team.
Student Dodgeball was a fierce contest from the start of the competition, with teams battling it out in a round robin style contest. The grand final saw a great match between the Supreme Pizza team and the Bubblesaur team, with Supreme Pizza just beating out Bubblesaur for the championship.
Similar to the student Dodgeball competition the staff volleyball competition was well contested throughout the round games. Although the MCN and To Kill a Blocking Nerd teams put up a great contest, the Vaders and Civil Engineers’ team were the ones to beat throughout the day. In the end Civil Engineers team came out victorious against the Vaders in a final that went down to the wire.
Open Netball in the staff challenge saw lots of action, from super close games, to blow-outs, including a 19 point shut out and a game where both teams combined score was 4 points. Despite this, the competition brought a high standard with everyone bringing a positive and determined attitude. In the end the final saw the Hogan’s Heroes team triumph against The #1 Sporty Monash Sport Sports Team.
Congratulations and thank you to all who participated in the Monash Games!
The inaugural Monash in Motion
As part of a joint initiative between Monash University and Monash City Council, a new event, Monash In Motion was created in 2016.
Monash Council and Monash University successfully won the international bid to become the inaugural ‘City in Motion’ for Australia, jointly hosting a major community sporting event from 18th to 25th September 2016.
The University and the Council opened up their world class sporting facilities to the local community and students, who were invited to participate in a range of events to promote health and well-being.
This exciting new initiative was officially launched by international snowboarding champion, Wheelers Hill resident and 2012 Monash University Female Athlete of the Year, Amanda Taylor, at the Monash Aquatic and Recreation Centre on Friday 19th August 2016.
The World University Sport body FISU (Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire) has endorsed Monash hosting the event, in recognition of the University’s deep international reach and continuous commitment to building meaningful partnerships with its local communities.
Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AO said ‘Monash in Motion’ demonstrated the depth of the University’s engagement with its local municipality:“There are no boundaries between Monash and our surrounding community. Many of our students and graduates live and work locally and many residents have strong connections with the University.”“Building significant and deep relationships with all of the communities in which we operate is fundamental to our core ethos at Monash, whether that’s in the local communities around our Australian campuses or with international communities in India, Italy, Malaysia, Indonesia and China.”“Monash in Motion’ is a wonderful recognition of those relationships and I look forward to September’s event and its focus on healthy living.”
Monash Mayor Geoff Lake said Monash Council was delighted to partner with Monash University for the event. “This is a great oppor-tunity to highlight the excellent sporting facilities we have in Monash and to build on the already strong relationship that exists between Council and the University,” Cr Lake said.“It offers a unique experience for the community of Monash to come together for a fantastic community event. I’d encourage everyone in Monash to get involved whether it’s as a spectator barracking at the soccer friendly match or as a participant at the Come and Try event.”
Team Monash Director Martin Doulton outlined the key elements of this year’s ‘Monash in Motion’:“A fit and healthy community is something we at Monash take very seriously, whether through our globally recognised sporting clubs or through wider initiatives to promote physical and mental well-being. We are thrilled to be joining forces with our partners in Monash Council to share a week of sporting fun, from a mass Tai Chi session and a Mega-Swim event to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis to a Water Wise aquatics surfing program to encourage water safety amongst our international communities,” Mr Doulton said.
The Surf’s Up! Initiative enabled our Water Wise students to experience moving water for the very first time at Monash Aquatic and recreation Centre’s 50 metre indoor wave pool. This session included a range of activities to help build on students swimming skills and safety around water. The students learnt basic CPR and first aid protocols and experienced the wave pool to help students strengthen their swimming in different conditions, all with the support of Monash Sport and Active Monash staff.
Playing On at Caulfield
Monash University supports the notion of getting active to clear your mind for productive study. Which is precisely why Monash Sport and MONSU joined forces to bring the 2016 Play On! Event to the Caulfield Campus Green in Week 10 of the first semester (May 12, 2016).
At Play On! students participated in blending their own healthy smoothies on a spinning bike, played in a three-on-three basketball competition, and enjoyed some games of Bubble Soccer with their friends. MONSU’s ‘mid-week meat’ barbecue offered students free sausages and burgers, including vegetarian options.
Director of Monash Sport, Brett Lavale, believes these types of events are important to encourage students to balance their study with physical activity, fun and healthy habits.
“The main aim of the event was to encourage students to be healthy and active, and to take the time out of their day to spend some time doing exercise, physical activity, or recreating in this busy lead up to the exam period,” he said.
Five teams competed in the three-on-three basketball competition on the new Caulfield Campus Green courts, with some great student experiences.
Summer Splash at Sorrento
A combination of Water Wise program student participants and newly enrolled Monash students caught a bus down to Sorrento for a day to learning about water safety at Sorrento beach in March 2016.
On arrival at Sorrento Surf Lifesaving Club, the Life Saving Victoria Multicultural project team provided an insightful information session about beach safety, imparting some important advice on what students can do to be safer in the water. This advice was complemented by advice from Monash Sport’s qualified swimming instructors providing some practical insights into learning how to develop skills to enhance safety around the water.
Following the presentation at the Sorrento Surf Lifesaving Club, the students were taken on a walk along the beach front before getting involved into some beach activities at the Sorrento bay beach. There were fun games on the sand including beach soccer, while other games situated in the water which involved rescue tubes and boogie boards, intending to simulate beach rescues.
The day was organised by the International Student Engagement Division and is supported by the Rootvij Kadakia Foundation, all the students had a great time and learned some invaluable messages about being safe around the water. Monash Sport provided water safety expertise in the form of our training and qualified swimming instructors and we look forward to a continued involvement in the future.
SummerFest’s epic clash of Colleges
Centarus College claimed its maiden College Clash title to be the 2016 champions across Clayton, Caulfield, Peninsula and Berwick campuses, winning the overall competition in front of over 800 students at Monash Sport Clayton on Wednesday 16 March.
Tug-o-war was the popular headline competition of the College Clash, as hundreds of students piled into Monash Sport’s Recreation Hall, cheering and chanting to encourage their College’s team. Other activities included a basketball free throw and paper plane competition among many more. However the inaugural Campus Community Cup stole the show in the 2016 Clash, as eight members from each of the 14 Monash Colleges raced their self-made cardboard boats in a 200 metre relay sprint which captured the creative imaginations of the racers in designing some very innovative and streamlined racing craft.
Deakin Hall was the confirmed winner of the Campus Community Cup cardboard boat race, winning $1,000 prize money for their College. The Campus Community Cup race generated an electric atmosphere, as each College entered two teams of four students to complete the relay race using the same cardboard boat. While some College teams invested significant efforts into craft design and construction and were unfortunate to miss out on claiming line honours, other College’s will aim for more success in 2017, as they realised the level of difficulty in keeping a cardboard boat intact for the duration of a highly intense racing environment.
Along with the Campus Community Cup relay race, students were also awarded prizes for best presented boat. The winners of this constructors competition were Turner Hall, who won $500, followed up by Berwick Bulls Residential in second place, winning $250, and third going to Normanby House and Campbell Hall, who each won $150 each for their colleges.
Adam Fernandes, Coordinator of Non-Residential Colleges at Clayton campus, believed the Campus Community Cup was a great addition to the College Clash.
“When I spoke to students last night, a lot of them really loved the event, and they felt that kind of excitement around watching or participating in the race. So they are looking forward to the 2017 event already!,” he said,
“College Clash has always been one of the highlights of our student calendar, and it appeals to a lot of students who might not play formal sport, because it features great and novel activities in a really inclusive spirit of competition and it’s a big event. So it really brings lots of residential and non-residential colleges students together and helps the students form and develop friendships.”
In between their competitions, students were able to enjoy blending their own healthy smoothies on a spinning bike under the Bike’N’Blend marquee, enjoyed the live DJ music sets, ran around playing informal games of Bubble Soccer and re-energising with some complimentary food and drinks.
The College Clash encourages students from Monash’s Colleges to get active in games that are enjoyment focused, and are open to College’s belonging to students living on residence and non-residential Colleges. This is the fourth College Clash, which has been included as part of the inaugural SummerFest.
Built SpacesMonash has invested significant time and effort into ensuring our spaces met the high expectations of our community of Monash staff, students, alumni, visiting schools and the local community.
2016 marked a year in which every Monash Sport site saw an enhancement to it’s environment for the benefit of our students and staff.
New service interface under development at Monash Sport Clayton
As part of Monash Sport’s commitment to deliver excellent service, the cafe and service desk area at Clayton campus are currently undergoing refurbishment. Works commenced in the latter part of 2016.
The current cafe area will be redeveloped to include a new vibrant seating area and revised layout as well as a large television screen. Healthy food provider Sumo Salad will become the new cafe provider, introducing a range of healthy and nutritious meals across breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as high quality coffee.
Sumo Salad is an Australian-owned food retailer known primarily for its healthy and tasty fare. Sumo Salad sources produce locally, and its packaging is fully compostable, so it’s great for the environment too.
Refurbishments will also extend to the Seminar Room and adjacent toilet amenities, making the spaces more attractive and a great space for students and staff to catch up with each other from March/April 2017. Come in and have a coffee, a healthy snack or meal or simply enjoy watching some sport on the big screen and catching up with your friends or colleagues.
Clayton Group Fitness Studio Refurbishment
Monash Sport is pleased to announce that the Clayton group fitness studio will be reopened in early 2017, after undergoing a significant refurbishment that has transformed the room into a fantastic, modern and fit for purpose space.
The works included the reconfiguration of the current building roof and a new ceiling, new heating and cooling and enhanced acoustics to optimise the functioning aspects of the room.
The new air handling system in the refurbished studio provides a substantial improvement to the temperature extremes that were experienced in the cooler and warmer months. The new roof also ensures that the air handling system performs to at optimal efficiency and ensures that a level of natural light illuminates the space. The natural light is perfectly coupled with enhanced LED lighting to ensure ideal lighting is experienced at any time of the day.
To help get you into the exercise zone, a new sound system has been installed to help keep the tunes (and you!) pumping throughout the class. Not only that, the new studio was redesigned to allow for an excellent acoustic environment so the music and instructors directions will be crystal clear.
An enhanced equipment storage area perfectly complements the space by blending functional equipment and bag storage with the quality look and feel of the studio.
Finally, a quality, sprung wooden floor has been installed to enhance shock absorption and member comfort in the room.
Innovative use of our spaces
In 2016, Monash Sport hosted a number of different events and functions that highlighted the diversity and multi functionality of our spaces. From prestige, high quality events like the Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards and the Winterfest series of events to more functional uses such as examinations and state sporting conventions, our spaces have proved more versatile than ever.
The Recreation Hall hosted over 5,000 students for their examinations
Winterfest at Monash Sport saw multiple events, including the snow party, a volunteering fund raiser and of course, Light up the Night!
The annual Career’s Fair transformed our Recreation Hall into a buzzing environment full of prospective, high quality employers that Monash students could meet face to face.
The Doug Ellis Swimming Pool was the natural choice for the Dive In movie at SummerFest, while the ovals provided the perfect area for the Campus Community Cup.
Enhancing our outdoor and indoor spaces
We continue to improve the quality of our indoor and outdoor sport spaces in line with the expectations of our campus community. Completed works in 2016 include:
At Caulfield campus:
Mid-way through 2016 Chisholm Hall at Caulfield campus underwent refurbishment to improve the accessibility of the courts for staff and student use. These improvements focussed on converting the space from a one-court indoor stadium to a two-court indoor stadium to enable greater use by students, staff, our social sport programs, sport clubs and community groups. The refurbishment included a floor resurfacing, new basketball hoops installation, as well as the addition of new indoor soccer goals. The space is heavily utilised by students for activities predominantly basketball, indoor soccer and netball.
At Clayton campus:
The Frearson Oval at Clayton campus has received a full surface replacement and upgrade of the drainage and irrigation systems to create a more sustainable and improved playing surface for AFL football and cricket. This will be much appreciated by the Monash University Blues Football Club, in particular, who participated in Premier B Finals in the Victorian Amateur Football League, for the first time in two decades.
The Games Hall floor at Clayton campus has been completely sanded, resurfaced, and re-lined. The resultant enhanced’ floor is looking great and our social sport participant teams will enjoy the better quality flooring for a range of sports including basketball, indoor soccer, netball and badminton.
Opening of the Monash Tan Track
The Monash Tan Track at Clayton campus was completed and officially opened in October 2016. The running and walking track features a 1 kilometre and 2 kilometre running and walking track/circuit with full lighting to provide students and staff with a high quality environment for exercise any time of the day or night. Approximately 900 individuals recorded run times in the Strava app for the 1 kilometre circuit in the first three months of operation, with the fastest recorded time being 3 minutes 16 seconds by Jordan Nelson on 13 December 2016. This will certainly take some catching!
Some of the great features of the Tan Track include: • Drink stations strategically located along the track to ensure staff and students can stay well hydrated, • Exercise equipment positioned at three locations along the track so that participants can integrate strength and conditioning
exercises in to their exercise program, • Connections to Scenic Boulevard, the Indigenous Gardens, Blackburn Road and the new elevated bridge at Jock Marshall Nature
Reserve to add to the diversity of running and walking routes and distances available• Distance markers placed at the 500 metre marks of the circuits.
The Tan Track has already hosted two major events - The Light Up the Night Fun Run/Walk event as part of Winterfest, and the Global Walk/Run event, and we look forward to hosting other events on the track for the Monash University community in the future.
A timing clock will be installed in early 2017, we look forward to hosting many more runners, walkers and events on the track.
MPARC Game Centre at Peninsula
An interactive lounge has been established in the foyer of MPARC at Peninsula campus, to help students and staff relax and wind down after study or a workout. The new lounge includes a foosball table, two Xbox One consoles with motion capture accessories (Kinect), as well sporting and racing games.
All games have a sport/movement theme and are available for use at no cost during MPARC opening hours.
Just another way that Monash Sport is enhancing and creating active spaces for the Monash community.
New cardio gym equipment installed at Caulfield, Clayton and Peninsula campuses
Monash Sport’s three gymnasia have been significantly enhanced with new state of the art Life Fitness cardio equipment installed over the annual new year close down period at Caulfield, Clayton and Peninsula campuses.
This equipment consists of treadmills, cross trainers, cycles, rowers, arm- grinders and is leading edge and will enhance the workouts of all members. Monash Sport prides itself on delivering high quality services to students and staff and the new equipment will assist in this service delivery.
Monash Sport has partnered with Life Fitness, a worldwide leader in the health and fitness industry. The new equipment, introduced to our Caulfield, Clayton and Peninsula facilities, has seen a major improvement to the fitness centres. All the equipment features Wi-Fi connectivity, so members can connect their fitness apps to the equipment and keep track of their exercise routine in more detail.
The consoles feature new technology, a multitude of exercise programs, easy-to-use controls and plug-in earphones connection to television stations and radio stations.
We’re very excited to be able to provide all our members with this great step forward in functional fitness technology.
Destination MonashHandbook for international students
Monash Sport42 Scenic BoulevardMonash UniversityClayton, Victoria 3800Australia Tel: 9905 4102Email: [email protected]
Team MonashRoom 1-67, 21 Chancellors WalkMonash UniversityClayton, Victoria 3800Australia Email: [email protected]
This publication is a collaboration between Monash Sport and Team Monash.
