Sports directors conference
In the first week of the school holidays, the 17 regional sports directors assembled in Rotorua for their annual conference.
Representatives from Sparc and the New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council were also there.
The most interesting topic discussed on day one was the eligibility criteria for pupils changing schools.
There have been cases of schools poaching pupils who have outstanding sporting ability.
This has been particularly prevalent in Auckland, where some schools see the performance of their sports teams as an extremely high priority.
The NZSSSC has introduced guidelines to help control the movement which have been adopted by all secondary schools and national sporting organisations throughout the country.
The two key aspects of the guidelines are a quota on the number of pupils who join the school playing in the first teams, and when a pupil changes schools there is the option for their school of origin principal to sign a letter indicating that the pupil is changing schools for genuine reasons.
This waiver then allows the pupil to play in the first team of their new school without falling under the quota system.
On day two there was a presentation on Sports Runner, a computer programme to assist with draws for weekly competitions.
Steve Schapel visited Dunedin and has presented his product to various sporting organisations.
His programme has been adopted by groups throughout the country including cricket and rugby.
Of real interest is the development of an online programme which will mean all schools will be able to make their own online entries similar.
This programme will be compatible with Sports Runner and should be available in 2009.
The OSSSA has adopted the Sports Runner programme, and will be introducing the online programme to schools as soon as it becomes available.
Danyon Loader visit
Olympic swimming great Danyon Loader will be in the Otago area on November 4, 5 and 6, speaking to groups of pupils throughout the region.
While the programme has yet to be confirmed, it is hoped Loader will be able to run seminars in both the town and the country, talking about his experiences in reaching the top in his chosen sport.
He will also be guest speaker at the Bayfield High School sports award evening on Wednesday, November 5.
Loader will complement the visits made by Cory Hutchings earlier this year, with both sportsmen being part of the Sparc Ambassadors programme.
Petanque
In the first weekend in November, New Zealand will play Australia in the inaugural youth transtasman petanque tournament in Auckland.
Twelve players have been selected to compete in this event, including Kelsey Bradshaw (Queens High School), Sarah Lyall (Taieri College) and Jamie Richardson (formerly Logan Park High School) from the Caversham Petanque Club, and Sarah Jane Copeland (South Otago High School) from the Milton Petanque Club.
These four girls, aged between 15 and 18, are part of a contingent of six from the South Island and all have been playing competitive petanque for at least five years.
Most have played in several national tournaments against adult players.
They will be competing against a very experienced Australian squad, some of whom have played for their open team earlier this year in Christchurch.
The age range for the youth squad is 30 years or under.
This will change in future years and be divided up into other age groups as the number of youth players increases.
The four local girls have been getting together regularly for coaching and practice play with one of the regional coaches at the Caversham club.
They also competed in the New Zealand singles championships in Alexandra at the weekend.
Basketball
Otago Boys has had its best season of recent times.
It had a 31-1 record, won the Basketball Otago competition for a sixth straight year, won the South Island schools title for a second straight year, and placed fifth at the national schools tournament.
In addition, the year 9 and 10 teams also won the Basketball Otago competitions, with the year 10 team finishing sixth in the South Island.
The A basketball team also boasts four New Zealand representatives with Sam King and Morgan Nathan playing for the Junior Tall Blacks and Hayden Miller and Thomas Rowe making the New Zealand Under-18 team.
Otago Boys qualified for the national tournament in Palmerston North, where the top 24 teams around the country compete for the top spot.
In pool play, OBHS beat Hamilton Boys 77-55, Middleton Grange (Christchurch) 83-39, Kelston Boys (Auckland) 104-69, St Johns College (Hamilton) 89-80 and Nelson College 78-70.
In the quarterfinal against Rangitoto College, from the North Shore, a school of more than 3000 pupils, Otago Boys was the favoured team.
OBHS built an early lead but Rangitoto, battle-hardened from its season in the Auckland competition, forced Otago Boys into 12 turnovers in the third quarter and then shot 75% down the stretch to win 72-63.
That left Otago Boys with a play-off game against the top team in the Auckland region, Westlake Boys High School.
Otago Boys trailed by as much as 20 points in the third quarter but closed the gap and stayed composed to win 84-79.
The last game of the season for the team was a rematch with St Johns College, which happens to be coach Brent Matehaere's old school.
Otago Boys stepped up the pressure and had a convincing 103-74 win.
Thomas Rowe was the only member of the team to be selected to the tournament team and one of only two South Island representatives.
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
Calendar of events
October 15 - Surfing competition starts
October 16 - Futsal competition starts
October 17 - Weekly water polo competition starts
October 21 - Weekly touch competition starts
October 20-31 - Country school coaching visits