Success is not born, it is grown

SOMETHING uniquely extraordinary is happening at Bass Valley Primary School, something that challenges the trend across the world. The success of their students, a small pocket of children from small towns, continue to compete and overcome all the odds relating to size, concrete resources and location.

What they do have is an attitude to ‘Be Your Best’ and with this can-do attitude and the greatest resource of all, people, they have achieved an amazing treble of ‘State Champions’ in Softball, Cricket and most recently Tee-Ball.

Renowned author Daniel Coyle’s famous book ‘The Talent Code’ investigated some intriguing worldwide occurrences. How can Brazil continue to produce so many of the greatest soccer players in the world without the academies that exist in Europe? How does a humble storefront music school in Dallas, Texas, produce Jessica Simpson, Demi Lovato, and a succession of pop music stars?

How does a small Russian tennis club with one indoor court create more top-twenty women players than the entire United States?

Daniel might have to add a chapter to his book. How does a small, rural Victorian school continue to produce so many State Champions?

The three teams, represented by girls in Grade 5 and 6, have had an incredible journey which started at local level against schools in their district. They won their way through their stages in each sport, to play against the best schools from all over the state. To put this into perspective, they were the best out of over 2300 schools across Victoria, in three different sports.

The student’s mindset to ‘Be their Best’ led them to challenge each other at training sessions almost daily, often self-run. They practiced their craft of fielding, bowling, and batting but what stood out at each game and training session was their culture.

Their supportive nature, understanding of their role within the team, celebration of each person’s success and genuine love of being around each other doing something they enjoyed showcased maturity beyond their years. All ingredients an experienced professional team or business spend years trying, and often failing, to achieve.

Some of these girls played in all three State Championships, with four of the students Paige O’Brien, Chelsea Stephens, Sophie Hale and Autumn Ross also representing Victoria in Softball.

‘The Treble’, which their achievement has been coined, is an outstanding achievement by Bass Valley Primary School and one that may be hard to repeat.
Teaching and Coaching Shiny buildings, new equipment, specialist coaches and personalised uniforms are all noticeable aspects when we align something with success. But the underlying success at Bass Valley Primary School comes back to the greatest resource of all, the people.

Bass Valley Primary School Physical Education teacher Mr Jon McCormick is no novice when it comes to elite sport, but his introverted personality won’t lead to you learning much from Jon directly. A former AFL player for Carlton, and highly skilled athlete in other sports, Jon’s attention to the development of each student is legendary. He has observed so many ‘firsts’ in children’s lives and loves the challenge of achieving their first experiences riding a bike, swimming a lap, and working in a team.

At recess and lunchtime, you won’t see Jon having a break in the staff room. The students demand him in the school yard, where you will find him in his wide brim hat, eating his apple and working with a team or taking students aside for individual help. His ability to source further professional development in coaching is the icing on the cake, and his modest and calm personality makes him a loved and respected member of the school community.

This trait is shared by other staff at the school. The infamous Kylie Lansdown and her infinite positivity and energy rubs off on all staff. The self-described ‘Fog Horn’ can be heard supporting the kids on any boundary. Then, when nobodies looking, you’ll find Kylie down on the kids’ level coaching a student through a skill or helping them through a challenge.

The whole program is not just reliant on the people, but the process and programs that have been built throughout the school so that when one player or coach is away, the next person in line steps up. This is best represented by another staff member in Todd Smith, who you’ll find reiterating and replicating the culture Jon and Kylie have worked so hard to develop.
The care and support for their students is unmatched, and to watch a match or training session you truly see students have a sense of belonging and it is no surprise that success is achieved.

No fluke

Whilst the recent ‘treble’ is a highlighted achievement that brought Bass Valley Primary School to our attention, we soon learnt that this achievement is no fluke. Such is the modesty of the school, it took a long time before we learnt that state success, and to pardon the pun but ‘bat out of their crease’ is common practice.

Speaking with Jon, we asked about other success the school has had, and he was quick to brush it off. “We go alright” was his modest response. Thankfully Kylie was able to guide us towards a well filled cabinet at the school which showcased many achievements by the students.

This year alone they have had their boys relay team reach the state final of the 4 x 100m relay.

“It was funny to watch, when the heats came up on the live stream here, there were these well-known successful schools from the city then there was Bass Valley Primary School, competing with the big schools, and they held their own,” laughed Kylie.

Adding to this year’s success was their boys reaching the State T-Ball and Softball finals and Autumn Ross placing in the top 20 of the State Cross Country.

Further research saw that each year this same level of achievement occurs, multiple T-Ball and Softball state titles since 2017, state representation in Athletics, Cross Country, and AFL. It is unbelievable what one school has achieved for such an extended period.

School Principal Sharon King describes this phenomenon as “ridiculously good” and when asked what makes it all happen, she was quick to respond, “The culture. Caring and hardworking staff who enjoy what they do, great students who want to be their best, and a community who supports us. Pretty simple, but very successful.”