Student sports day 'good binding agent'

Students from Carrington College show their support for their hall. Photos: Peter McIntosh.
Students from Carrington College show their support for their hall. Photos: Peter McIntosh.
Students from Selwyn College show their college pride  during  sports day at Logan Park as part...
Students from Selwyn College show their college pride during sports day at Logan Park as part of O-Week yesterday.
Cumberland College student Jessica Lawrence (17), of Tauranga, plays volleyball.
Cumberland College student Jessica Lawrence (17), of Tauranga, plays volleyball.
Arana College students Rebecca Pearce (left) and Georgia Lambert (both 18).
Arana College students Rebecca Pearce (left) and Georgia Lambert (both 18).
St Margaret’s College student Emma Bone (18, left) and Salmond College student Harry Rattray (17)...
St Margaret’s College student Emma Bone (18, left) and Salmond College student Harry Rattray (17) play netball.

Decades-old rivalries played out on the sports field yesterday as about 3500 students took part in College Sports Day at Logan Park.

The day is billed as a perfect and wholesome opportunity to form friendships with fellow college residents, but a little bit of inter-college competition is always present.

That rivalry was evident before the games  kicked off as the different colleges chanted, with some of them — which can not be repeated here — directed at opposition colleges.

University sports and facilities Sam Sinclair said sports were a "good binding agent" and a healthy alternative to some of the other events during O-Week.

And while the focus was on having fun, there was still "absolutely" an element of "good, healthy" inter-college rivalry.

Typically the colleges closest to each other were the fiercest competitors and some of the rivalries went back decades.

This included St Margaret’s, Studholme and Salmond colleges whose rivalries dated back to when they were  female-only colleges.

The event had been held annually  for almost 20 years.  Students yesterday played football, volleyball, netball and touch rugby.

Inter-college sports co-ordinator Sophie Ehlers said the day was also a way of introducing college residents to inter-college sports competitions, which were held later in the year.

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