Alex Wong with fellow GPS athlete Killian Donovan. Volleyball gun Alex represents Australia with pride and eyes comeback In the autumn term break, Year 11 student Alex Wong was invited to attend trials for the under-18 Australian volleyball team at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra. The four-day camp featured the cream of young Australian volleyball talent. After an outstanding performance at the camp, Alex was selected in the Australian under-18 team. Alex and the team were scheduled to compete in Iran at the Asian Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship but did not attend because of safety issues. They instead returned to the AIS where they played the New Zealand under-18 team in a five-day tournament. The Australian team were victorious in one match and Alex enjoyed the camaraderie and spirit of competition at the tournament, including a haka performance and swapping jerseys with his Kiwi counterpart. Alex is a member of the Sydney University men’s reserves volleyball team in the Sydney Volleyball League, the premier clubs-based competition in NSW, and enjoys both the indoor and beach versions of volleyball. In 2022, he has been training with the College’s Volleyball 1sts and in July was selected for the NSW under-17 team to participate in the Australian Youth Volleyball Championships in September in Bendigo. Unfortunately, Alex suffered an ACL injury during a school match which means he will spend an extended period on the sidelines, which includes the youth championships. Despite this, Alex is upbeat and grateful for his achievements in 2022. ‘I am extremely honoured to be able to experience all these things and am grateful for how my coaches in each team and my teammates have helped me improve each day. I want to get back on the court, but recovery comes first.’ We look forward to Alex returning to the court in 2023. Alex is on the comeback from an ACL injury. Thank you to Alex for his assistance in the writing of this article. 34 | Service | News Spring 2022 | Stanmore 7–12