Archie Body
Archie Body
Being a high achiever in multiple sports can be a tricky load to balance.
But Archie Body says synergy is the key to making it work.
The 17-year-old Blue Mountain College prefect has been a South West and Otago Country U16 rugby representative, the West Otago Secondary School U18 rugby team captain, a Southland U16 touch representative, a New Zealand U16 touch talent ID camp member, a member of the Southland U18 mixed touch team which was runner-up at the 2021 New Zealand Youth Touch Nationals, a Southland U17 cricket squad member, the school’s athletics champion for the past two years, and school cross-country champion for the past three years.
It may seem like a lot of sport to tackle, but there is synergy in them, he says.
The strengths and skills he learns from one sport can often be applied to the others, he says.
"They work together to make me better at all of the sports. Everything is intertwined."
Archie says his love of sport has also taught him a lot of life skills.
"Most of the sports I play are team sports, so I’ve learned to work with others.
"It’s given me a lot of social skills. It’s also taught me a lot about having goals, having a plan to achieve those goals and being determined about it.
"I’ve learned a lot about leadership as well."
Those skills have been very useful in his school roles as a prefect, deputy house leader and peer support leader.
Next year, Archie plans to study commerce and science, majoring in management and sports and exercise science at the University of Otago.
He wants to continue playing as many sports as he can, but ultimately he will focus on rugby in the hopes of playing for the Highlanders one day.
"That would be my dream goal."
Achievements: NCEA level 1 excellence (2019), level 2 merit (2020); prefect (2021); deputy house leader (2021); formal committee (2021); peer support leader (2021); Teen Ag Club deputy chairman (2021); U16 South West rugby (2019); U16 Otago Country rugby (2019); U16 Southland touch (2019); NZ Youth Touch Nationals (2020); U17 Southland cricket squad (2019); 1st XI cricket (2019, 2020, 2021); college cross-country champion (2019, 2020, 2021); West Otago Secondary U16 rugby team (2019), U18 team (2020), captain (2021); U18 Southland mixed touch(2020), runners-up NZ Youth Touch Nationals (2021), nominated Southland Sporting Team of the Year (2021); selected NZ U16 Touch talent ID camp (2020); U17 Southland cricket wider squad (2020); college athletics champion (2020, 2021); 1st XI bowling trophy (2020); college outstanding sporting potential award (2020); college rugby MIP (2020); Waikoikoi Men’s B cricket (2020); Cantabrians RFC Burnham Live-in Rugby School (2021); Wakatipu HS U18 mixed A touch (2021); Dance Sport (2019); Duke of Edinburgh Bronze (2021), working towards Silver.
Role model: My parents.
Hopes for the future: To study commerce and science, majoring in management and sports and exercise science at the University of Otago.
Caleb Stuart
Caleb Stuart
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the art of throwing a javelin is more than just physics.
Blue Mountain College head boy Caleb Stuart says it takes patience, determination, a strong mindset and a really good sense of humour.
"It’s a bit like playing golf. It can be a bit discouraging.
"Sometimes you get a really good throw, and other times, if you get part of your technique wrong, it doesn’t go where you want it to and it can really get your mood down."
The 18-year-old says it is important to laugh it off and refocus on improving the next throw.
It’s a method that has seen him become the Otago Secondary Schools Athletics age-group javelin champion twice, and the South Island age-group javelin champion twice.
He has also competed at two New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics Championships where he was placed 11th in 2018 and seventh in 2019 in the javelin.
Off the field, Caleb also loves to play basketball. He is the school’s senior boys team captain and coaches the school year 9 and 10 team.
Away from sporting endeavours, he has been the top scholar for the past two years, and continues to put his leadership skills to use in many school and community activities.
Next year he plans to take a gap year and raise funds to study environmental or forestry management.
Achievements: Head boy (2021); NCEA level 1 excellence (2019), level 2 merit (2020); school top scholar award (2019, 2020); design technology prize (2019); speech contest winner (2019); sporting Blue athletics (2019); athletics prize (2019); 1st Otago SS athletics U16 boys javelin (2019), 3rd U16 boys discus (2019); 1st South Island SS athletics U16 boys javelin (2019); qualified for javelin in national athletics (2019); 3D mission training (youth mission encounter Tonga) (2019); school production (2019); kapa haka (2019, 2020), leader (2021); Boost leadership camp (2019, 2020), junior camp leader (2019), senior camp leader (2020, 2021); year 13 leadership camp (2021); 2nd Otago SS athletics U18 boys javelin (2020); senior academic prize (2020); top all-round student design technology (2020); first aid course level 2 (2020); three PB4L badges; youth group leader 2020; year 9 and 10 boys basketball coach (2021); senior boys basketball captain (2021); gold Duke of Edinburgh (2021); formal committee (2021); peer support (2021); 1st Otago SS athletics javelin (2021), 3rd discus (2021), 1st South Island SS athletics javelin (2021); qualified national athletics javelin (2021); lunchtime activities committee (2021); school sound engineer (2021); youth group leader (2021).
Role model: My dad.
Hopes for the future: To take a gap year and raise money to study environmental or forestry management.
