Ava and her Welsh Pony Jemakean Park Christmas Lilly beat out a field of 15 riders at the 2021 Leader Equine Victorian Interschool Equestrian State Championships held between April 10-14 at the Werribee Park Equestrian Centre.
Ava's mother Jodie Irwin said the result was an unexpected - but welcome - surprise for the family.
“We headed down, not expecting too much, just to have some fun, and surprise, surprise, Ava won,” Ms Irwin said.
“We were super proud.”
Competing in two dressage tests, Ava finished first in both with scores of 79.474 and 81.579.
“She actually had no idea what she had won,” Ms Irwin said.
“In the big events, there is live scoring, and she was the third last rider.
“After her first test, we actually didn't let her know how she was going.
“The second test she won on 81 per cent, and one of her little friends came and told her she won.
“She thought she had just won the dressage test. She had no comprehension of how big the win was. I said ‘no you’re actually the state champion for 2021'.”
With Ava beginning riding as a five-year-old through the Bamawm Extension Pony Club, the Irwins first approached St Mary's in the hopes of representing the school at the championships.
“Thankfully the schools are holding more interschool competitions, and you can compete for your school in your chosen discipline,” Ms Irwin said.
“Ava's goal was to attend. She set herself the challenge, worked really hard and succeeded.”
Ms Irwin said Ava’s next goal was to re-qualify for the state championships in 2022, as well as aim for a national championships as part of the Victorian team.
St Mary’s deputy principal Petra Teggelove said the entire school community was proud of Ava’s achievements.
“She does it in her own time in the holidays and loves representing the school,” Ms Teggelove said.
With more interschool options available to students across a wide range of sports, Ms Teggelove said it was fantastic to see more students go on to represent their schools.
“It’s beautiful to see. It's inclusion and allowing people to pursue the things they are interested in is incredibly important,” she said.
And after Ava's win, Mrs Teggelove said the grade 5 student had become a role model for her fellow students.
“We’ve had several students approach for the Irwin's number to go down that line as well,” Ms Teggelove said.
Ms Irwin also thanked St Mary's sports teacher Carrie Carter for her help and support.
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