The Intercol last week was a thrilling final chapter to conclude the Winter Sport season of 2025. As always, there are many lessons that we can reflect on as we celebrate the successes and learn from the disappointments of the season that was.
Lesson 1: Gratitude
We can be grateful for the opportunity and the historical relationship with another school that enables a high-level environment for competition and challenge. Win, lose or draw, we are fortunate to be able to compete so regularly in an event of such significance.
Lesson 2: Performance focus – get the process right
To bring the best out of ourselves, we need an event or stage to test ourselves on. For those in the Red Centre on Friday night, the stage was electric, at times overwhelming, as it was across venues throughout the week. Once the stage is set, the only test that really counts is whether you can look yourself in the mirror after the game and answer that you gave your best effort, prepared fully, contributed to your teammates and executed the process as planned. Our satisfaction is not based on winning or losing but on how well we performed. Our process. The way we controlled the controllable.
Lesson 3: How we play the game is as important as the outcome
We have heard from the Headmaster recently about playing the game within the rules and with full commitment and effort. Sportsmanship does not mean rolling over or backing off. To do so would be too much lovely and not enough strong. It is a difficult balance to get right, but we must keep working on it. Across school sport we have instituted Sportsmanship rules, not Mercy rules, to differentiate school sport from club and community sport. It is poor sportsmanship to run up a big score against weaker opposition. Stronger teams have a duty to build their opponents and the competition, but only after the contest has been won. This approach will strengthen the competition year on year and grow the confidence of every participant.
Lesson 4: Sport is emotional and learning to manage emotion is part of the experience
Competing is emotional and emotions are best experienced and released. When you win a big contest, the emotions flow naturally. When you fall short, it can be harder to process. This is why you often learn more from losing, because you go over it in your mind. As they say, winners have parties and losers have meetings. Either way, let us learn the lessons and use them to improve while we also connect and share with one another.
Lesson 5: We are part of something greater than ourselves
The team, the individual and the whole all work together to achieve and create the experience. Individually, we focus on our skills and execution. As a great team we focus on our plans and process, on how we combine to create something greater than the sum of the parts. We back our mates and lift one another. As a whole community we support each other by making small sacrifices to be there for a friend or peer, to cheer, congratulate and learn. Younger boys make plans about how they would like to emulate older stronger players in the future, learning to be leaders. We have a strong culture of spectating, not because we avoid the arena but because we embrace it as competitors and are there for our peers.
Lesson 6: It’s not over until it’s over – take the opportunity when it comes
We do not get to decide when the contest is over. The finish line decides. The clock decides. When our moment arrives, we take it. Like Charlie Bruce hitting that three from the corner. There will be more big moments in the future and we must prepare for them in advance. Sporting contests are often defined by a few key moments and it can be only after the fact that we realise how important they were. By continuing to do difficult things and face into contests, we build our capacity to seize opportunities when they come.
Lesson 7: The results – sometimes you win and sometimes you learn
The results: we won all Soccer matches, 7 from 12 Basketball matches and 3 from 8 Football matches. We dominated Open Table Tennis and Hockey. Debating went down to the wire. Chess and Squash are edging ever closer, and our rugby depth continues to grow. Each season and each Intercol is another step on the journey of growth and development. Whether the step went exactly to plan and was a resounding success, or whether it did not, set your goals now and become the competitor you need to be well before you need to perform.
For students:
Do not be sad that it is over. Be glad that it happened. Reflect on the experience, learn from it and set your goals on improving for the future.
For parents and staff:
Thank you for all the support you provide to our students. Continue to support the boys and help them make the most of the lessons learned in ways that will make them better people in the future.
Barnaby Eaton
Director of Sport and HPE
