For the first time since 1995, Burgmann was reunited with the Interhall Sports Shield, with outstanding performances in the girls’ Volleyball Premiership and boys’ AFL Premiership, and consistent top-three finishes from each girls’ sporting team. The nail-biting clincher came with a top-three finish in badminton.
2020 has been a huge year for sport at Burgmann. Despite the obvious challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, sport emerged to provide some key highlights of the College year for many residents. As well as competitive interhall sports, casual games of soccer, disk and lawn bowls were hallmarks of Burgmann’s sporting culture throughout the year.
Most notably, for the first time since 1995 (25 years!) Burgmann was reunited with the ever-elusive Interhall Sports Shield! Key contributions to the shield included the girls’ Volleyball Premiership and boys’ AFL Premiership (for the second year in a row), as well as consistent top-three finishes from each girls’ sporting team.
At the end of term four, the fate of the Sports Shield was still undecided and ultimately determined by the badminton. A talented team were able to secure a top-three finish, which was all we needed to bring home the Sports Shield. Through this rollercoaster of a year, we’ve found a new appreciation for the powerful yet incredibly nuanced sport of badminton.
Although John XXIII is yet to 'find' the physical Shield and return it to its rightful home of Burgmann, we are excited to approach the 2021 sporting year with a renewed air of athletic confidence.
2020 Sports Reps: Emily Bell, Max Townsend, Francis Brown and Atlanta Stubbings
Meanwhile, wins in the Poetry Slam and Spelling Bee, combined with Bas Braham’s compelling discussion of 'the quintessential Aussie' in the public speaking competition and a third place in film, ensured Burgmann also romped home with the Arts Shield.
Despite the abnormalities of this Coronavirus-crazed year, Burgmann has gone from win to win in the arts. During O-Week, the Arts Reps put together some exceptional events—a very effective arts indoctrination for the incoming first years! The Open Mic Night and plant pot painting were a hit and definitely a tradition to continue. And while we may not have aced social trivia, the Debate Team yielded an impressive third-place result in the few in-person activities held before lockdown.
Going into isolation, Interhall Arts Competition (IAC) coordinators were uncertain of how many of the much-loved arts events could be run. Of course, there were sacrifices, like Big Night Out and Dance Night. However, events such as the Poetry Slam and Spelling Bee could still be run via online forums. In fact, Burgmann took home first place in both!
But IAC events were not the only things keeping Burgies busy. Burg FM hit the airwaves, featuring many talented residents and also including an arts show, Like a Burgsion. Among many topics of discussion was a weekly recorded cover from a resident, all of which are now available on Soundcloud.
For many residents, arriving back onsite in semester 2 was an ambiguous time in terms of events. However, many IAC and Burgmann arts events quickly alleviated these uncertainties. 40 Hours of Film was able to be carried out socially distanced, and Burgmann came in third place with our film Lustre, directed by Claudia Harris. Bas Braham also won the public speaking competition with his compelling discussion about 'the quintessential Aussie'.
Within the Burgmann community, we ran an additional Open Mic Night, the mid-semester 'Week of Arts', and launched the Archiburg Prize, featuring some brilliant works created by residents during lockdown.
Overall, this year tasked us with creative event-making. Not only were a variety of fun internal events organised, but Burgmann took home the Arts Shield with a convincing win.
More than anything, Burgmann has proved nothing can stop the arts, not even a pandemic!
Arts Reps: Poppy Thomson and William Salkeld
