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The Dapto Bats @ 2007 Cheesecake Challenge

The second Cheesecake Challenge was held on Saturday March 10 at the Queanbeyan Aquatic Centre.  Four students (Joel Deans, Michael Goldsmith, Patrick Mitchell, Jack Towers) and myself made up the representative school team.  We departed Dapto at 6am, "pumped" for what lay ahead.  Canberra turned on a beautiful day for us and we all suffered the effects of the sun to some degree in spite of the repeat applications of waterproof sunscreen.  In true Dapto High fashion we assisted the organisers with setting up the goals in readiness for the competition.  The boys set about warming up on the water and practicing their rolling skills, relishing paddling in the crystal clear water of a swimming pool as opposed to the usual Mullet Creek.

We found the opposing teams too strong, coming second in every game, but took heart in knowing we were improving with each game.  We maintained our focus and scored several goals from very difficult positions while under considerable pressure from our opponents.  The successes of the day were Michael and Joel getting their hand-rolling working.  Michael (the star) came up easily on his first attempt, the second, third and fourth etc., while Joel had to work a bit harder on his timing and hand work to achieve repeat successes.

After the BBQ and devouring pieces of the delicious prize cheesecakes we loaded up and headed for home.  Even though we were all tired from having played 7 games we eagerly chatted about the next competition at Nambucca Heads on May 6-7.  We will continue to work on our skills and game strategy in preparation for the next exciting adventure.

Mr. Wilson