Harrison Frankham, 13, Xavier Badland, 12, Joseph Streeter, 13, and Luke Gillies, 13. Photo / Alan Gibson - Gibson Images
Harrison Frankham, 13, Xavier Badland, 12, Joseph Streeter, 13, and Luke Gillies, 13. Photo / Alan Gibson - Gibson Images
Three-hundred bread rolls, 10 kilograms of apples, at least 300 Subway subs per day, and 3000kg of kiwifruit over the week.
That is just some of the food fuelling the 10,000-plus Zespri AIMS Games athletes this year.
Bananas, Up & Go, bread, buns, muesli bars, muffins, and chocolate milk have also been flying off supermarket shelves during the week-long intermediate-aged sporting tournament.
For 15 years, Royden Trask from Caddysnak Catering has served up a breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet for athletes from Murrays Bay Intermediate School.
Royden Trask from Caddysnak Catering. Photo / Alan Gibson - Gibson Images
This year, Royden and his wife Bev Trask are catering for about 120 athletes at the Omanu Golf Club.
"We enjoy it. It is rewarding," he said.
As a business, Trask said the last two years had been tough and catering for the AIMS athletes for a whole week was "the difference between winning and losing".
"It is good to get these bookings back in for a whole week."
Trask said the buffet breakfast involved about five different cereals, baked beans, spaghetti, toast, canned fruit and hash browns.
"The most popular is Nutrigrain, Milo cereal, Cocoa Pops - there are about 30 to 40 boxes of that over the week."
The athletes also had the opportunity to make their own filled rolls for a packed lunch. They probably go through about 10 to 12 loaves of bread every morning and about 300 bread rolls, he said.
Harrison Frankham, 13, fills up a filled roll for lunch. Photo / Alan Gibson - Gibson Images
"We make chocolate biscuits, afghans, muffins, raspberry white chocolate, and choc chip. We make about 125 muffins and 125 biscuits every day."
The children also have a choice of a banana or apple, he said.
"We have a whole box of bananas and about 10kg of apples every day."
Dinner is roast beef or pork plus roast vegetables, broccoli, and peas, which are all served up by the parents, followed by ice cream for dessert.
Thursday night is burger night.
Murrays Bay Intermediate School basketball team manager Belinda Pohio said being able to feed the athletes a breakfast buffet and allow them to make their own lunches for the day made things "easy".
"It means we don't have to go to the shop. The kids put in what they want and it means they eat well."
The school's rugby coach Kai'a Lene said the team was travelling from Katikati each day to fuel up on the buffet before the Games.
Lene said the Games were important and created "life-long memories".
"It is a unique tournament and a massive milestone in a young person's life."
Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club retiring club manager Lynne Whitaker said the roughly 40 volunteers involved in the kitchen played a pivotal part.
"We make 42 sandwiches for the volunteers each day. They bring their own lunch boxes. Toasted sandwiches have gone flat out, so have sausage rolls and two-minute noodles."
Laura Whitiskie warming up the sausage rolls for the AIMS Games athletes. Photo / Mead Norton
Volunteers Laura Whitiskie and Christine Avard said it was nice to see the children out and about.
New World Mount Maunganui owner Allan Rudkin said bananas were one of the "biggest movers" overall, with Up & Go the biggest in grocery.
"Bread, buns, muesli bars and muffins are flying out the door and chocolate milk has also been a big seller.
"With no AIMS Games for the last two years due to Covid, the team are really excited to have it back in the community."
Zespri head of global public affairs Michael Fox said they were expecting to donate around 3000kg of Zespri SunGold and Green Kiwifruit across the games this year.
"As a business based in the Bay of Plenty, we've seen first-hand the hugely positive impact the AIMS Games has on our communities across New Zealand.
"It makes a real difference to the health and happiness of our young people and is a natural fit for Zespri given our purpose of helping people, communities and the environment around the world thrive through the goodness of kiwifruit.
"So we're incredibly proud to be working alongside AIMS Games to encourage even more Kiwi kids to take part, keep active, to eat well and learn healthy habits through sport."
Fox said the games were a fantastic celebration of youth sport and "a landmark event for the city".
"We know it's been tough for everyone throughout the pandemic and so after a two-year hiatus, this will be a huge boost to the local business community."
Volunteers Laura Whitiskie and Christine Avard. Photo / Mead Norton
Subway Bayfair managing director and franchisee Cushla Lockyer said they had sold at least 300 subs per day since the event arrived on Saturday.
Using the online app and AIMS Games sponsor Lunchonline, orders could be placed as early as March.
"Orders closed last Wednesday to give us time to prepare and organise things at our end for ordering purposes.
"Over the peak of our lunch rush my team and I are making over 70 foot longs an hour, it's quite an impressive sight to see."
She said it had been tough trading through the different levels of Covid-19 and the return of the AIMS had been great for business.
"The atmosphere it brings to the city is great to see. AIMS is the start of what is to come during the summer season.
"This will bring back all the festival goers and holidaymakers. I have been very lucky to be a part of such a great supportive community, my team is amazing and I am very lucky to have them."
