Sport

PANTHERS V BRONCOS

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Local student Layla Sharp hopes to be a Paralympian one day.

Layla chases her dreams

NATHAN TAYLOR

St Marys teenager Layla Sharp dreams of becoming Australia’s next Paralympian and, if her recent results against girls up to five years her senior are anything to go by, that goal may well be within reach.

The 14-year-old runner recently competed at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships, taking home a hattrick of silver medals in the 400m, 800m and 1500m races.

Competing in the T12 disability category for athletes with vision impairment, the Emmaus Catholic College student holds the all-age Australian 1500m record, the Australian U20 800m record and the Australian U16 400m record.

Earlier this year Layla was handed a racing bib featuring Aboriginal artwork which she wore at the NSW Athletics Championships (Open Age), identifying her as a record holder and potential future Paralympian.

“I’m hoping to break more of my Australian records and eventually make the Paralympics or the Commonwealth Games,” Layla said.

“I love coming to these competitions and meeting new people. I also love being able to tell my friends and people at school about the events and especially the different disabilities that para-athletes have. It helps raise awareness about disabilities.”

While Layla is a joy to watch on the track, it’s her incredible sportsmanship postrace that’s getting people talking also.

“Every time, no matter what place I come I always wait for everyone else to finish,” Layla said.

“I think it’s really important to acknowledge everyone because it’s such a great thing just to make these events. It’s really good to be inclusive and proud of everyone no matter where they finish.”

Wearing her Emmaus sports jacket with pride at the Australian Juniors, Layla credited her school for helping students develop a strong sense of compassion and always being welcoming and inclusive of others.

“In my school, everyone is really inclusive of everyone and our community is very close and together,” she said.

Not content with simply educating others about disabilities, Layla is hoping to actively promote disabilities by establishing some new relay events.

“In Year 6, I was captain of the NSW Athletics Team and I came up with the idea to do a combined multi-class and mainstream relay,” she said.

“It would be good to raise awareness so mainstream athletes could learn more about disabilities and see races and athletics from a disabled athlete’s perspective.”

World’s best in Sydney

FC Barcelona headed to Accor Stadium to take on best of the A-Leagues

NATHAN TAYLOR

One of the biggest football clubs in the world – FC Barcelona – will travel to Australia for the first time ever next month to battle the A-Leagues All Stars at Sydney Olympic Park’s Accor Stadium.

Boasting a global fan base of 270 million fans and recognised the world over for their iconic blue and garnet colours, La Liga giants FC Barcelona have been one of the most successful clubs in world football for much of their 123-year history.

Backed by Destination NSW and Venues NSW on behalf of the State Government, FC Barcelona’s one-night-only football blockbuster will be held on Wednesday, May 25.

The match will also be an entrée to the A-Leagues Men’s Grand Final during the last week in May and in the same week as football’s prestigious Dolan Warren Awards.

“The FC Barcelona v A-Leagues All Stars match will generate significant international interest and put Australian football back in the international spotlight. It’s an incredible opportunity to showcase both our domestic professional A-Leagues and our beautiful Harbour City to the world,” Minister for Tourism and Sport, Penrith MP Stuart Ayres said.

“Hosting this sporting star power in Sydney will highlight the city’s attractions and world-class events calendar to football fans around the globe, turbocharging the NSW visitor economy on its road to recovery.”

The A-Leagues All Stars return after an eight-year hiatus, bringing together a team of A-League Men’s players to be showcased at Accor Stadium.

Winners of 26 La Liga titles, five European Cups, 31 Copa Del Rey trophies and three FIFA Club World Cups, FC Barcelona have enjoyed sustained success since their inception in 1899.

Known for their attractive tiki-taka attacking style of football, FC Barcelona has been – and still is – home to some of the best footballers in the world.

“We are very happy to announce this match in Australia against the A-Leagues All Stars. This will be the first time the team visits this country, where Barca are generating great interest,” FC Barcelona Vice President Marketing Area, Juli Guiu said.

“Being able to play this match will give us the opportunity to bring the club and its values closer to our fans and will also give us the opportunity for new audiences to get to know FC Barcelona and all that it represents, which has made it a reference entity on and off the pitch.”

The coach and team selection process for the A-Leagues All Stars team will be announced shortly, with ticketing information available at www.barcainsydney. com.au.

FC Barcelona is coming to Sydney next month.

Time to get your skates on

Why Penrith Skatel is one of the must-visit places during the school holidays

NATHAN TAYLOR

Visited by thousands of people per year, Penrith Skatel has been a local institution for decades. From birthday parties to fun Friday night discos, Skatel is enjoying a renaissance of sorts as more and more people ‘get their skates on’.

Right now the rink, located on Russell Street in Emu Plains, is busier than ever thanks to Penrith Skatel’s April School Holidays extravaganza.

From 10am-2pm next week, Skatel is swinging its doors open to anyone that wants to skate for just $12 (excluding skate hire).

With the persistent rain proving problematic for local parents, there’s no better place in the area for some good old fashioned indoor fun.

“Skatel is such a good indoor facility for kids in Penrith, and the rink is looking forward to getting back to what they love to do,” Team Skatel Head Coach, Esther Ambrus-Davis said.

“The four-hour sessions on weekdays are really good because people can just drop in whenever they like. They can skate with their friends and play fun games – where else can you go for four hours for just $12?”

On top of the fun daily sessions, Skatel are also offering special weekday afternoon Skate Lessons with their expert coaches. Run from 3pm-4pm each day, Creative Kids vouchers are redeemable for the special school holiday lessons.

“We do Learn to Skate classes on Saturday morning, but we’re extending these to run throughout the April school holidays. Anyone can come down, they can do one lesson or multiple – it’s totally up to them,” Ambrus-Davis said.

“Kids can get to know the coaches and get some really good skating skills going. Some kids are beginners who just need to learn the basics, while we teach others who can skate some really cool tricks that they can later show off to their friends.”

Ambrus-Davis, who has been teaching skating for more than 20 years with her husband, said anyone can learn to skate no matter their age or ability.

“Roller skating or blading is good exercise for all. We have little ones all the way through to 60-year-olds learning how to skate, so it’s truly for everybody,” she said.

For more information on Skatel or to book a lesson, visit penrithskatel.com.

Learn to Skate classes have been quite popular these school holidays. Photo: Melinda Jane.

Skating sensation is star on the rise

NATHAN TAYLOR

It’s safe to say not many three-yearolds out there have caught the attention of one of the best skateboarders of all-time, but Penrith’s Ebenezer ‘Ebby’ Kennedy did recently when legendary American Tony Hawk liked one of his videos on Instagram.

With nearly 30,000 followers to his name, the pint-sized local skateboarder is quite the social media sensation – garnering thousands of views and hundreds of likes with each and every video his mum, Holly Kennedy, puts up.

“We wanted to document it for Ebby’s benefit and I also like looking back at his videos to see how far he’s come,” Holly told the Weekender.

“The ‘ebby_sk8s’ account quickly gained a following and it’s turned into a bit of fun. I often find Ebby sitting there, scrolling through his videos as well. He enjoys watching them and seeing what he can do.”

While most kids of Ebby’s vintage enjoy playing at the run-of-the-mill children’s park with swings and slides on weekends, this soon to be four-year-old is addicted to Skate Parks. Whether it’s the Jamison Skate Park in South Penrith or the Monster Skate Park at Sydney Olympic Park, Ebby is a popular figure whenever he’s out doing his thing.

“He prefers smooth concrete skate parks, so we tend to travel a lot and we’re often at one maybe three to five times a week,” Holly said.

“He’s got a two-foot mini ramp in our garage, which he learns a lot of his tricks on, and he also does some street skating around Thornton where we live as well.”

Ebby has only been skating for around 15 months, but he’s already performing tricks and moves well beyond his years. The family believe he is the youngest child in the world to drop into a 10-foot vert ramp.

“Ebby started skating on his sister’s birthday back in January last year and he took to it like a fish in water,” Holly said.

“We started noticing how good he was about a month in when he was dropping into a three-foot vert. We were kind of like, ‘most two-year-olds aren’t doing this’, so we ended up getting him some coaching and he hasn’t looked back since.”

With skating competitions on the horizon and endorsements flying in, this pre-schooler is well on his way to stardom.

Ebenezer Kennedy at Jamison Skate Park on Monday afternoon. Photo: Melinda Jane.

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Around The Grounds

BASKETBALL: Penrith have continued their unbeaten start to the season, defeating the Illawarra Hawks 94-72 in Round 3 of the Waratah 1 Youth Men competition. The Panthers were on fire during the Saturday evening clash, with Caleb Fetui-Fa’Amoe leading the way with a whopping 33 points. Meanwhile, Penrith’s Waratah 1 Youth Women secured their first win of the season, beating the Hawks 70-64 last Saturday afternoon. Georgia Toscan was huge for the Panthers, scoring a team-high 20 points in the victory. Due to the Easter long weekend, both teams will enjoy this weekend off.

RUGBY LEAGUE: Round 9 of the NSWRL Junior Representative season took place last weekend with Penrith’s SG Ball and Harold Matthews teams having mixed weekends. In the SG Ball Cup, Penrith went down to Newcastle 32-18. In the Harold Matthews Cup, the Panthers were too good for the Knights 42-16. Meanwhile, in the Tarsha Gale Cup competition, Penrith were no match for the Knights 50-4. The Junior Representative Finals kick off today (Friday), with Penrith facing Illawarra in the SG Ball and Canberra in the Harold Matts.

RUGBY LEAGUE: Round 4 of the Sydney Shield and Ron Massey Cup competitions took place last weekend, with St Marys enjoying a bye in both competitions. On Friday afternoon both teams are back in action, with St Marys taking on the Ryde Eastwood Hawks at home.

SUPER NETBALL: Giants Netball’s losing streak has continued, going down to the Melbourne Vixens 64-52 in Round 3 of the Super Netball competition. The Giants were only behind by a point at the end of the first quarter before the Vixens flexed their muscles in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Giants played another game on Tuesday evening, pounded by the Queensland Firebirds 72-59.

AFL: The GWS Giants’ slow start to the season has continued, belted by the Fremantle Dockers 88-54 in Round 4 of the AFL competition. Due to the Dockers’ inability to kick a goal, the Giants were right in the match up until the fourth quarter when the home side finally got things going and booted six straight final quarter goals to pull away and clinch the 34-point win. GWS currently sit in 13th after four rounds with just one win to their name. They’ll take on the Melbourne Demons this Saturday night at the MCG.

AFL: The AFL Sydney season is still in pause mode after Round 2 was also postponed last weekend due to rain. With everyone enjoying the Easter long weekend off, the next opportunity to begin the 2022 season will be on Saturday, April 23 when the Penrith Rams face Macquarie University in the Platinum Division.

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Top honour for local star

NATHAN TAYLOR

From being smuggled out to games and training by her cousins as a teenager to winning the Karyn Murphy Medal at last Sunday’s NRLW Grand Final, Glenmore Park Brumbies junior Sarah Togatuki has come a long way in her brief, yet successful, rugby league career.

The 24-year-old Sydney Roosters star – whose parents didn’t approve of her footy ambitions growing up – took out the coveted Player of the Match award following a barnstorming performance in her side’s 16-4 victory over St GeorgeIllawarra at Moreton Daily Stadium.

After almost missing the most important match of her life due to a judiciary hearing earlier in the week, Togatuki would go on to play a starring role in her side’s first ever NRLW Premiership last weekend.

In 49 minutes of action, the St Marys Saint ran for 161m, broke the line once and busted five tackles. She also made 21 tackles of her own without a miss and was error-free – a near perfect performance from the talented Samoan.

Togatuki was full of emotion upon accepting the coveted Karyn Murphy Medal.

“I feel undeserving of this medal,” she said on stage.

“If I could share this medal into so many pieces, I’d give it to every player that’s taken the field in the Grand Final. God bless and take care everyone.”

Not only did the Roosters taste NRLW success for the first time in their history, but Togatuki also made some history of her own, becoming the first NSW player and non-Broncos player to win the Karyn Murphy Medal.

Roosters coach John Strange was full of praise for Togatuki, who had to have a high tackle charge downgraded at the judiciary in order to play in the decider.

“She’s the heart and soul of the club, she’s an unbelievable person,” he said.

“She worked so hard to play in a Grand Final and get the win. It was a really good lift for the players when she was cleared to play.”

Roosters captain Corban Baxter agreed with her coach’s sentiments, labelling Togatuki’s performance “huge”.

“She’s an extremely passionate person and athlete, and she just pours her whole heart into everything that she does and I think that shows on the field – she’s a lot to handle,” Baxter said.

Sarah Togatuki last Sunday. Photo: NRL Photos.

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