Bathurst High Campus principal Ken Barwick has made a pledge to submit to the tattooist's needle if his students bring home the Astley Cup in its 100th year.
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Mr Barwick had promised, in the lead-up to the school's special assembly on Thursday, June 15, that the American-style pep rally would be used to generate excitement about the upcoming cup.
And he didn't disappoint.
I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about winning the Astley Cup and I don't go back to sleep.
- Bathurst High Campus principal Ken Barwick
"I will get the Astley Cup logo tattooed on my chest with the word 'winners' underneath it. That's how much it means to me," Mr Barwick said to cheers from the assembly's sea of students.
"I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about winning the Astley Cup and I don't go back to sleep."
Orange High School won the opening leg of this year's Astley Cup when hosting Dubbo on Thursday and Friday. Orange High will then travel to Bathurst on June 22 and 23, where the cup will go on the line.
Bathurst must beat Orange to have a chance of ensuring Mr Barwick is inked when they travel to Dubbo on June 29 and 30.
As well as Mr Barwick's tattoo promise, Thursday's special assembly featured footage of this year's athletes sharing their thoughts ahead of Bathurst High's campaign kicking off.
- READ MORE: Babies born in Orange throughout June, 2023
With days now until the battle begins, Mr Barwick also shared some words of wisdom.
"It's not about the way you play the game, it's about the way you fight. Right to the last minute, every point counts," he said.
"The kids have been told this over and over again because this cup has been won or lost by a single point, and out of 800 points, everything counts.
"You don't have a hundred years of history without many, many hundreds of kids over those years putting their blood, sweat and tears into fighting for Bathurst High to win the cup."
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Jay-Anna Mobbs
I am a Senior Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. My career with ACM began in 2018 as a sports reporter in Mudgee, before I moved to Bathurst in 2022 to cover general news and court. I am now based in the Wollongong office, specialising in court reporting.
