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The Otago Secondary Schools Sports Association profiles some athletes who compete in individual sports or take on the important roles of officiating. Each has a unique story to tell about their involvement and drivers behind their success.
TAIERI COLLEGE
Sienna Forgie (year 13)
Sport: Wrestling.
Experience: Ten years.
What drew you to an individual sport?
I was drawn to wrestling because I was always at the club watching my brother from the sidelines. I’ve also always liked the mental and physical aspects within it.
Why do you enjoy competing on your own?
Because I am responsible for my own performance. It motivates me to work hard and push myself to improve my skills as I know that I can’t rely on other people to do that for me.
What has the sport taught you about yourself?
Wrestling has taught me that I am more determined and resilient than I thought. Even when something is difficult, I have learnt to keep working through it, learn from my mistakes and not give up.
EAST OTAGO HIGH SCHOOL
Tyler Vickers (year 10)
Sport: Motocross cross-country riding.
Experience: I have been riding for over eight years on my family farm but started races competitively two years ago. I have competed in three races so far and placed third in the Berwick Super Scramble.
What drew you to compete in this sport?
I wanted to start racing when all my mates began to do it so decided to just give it a go.
Why do you enjoy racing?
Compared to just riding on the farm, it’s fun to race competitively and against other people.
What has the sport taught you about yourself?
This sport has taught me not to give up, which I have learnt to take into other parts of my life and use the resilience I have learnt from this to overcome challenges.
DUNSTAN HIGH SCHOOL
Tara Mulholland (year 11)
Sport: Netball player, umpire and coach.
Experience: Umpiring since year 7.
What drew you to umpiring?
I think it was the fact that I had always loved playing the sport so this was almost always the next step for me. My mum umpired before I did and sometimes I’d watch her. Then one year I told Mum I wanted to umpire for myself and she just signed me up, and I’ve umpired for my teams every year since.
Why do you enjoy officiating?
I enjoy umpiring because it’s such a supportive and encouraging environment. When I was first learning to umpire, I was able to have a shadow to help me and I could umpire games at levels I felt comfortable with. The people at the netball club also check up on us and make sure we are feeling OK with what we are doing.
What has the role taught you about yourself?
To put myself forward and accept others’ support. People tell you to put yourself out there and I could not agree more.
BAYFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
Martin Warriner (year 12)
Sport: Rugby referee for Otago Rugby Football Union.
Experience: I started playing rugby when I was 4 and started refereeing in my final year of club rugby in 2022. I refereed my first official game in 2023.
What drew you to becoming a referee?
In my final year of club rugby, I suffered two head knocks which resulted in concussion. Even though I could not play any more, I still wanted to be involved, so I contacted Brandon at ORRA (Otago Rugby Referrees Association). My first experience was as an assistant referee at the AU ground.
Why do you enjoy officiating?
Officiating on my own has given me more confidence because I need to speak to players, coaches and others on the association. I have also been able to develop and increase my leadership skills, gaining respect on and off the field.
What has the role taught you about yourself?
This sport has taught me that I have the resilience to be able to learn and grow in a sport I love, and by giving my time each week to help make sure that everybody gets a safe game.
OTAGO GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL
Eva Nkoana (year 9)
Sport: Netball.
Experience: Player and umpire for two years.
What drew you to the role of officiating?
Eva first stepped into the officiating role at age 13 in 2025, driven by a desire to experience the sport from a whole new angle. While playing remains a core passion, picking up the whistle has transformed her personal growth well beyond the game itself.
What has the role taught you about yourself?
Umpiring has proven to be a powerful catalyst for building Eva’s independence and pushing her past her comfort zone. Standing on the sidelines managing live play has taught her to trust her instincts, cultivate firm self-belief, and make authoritative calls without second-guessing herself.
JOHN MCGLASHAN COLLEGE
Caiden Guthrie (year 11)
Sport: Motocross.
Experience: Six years.
What drew you to the sport?:
Growing up with family members who ride and race, getting into motocross back in 2020 felt like a natural step for me. Now in year 11, pushing myself in an individual sport has taught me a lot about what it really takes to lead from the middle. Competing on your own is a completely different mindset to being part of a traditional team, and it forces you to learn accountability.
Why do you enjoy the sport?
What I love most about solo competition is the personal responsibility. My preparation, my training, and my results rest entirely on my shoulders as there’s no hiding behind anyone else’s performance. If I succeed, I know I earned it, and if things go wrong, it’s on me to fix it.
What has the sport taught you about yourself?
More than anything, racing has built my resilience. Pushing through tough situations on the track has shown me how to persevere when things get rough, both in the sport and in everyday life.
KING’S HIGH SCHOOL
Angus Macgregor (year 12)
Sport: Rugby referee.
Experience: Two years.
What drew you to becoming a referee?:
I became involved in rugby refereeing after my grandad, who was also a referee, encouraged me to give it a go.
Why do you enjoy officiating on your own?
I enjoy refereeing because it allows me to stay connected to the game of rugby, which I grew up playing and have a strong passion for.
What has the role taught you about yourself?
One of the biggest things refereeing has taught me about myself is that I perform well under pressure. I thrive in high-stakes games and find that the bigger the occasion, the more I enjoy being out in the middle and making decisions under pressure.
ST HILDA’S COLLEGIATE
Ella Wither (year 12)
Sport: Netball umpire and fencer.
Experience: I started umpiring in year 10 and have continued doing it for the past two years, and I started fencing around the end of year 10.
What drew you to an individual sport and becoming an official?
One of the things that drew me to fencing as an individual sport was the fact that when you are fencing, you are fully reliant on your own reflexes and strategy compared to having other people to back you up. This was new to me as I hadn’t really played an individual sport before. Something that drew me to umpiring was the new aspect of netball that I had never really seen before. Umpiring was also a very beneficial way to work with the younger players but also increase my own understanding of the game, and how I could improve in my own gameplay.
Why do you enjoy competing/officiating on your own?
I enjoy the quick decision-making and having to be the person who makes the final call. There are many things that I enjoy about fencing, including learning new techniques, parries and strategies.
What has sport taught you about yourself?
Umpiring has taught me how to be confident in making decisions. Sometimes when refereeing, players can get frustrated with your decision and part of being an umpire is learning to back yourself and stand by what you know and see. Fencing has taught me the importance of positive self-talk in sport, because you are not on a court with team members working towards a common goal — it’s on you to mentally support yourself and be kind to yourself when things go wrong.