The week in secondary school sport

Louise Lin (Logan Park), left, and Connie McDonald (Columba) battle for possession in a secondary...
Louise Lin (Logan Park), left, and Connie McDonald (Columba) battle for possession in a secondary schoolgirls hockey game at the McMillan Centre on Monday. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Profile: Amelia Kinnaird
Year 11, St Hildas Collegiate School.

Amelia (15) has had a busy few months, competing in numerous regional and national multisport and cross-country events.

In April, Amelia travelled to Lake Karapiro, where she competed in the New Zealand secondary schools triathlon championships.

In a close race, where 30sec covered the second to seventh places, Amelia finished a creditable sixth.

On the local scene, Amelia competed in the Kings Road Relay.

Her team was placed second in the senior girls race, and Amelia's time was second equal fastest.

Amelia won the Otago secondary schools senior girls duathlon title at North Taieri with a strong display of cycling and running.

She was also a member of the St Hildas senior team that was placed second at the Milton relays.

She then travelled to Auckland on June 1 to compete in the New Zealand secondary schools duathlon champs.

This race was a circuit around the Viaduct, and Amelia finished third, only 24sec behind the eventual winner.

She was the only South Island athlete in the field.

On the following Thursday, she competed in the Otago secondary schools cross-country, in which she was placed second in the under-16 girls section, and she was a member of the St Hildas team that won the teams event in that age group.

Amelia travels to New Plymouth to compete in the New Zealand secondary schools cross-country championships.

Lindsay Dey has been training Amelia, and it has been his dedication and knowledge and Amelia's huge commitment to training that has brought about these results.

NZ secondary schools bowls

Forty-two students from Geraldine to Invercargill recently participated in the regional finals of the secondary schools bowls championships in Gore.

These pupils had already participated in competitions held in their respective Centres, and qualified for the regional finals.

The coaching programmes undertaken were reflected in standard of play.

Close competition was evident in all disciplines, with players who competed in last year's event again performing with distinction.

Lanah Craik, Kate Willyams, Olivia Smith, Mitchell Will, Jonathan Ridden and Ben Dunbar all attended last year's finals in Wellington, with Willyams and Smith winning the girls pairs plate.

Congratulations to the following players who will now represent their schools at the Henselite national secondary schools bowls finals, which are being held December 1113 in Hamilton.

Girls singles: Sarah Davidson (Roxburgh Area School), Lanah Craik (Waitaki Girls High School Girls).

Girls pairs: Claudia Heron and Nadine Lawson (St Hildas Collegiate School), Kate Willyams and Olivia Smith (Dunstan High School).

Boys singles: Mitchell Will (St Peters College, Gore), Jonathan Ridden (Mountainview High School, Timaru).

Boys pairs: Ben Dunbar and Brentton Donaldson (Timaru Boys High School), B. J. Carroll and Mufadhal Valibhai (Northern Southland College, Lumsden).

Otago secondary schools netball

The Otago secondary schools netball tournament was held on June 8 and June 9.

This annual tournament attracted 54 teams and provided an opportunity for the country schools to compete against their town counterparts.

In the senior A section, defending champion St Kevins was too strong again, and, after beating St Hildas in the semi-final, retained the title by beating Otago Girls High School 2622 in the final.

The strong team-work displayed by the St Kevins players and their great composure during the tight games helped them win this title.

The senior B section, with eight teams, caters for the smaller country schools and always produces some entertaining games.

As an indication of the strength of netball at Dunstan High School, the school's senior Bs entered in this grade to help out with the numbers and were very competitive.

In an exciting final, Tokomairiro held on to beat Cromwell 2019.

The intermediate (year 10) section attracted 14 teams and the result was close.

St Hildas and Waitaki Girls both had good wins over OGHS and Taieri in the semi-finals to ensure their place in the final.

In a game that was incredibly tense, Waitaki Girls held their composure to win 2120.

The junior (year 9) section attracted 18 teams, the largest number in any section.

In a close match, St Hildas beat a strong Dunstan team 1918 to progress to the finals.

The other semi-final, between Columba and Waitaki Girls, resulted in a convincing win to Columba 154.

The final saw St Hildas win quite convincingly 25-5.

A big thank you must go to the umpires who made themselves available to officiate during the tournament, and to Graeme Harvey and his helpers at the Sports Injury Clinic.

Cromwell College achievers

More than over 30 pupils were selected for Central Otago or Otago teams in hockey, rugby, netball, football and basketball this term.

The swimming sports were held recently and Kate Holden, Brittany Butler and Rob Gillespie broke long-standing records.

Kawarau won the house swimming competition.

Congratulations to Abby Holden, who won a gold medal in the South Island secondary schools karate tournament in Christchurch last weekend.

Sparc visit

Sparc sports ambassador Cory Hutchings has just completed a visit to the Otago region, during which he presented seminars in Alexandra, Balclutha and Dunedin. Pupils from 20 of our 23 secondary schools attended the seminars, along with students and staff from the Sports Institute of Otago.

His presentation centred on his fight to compete at the highest level after being diagnosed with hepatitis A.

The moment Cory woke up in hospital and was told he could no longer compete in the sport he loved was a major turning point in his life.

"I learned that you never realise what you've got until it is taken away from you.

"Lying in that hospital bed, I knew they were wrong. I knew what I wanted to do and decided there and then to give it a go."

He went on to win three world ironman titles.

His story is a message to young athletes about having the mental toughness to overcome adversity.

Basketball teams do well

Kavanagh College's basketball teams are performing with credit in the local competitions.

The senior girls team is the only team in the top women's division.

It has been competitive in this grade, which will prepare the players well for the South Island regional finals and the nationals championships in Palmerston North.

The boys team has also performed well, with fine wins over Kings High School and John McGlashan College.

The senior B boys team is leading its competition, reflecting the depth of basketball players at the college.

These articles are compiled by the Otago Secondary Schools Sports Assn Inc (OSSSA), which is proudly sponsored by the University of Otago College of Education.

Contacts: Des Smith, Otago Regional Sports Director, PO Box 6303, Dunedin.

Ph 470 1337 Fax 470 1786 Email: des@osssa.org.nz Website: www.osssa.org.nz

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