''It was the biggest number of students and in lots of different sports, new sports we hadn't done before,'' says Cam. ''The uptake was huge and the interest level was huge.
"We had 40 people turn up for indoor bowls trials for four places.''
He says he hopes alternative events to allow students to compete can be arranged.
''But we need to be patient and let it play out, get some rules and get some landscape on it before organising other things. It won't be the AIMS Games, but we'll look to organise something else.''
Cam says it isn't just the students he feels for, with many teams coached by parents who had stepped up and given their time.
''We even had an ex-parent who didn't get to go last year but who still wanted to be involved even though he had no children at it.''
Cam says that while hearing about the cancellation still came as a shock, the reality is the organisers had no choice.
Te Puke High School sports co-ordinator Ben Hopkins says the school was due to send its two first XI hockey teams, the first XV and girls' rugby teams and senior netball team to tournaments, with two basketball teams on standby.
''They'll be disappointed in it because it's the culmination of their season. Some of our students missed out last year when they were Year 12 and have now missed out this year as Year 13s. They are going to be extremely disappointed."
He says he understands if the students are finding it difficult to keep fit and motivated.
The secondary school rugby and netball seasons had already finished, hockey finals were due to be played the week the country went into lockdown and the football season had two more weeks to run.
''Their season is essentially done now because they are stuck in the situation where [tournament week] was their last hurrah, they'd have a couple of weeks and then they'd be into their summer sports, but right now they're sort of in a holding pattern.
"They don't know if they are going to get anything of their winter season and also don't know what their summer season's going to look like.''
Students are encouraged to keep themselves fit.
''It's hard because the motivation tends to run short as they don't actually know what's happening. What am I warming up for? What am I training for? Because I might not get my summer season.''
Ben says that being senior students, they would have recognised winter tournament was in doubt as soon as the lockdown was announced.
''We've just been in contact with them and said this is what's happening, it's been cancelled and we will look to figure out what the next part of that is once we get back to school. At this stage we really can't plan anything.''
