Holly Robinson (year 12) recently travelled to Europe to compete in the Dutch Open and the German International Invitation athletic meets.
The competition was fierce, with five of the top six world-ranked athletes competing in the javelin. The purpose of the trip was to give Holly greater international experience, travelling, competing and living overseas in preparation for the London Paralympics in 2012.
At the Dutch Open, in Emmen, Holly was second in the open shot put, throwing 9.69m, which was a New Zealand and Oceania record.
While not throwing well in the javelin (gaining sixth place), Holly did achieve an A qualifying standard for London 2012.
In Botrrop, Germany, she won the shot put, throwing 9.83m to set two records, and also placed fifth in the javelin, again achieving another A standard.
Having recently relocated to Dunedin from the West Coast, Holly was recognised at the Athletics Canterbury awards night by winning the disabled athlete of the year, most outstanding javelin thrower and the most outstanding athlete still in school.
This winter has seen a growth in not only the traditional sports of netball, rugby, hockey and soccer but also the rise of some of the smaller sports at Taieri College.
Two sports in particular are proving to be of great interest to the pupils: ice hockey and smallbore rifle shooting. These sports have seen a great increase in participation especially from junior pupils.
Through the support of the West Taieri Smallbore Rifle Club, pupils have been provided with great coaching and encouragement as they take part in this sport and begin to represent Taieri College in secondary school shooting events at both local and national level.
In ice hockey, pupils are enjoying the OSSSA-run competition which enables them to both learn about ice hockey and play against other schools on a weekly basis.
Dunstan sport
Dunstan High School had three teams compete at the recent Otago secondary schools netball championships in Dunedin.
The senior A and junior teams won all three of their matches on day one, with the intermediate team picking up a solitary victory.
On finals day, the senior A side lost by two goals in the quarterfinal to eventual finalist St Hilda's Collegiate. Two good wins over Mt Aspiring College and Waitaki Girls' High School saw the side clinch fifth place. The junior team went two steps better, beating Waitaki Girls' and Taieri College (22-10) to contest the final. Mt Aspiring proved too strong in the final, winning 21-8, meaning a creditable second place for the Dunstan team.
The intermediate team toiled hard and finished in ninth place in its section.
The Alexandra dojo hosted the national shukokai karate competition at the Dunstan High School gymnasium recently.
Dunstan pupils Nathan Garry and Cole Mackie, both aged 16, competed well in the open men's division, with Nathan winning a silver medal in the kata (preset moves), a good result in a field of 16 mostly adult competitors.
Cole and Nathan then reached the final of the kumite (combat), with Nathan narrowly winning.
Cole finished a very successful competition, winning the men's premier kumite.
In the junior events, Jeremy Norbury won a gold medal in the under-13 premier kata and Hamish MacKay won the gold medal in the under-13 premier kumite. Hamish and Jeremy combined to win a gold medal in the team kata. The Alexandra dojo again won the overall trophy from the seven dojos competing, and it qualifies to host the 2012 New Zealand championships.
The New Zealand schools multisport championships were held in Rotorua at Queen's Birthday Weekend, with Dunstan High School's two competitors achieving podium finishes among a star-studded field.
The race started with a 4km lake paddle, followed by a 15km forest mountain bike on Rotorua's legendary single tracks, and a 6km trail run among the big redwoods.
Heavy rain over the two days prior finally eased that morning but left the mountain-bike track muddy and slippery.
Greg Redai, a newcomer to multisport, having taken up paddling two months ago, has made a fast and successful transition to multisport kayaking.
Greg exceeded expectations by exiting the water in fourth position; only those in the faster specialised K1 boats and surf skis completed the course quicker. A fast mountain bike saw him move into third.
However, the transition revealed a close and exciting race as athletes arrived covered in mud and barely recognisable.
International triathlete Hayden Moorhouse was in first position with a 2min lead, and little time separating the next four. Into the run, Greg caught the runner in front, only to be caught himself.
Greg found another gear, pushed through the pain outsprinting the other two competitors to take the silver medal in a time of 1hr 39min 11sec.
Nakia Randle emerged third from the water in the senior girls race.
With a 4min deficit going into the bike ride, Nakia rode extremely well, retaining her position and recording the second-fastest bike time.The extra mountain-biking skills training she had done in preparation for this event paid off, giving her a 90sec buffer at the final transition.
Unfortunately, the buffer wasn't quite enough to hold on to second place, but a strong run saw Nakia five minutes clear of the next competitor and claiming a bronze medal.
Roxburgh bowler
Sarah Davidson (year 13), from Roxburgh Area School, proves she can play both the outdoor and indoor versions of a sport usually linked to those beyond her young years. Sarah played in the singles tournament at the recent Roxburgh indoor tournament, winning all three of her matches in the junior (under-18) section. This success provides Sarah with the opportunity to represent Central Otago at the New Zealand junior indoor bowls championships in Wellington in August. This will be Sarah's first time competing at the national level in junior indoor bowls. She will be hoping to add to her outdoor zone 6 singles title.
St Hilda's netball
St Hilda's had four teams compete in the Otago secondary schools netball tournament recently. The senior A team had close wins over Dunstan (22-20) in the quarterfinal and Otago Girls' High School (22-21) in a very tense semifinal to secure a spot in the final. The team was beaten by a very good Columba team in the final.
The senior B team was invited to compete in the A grade as well and finished a creditable 11th.
The intermediate team had good wins over Waitaki Girls' and Columba in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
This produced a matchup in the finals against South Otago High School, a repeat of the 2010 junior final which South Otago won. After a very intense match, where South Otago was ahead for most of the game, St Hilda's had a strong final quarter, resulting in a draw at fulltime and the title being shared. The junior A team was beaten by eventual winner Mt Aspiring College in the quarterfinals, so finished in fifth position. This was a good result for the girls, who are now looking forward to the South Island junior tournament in Christchurch in the July holidays.
John McGlashan cross-country
The annual school cross-country was run on various courses (depending on age groups) around Kettle Park and environs recently.
The novices and juniors raced together, with Joshua Browne winning the novices race in 8min 23sec, , and Jack Ashcroft winning the juniors in 8min 58sec.
The intermediate and senior races ran a harder course, with Joe Beamish (14min 54sec) and Toby Batchelor (14min 28sec) emerging respective winners.
