These articles are compiled by the Otago Secondary Schools Sports Association which is proudly sponsored by Perpetual Guardian.
Dunstan High School
Dunstan's athletics squad finished off the 2017 sporting year in style with some strong performances at the nationals held in December last year, most notably the senior girls 4x100m relay team winning a gold medal in its event.
It was a fantastic achievement by the girls who have gone close in previous years and it was great to see their persistence paying off.
It has been a busy start to the year at Dunstan, with the school holding its annual swimming and athletics sports within the first few weeks of the term. In addition, the school's first XI cricket team competed in the secondary schools Super Smash competition. After winning its first game, the team was unable to win its final match and did not advance to the second round.
Summer tournament week now becomes the focus for the teams involved. This year Dunstan will have rowing, boys and girls softball, kayaking and volleyball teams competing in various South Island and national competitions during the week. The school athletics team will finish its season with Otago and South Island meets. Futsal trials are being held to send teams to the Otago Secondary Schools tournament.
East Otago High School
The Harris family has been involved with Warrington Surf Life Saving Club for six years. Both Kayle and Jordyne Harris are now qualified surf lifeguards. They gave up three to four weeks of their summer holidays to help out and lifeguard for the Breakaway programme, a school holiday programme run at Warrington Beach for the past three years, as well as doing their patrols on the beach in the weekends.
This year they have both started event guarding which involves lifeguarding during surf life-saving competitions, all of which is voluntary. Kayle now competes in IRB racing and they competed in the Otago championship on March 3 and placed third in the tube rescue.
Last weekend they competed in the South Island IRB Champs and won a bronze medal in tube rescue, silvers in the mass rescue and assembly and were fourth in single rescue. Overall, they finished second in the under-19 men's grade.
Kayle also competed in the South Island surf life-saving championships on February 24, winning a silver medal in the beach flags.
Kayle is now in training for the world championships, in Adelaide in November.
John McGlashan College
This report must start with the last act of the 2017 school year. Josh Hou attended the New Zealand Secondary School Athletic Championships in Hastings and claimed a bronze medal in the junior boys 3000m. As he has another year in this grade, the future looks bright for this young athlete. The New Year started in the same fashion for Josh. At the recent Otago Secondary School Championships he broke three records, in the 800, 1500 and 3000m.
In John McGlashan College's centenary year, athletics dominates the first few weeks of the term. Three records were broken at the school sports, by Hou in the junior 800m, Nathan Harrison in the intermediate high jump and the Ross House junior relay team also broke a record. Ross also won the House Cup.
The McGlashan rowing squad is preparing for the Maadi Cup with some strong performances at the South Island secondary schools regatta. The squad claimed six medals, including three golds. Will Edwards and Will Turner won gold in the under 16 double, Jack McLaughlan and Nic Chamberland won the under 17 double and McLaughlan also won the under 17 single.
Triathlete Grayson Westgate won his grade at the Challenge Wanaka, Otago secondary schools triathlon. Matheson Colquhoun went one better, winning the under 14 South Island championship.
Logan Park High School
The school has had the usual busy start to the year with summer sports in full swing.
Following the school athletics day, 19 pupils competed in the Otago Schools Athletics with some impressive results.
The following all qualified with a top three placing for the South Island champs: Rebecca Dalphin (under-15) 3000m first; Nirvana Hepi-Breen (under-14) first shot put and discus, second javelin; Zack Hibbert (under-14) second discus, second triple jump, third hammer throw; and Jorja Hutton (under-15) second discus.
Zack (Year 9) also competed in the South Island Colgate Games, winning two silver medals, and in the Otago Mini Multi, where he won the gold medal for his age group. Zack is in the Otago athletics team to compete in the Colgate provincials in Taranaki later this month.
A large group of pupils are involved in the school sailing programme. Miriam Barton and Anna Walrond competed in the 2018 National Sunburst championship regatta this month on the Otago Harbour. They came first in their division and are the national secondary schools fleet racing champions.
Another pupil to watch is Annie Kennedy Atchison for outstanding performances in surf life-saving.
She has enjoyed success across many events dominating in the 2018 Otago-Southland championships, including under-19 women's champion in the ski race, the open women's champ in the board race, open women's champ in the taplin, under-19 women's champ in the ski relay, surf and double ski as well as board rescue and board relay. Annie also performed impressively in the Eastern regional champs, held at Mount Maunganui.
Otago Girls' High School
The school has had a range of sporting successes during the first seven weeks of term but the highlight was the performance of pupils at the Otago secondary schools athletic championships. The athletes produced an outstanding set of results. Emma McKay broke the under-15 long jump and triple jump records and Gemma Millar broke the senior hammer record.
In total, 19 athletes qualified in individual events for the South Island secondary schools athletic championships.
Other recent successes are Madison Wills, who competed in the New Zealand short course swimming championships in Auckland and won a silver in 200m breaststroke and bronze in the 100m breaststroke. At the Otago swimming championships Wills and Esme Paterson gained top three placings. Talei Pelasio played in the under-16 Otago touch team which placed second at the nationals.
Ashleigh Dickinson has just returned from Kuala Lumpur where she played in the New Zealand women's under-18 hockey team in the Asia Challenge Cup. Alaina Baker was a member of the New Zealand judo squad which recently travelled to Japan. The senior A volleyball team placed second in division 1 at the Mainland South Island championships and Carina Donegan has won numerous medals in the Otago surf life-saving competition.
The rowers had success in the Otago secondary schools' head of harbour points regatta and the senior triathlon team won the recent secondary schools triathlon. A team also competed in Challenge Wanaka and was placed second in the secondary school team category. Rebecca de la Harpe was third in the junior girls category.
Roxburgh Area School
Roxburgh Area School had five teams competing in the Otago-Southland secondary schools triathlon in Wanaka. Congratulations to the junior mixed team of Beth Kirkpatrick, Brayden Whyte and Stacey McKinnel, who won their section and to the senior boys team of Haidyn Pringle, Alex Darling and Tiaan Mckinnel, who were second in their section.
The senior athletics championships was held recently where they were joined by pupils from Lawrence Area School and Maniototo Area School. Congratulations to all the competitors, especially those gaining times to attend the Otago Championships. Congratulations to the following who set school records: under-14 girls: Maggie Lawson-Rennie, 400m; Sarah Gunn, triple jump; under-15 girls: Annalee Black, triple jump; under-16 girls: Mackenzie Reid, javelin; Mackenzie Prew, shot put; senior boys: Tiaan McKinnel, 400m, 800m, 1500m; senior girls: Brooke Johnston, 400m; Erin Vernon, discus.
Congratulations to Tiaan McKinnel, Danae Wales, Katie Gunn and Sarah Gunn, who have all qualified to attend the SISS Athletics in Timaru.
Congratulations to Haidyn Pringle and Danae Wales who are the senior champions for 2018 and Bradyn Whyte and Molly Kirkpatrick who are the under-15 champions. A special congratulations to Haidyn Pringle for setting four records in one length freestyle,one length backstroke, one length breaststroke and one length butterfly at the swimming championships.
Many pupils competed in the equestrian events in the Mt Benger A&P show recently and achieved excellent results. Congratulations to Brooke Johnston, who along with her partner, Amy from Rolleston Christian School, won the B final in the South Island secondary schools mounted games, which were held in Leeston last week.
Tiann Mckinnel has recently competed in the Coast to Coast and finished second in secondary school section and 10th overall in the two-day race. He won the rail trail duathlon, finishing first in the men's individual two-day duathlon.
St Hilda's Collegiate
The annual St Hilda's athletics day timed the weather just right for another year, with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. There were some fantastic results throughout the day.
Amelia Newlands won the junior championship, Sarah Langsbury the intermediate championship, and Amelia Andrews the senior championship.
A seven-strong St Hilda's team competed in the South Island secondary schools triathlon and duathlon champs recently. Cecilia Crooks was first in senior girls, Natalie Hutchens fifth, Georgia Mitchell second in the duathlon, Giana Thomas third and the junior team of Anna Hutchens, Amelia Newlands and Molly Whittaker finished third.
Cecilia Crooks also claimed first place in the Otago secondary schools senior girls triathlon.
The rowers have also had a very busy start to the year competing in a number of regattas and most recently the South Island secondary school champs where a number of the crews did extremely well competing in 10 A Finals. They will be looking to carry this form into Maadi in two weeks' time.
Good luck to the senior A water polo and touch team competing in their respective South Island Champs during summer tournament week.
Finally a big congratulations to Jaide Dixon and Danielle Ferguson who have been selected in the New Zealand under-16 touch team to compete in the transtasman Series in Australia in September. Well done to Sarah Johnstone, who has also been selected in the New Zealand U16 development squad.
Taieri College
Taieri College has had a busy start to the year and pupils have been performing well, competing in a wide variety of events around Otago.
This year a large team went to the Otago Secondary Schools triathlon championships in Wanaka. Gabby Kakahi was a standout winning the OSSSA junior girls event. She then went on to compete in the South Island secondary schools triathlon championships and took second place in the junior women's event.
The tennis team qualified to represent Otago at the South Island tennis championships in Timaru. The team of Trey Russell, Mason Bell, Mikayla Ramage and Camryn Bain played some good tennis and enjoyed the event.
At the recent Otago touch championships, the mixed team finished first and came through unbeaten against Kaikorai Valley, South Otago, Cromwell and Tokomairaro. This is the first time they have won this event and the team now goes to South Island champs in Christchurch. Haylee Budd has continued her wonderful form in the rowing taking out a bronze medal in the under-18 women's single sculls event at the South Island rowing champs.
At the Otago athletics championships held last weekend, the following pupils had wins in their events: Ben Baines, Olivia Ellis, Ella Mackenzie and Thomas Cabral. Tara McNally had three wins and broke the record for girls under-16 300m hurdles, Zharna Beattie also won two events and broke the record for the girls under-16 shot put. Hamish Mears won two events and broke the record for the senior boys discus.
