The Otago Academy of Sport held its annual graduation of its year two athletes and also a celebration of the achievements of its first-year athletes.
The academy has 24 young athletes under its wings, running programmes and workshops to help budding athletes reach their potential and take the next step to national squads.
It is different from individual academies which are solely focused on one sport.
The academy does not carry out the technical coaching of each athlete’s sport but is more about getting the right support networks for the athlete so they can fulfil their potential and be in the right position to make the next step and become carded athletes within their sport.
The academy had nine athletes complete their second-year programmes and graduate last night at a ceremony at the Sargood Centre.
They were Erika Fairweather and Jess Scott (swimming), Ben Mason (rowing), Dyani Shepherd-Oates (athletics), James Nicolson (hockey), Hannah Matehaere (basketball), Talei Pelasio (netball), Ben Baines (athletics, para athlete, javelin, discus, shot put) and Liam Wilson (athletics, para athlete , 100m, 200m, long jump).
Some have already made some big strides in their career.
Fairweather is a world junior swimming champion and Scott has impressed in the pool at a national level.
Mason has made national rowing squads while Matehaere and Nicolson have both made national squads in their sports.
The academy has had to tailor its programme this year as the Covid-19 restrictions took hold.
Many meetings and programmes took place on the Zoom platform. Schedules were changed, but most of the athletes seemed to take it in their stride.
