School of the Air students head to Sydney for state athletics carnival
For the latest flood and weather warnings, search on ABC Emergency
Follow our live coverage of flooding in Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales.
A junior athlete from South Australia is among a group of students travelling from the outback to compete in a primary school athletics carnival this week.
The children are representatives of the School of the Air's Broken Hill and Hay campuses, which allow children who live on isolated properties to still have access to conventual schooling.
The athletics carnival is one of the few occasions when the students get together.
Some travel hundreds of kilometres to compete with their peers.
"We've tried to get the kids practising at home as much as possible and it's really improved their results at our local carnival," teacher and Primary Schools Sports Association coordinator Amy Black said.
"I think our kids have an advantage when it comes to some of the field events because they've got space out on their stations."
Avid shot-putter Emily Smith, 10, lives with her parents and four siblings on their property, Devonborough Downs, in Olary, SA .
Emily said she wanted to practice in a realistic environment but needed an object the same weight as the competition ball.
"[My mum and I] went on a bit of a scavenger hunt to find a two-kilo rock," she said.
"Mum made me a homemade training ring.
"I've been practising for a little while now and I think my highest score is over five metres."
Ten School of the Air students aged between nine and 12 have qualified to compete in the carnival at Sydney Olympic Park this year.
Emily will make compete on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
"She's put in that effort over the last few years and really developed her skills and got to this point where she's reached state, which is amazing," Ms Black said.
"Almost every event, we've covered — from the sprints right up to the middle-distance relays, and then we've got kids doing discus and shot-put.
"Just being in that stadium will be an amazing experience and seeing all the kids from the other schools, I'm sure it'll be an experience they'll never forget."
Emily's mother, Sarah Smith, decided to make a family holiday out of the trip while providing moral support.
She said she was pleased the state carnival would present her daughter with a new experience, regardless of the result.
"I think it's great that little bush kids get a chance at least," Ms Smith said.
"Some of them surprise themselves with how well they do.
"I have no idea how Emily will go … [she'll] just try her best and we'll see what happens at the end of the day."
ABC Broken Hill will deliver a wrap of the week's news, stories and photos every Friday. Sign up here
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
Recent Comments