Players celebrate as representatives of the contingent of 68 from Taradale Intermediate who returned with the Teammates Cup from the Aims Games in Tauranga. Photo/supplied
Players celebrate as representatives of the contingent of 68 from Taradale Intermediate who returned with the Teammates Cup from the Aims Games in Tauranga. Photo/supplied
Winning quite often becomes a yardstick of success in sport but two Hawke's Bay intermediate schools have shown you don't have to claim gold medals to capture the soul of a nation.
Peterhead School, of Hastings, and Taradale Intermediate, of Napier, have returned from the six-day Anchor Aims Games in Tauranga with accolades for their kindred spirit that transcends their sporting excellence.
Taradale Intermediate won the Teammates Cup for sportsmanship among 303 schools, the first year the games incorporated para-athletes, a fortnight ago.
"We're pretty chuffed and really proud of our team," says school head of sport Kirsten Demanser-Wilson. "It's all about an organisation building into the competition."
Demanser-Wilson says it's about presentation of a team, punctuality, inclusiveness, behaviour during competition and, overall, respect.
Demanser-Wilson says it is a snapshot of how the pupil ambassadors represented their school for an entire week which "was very cool".
The Taradale Intermediate contingent of 68 finished 11th on the table, claiming three golds - in girls' soccer, year 8 girls' canoe slalom team and year 7 individual girls' canoe slalom kudos for Reese Drager who entered as a swimmer but switched codes when she hurt a shoulder.
They claimed silver medals in the 50m girls' backstroke (Olivia Wellington), year 8 boys' canoe slalom team and in the six-a-side mixed hockey team.
Golfer Zack Swanwick claimed bronze and so did the girls' badminton team.
Peterhead School finished third among 120 netball teams after losing the semifinal 30-29 to eventual champions Holy Cross School from Papatoetoe.
"We lost by one goal in the final second where they got the last pass and scored," says teacher in charge Tineka Tuala-Fata, echoing the sentiments of an "eye-patch wearing" principal Martin Gennet that they were "the best school there".
But that sense of deportment is built on a foundation of humility.
"Both teams' players were crying and our players just hugged them to make sure they were all right so that's why our team were so popular," says Tuala-Fata who also is deputy principal.
"We had very good sportsmanship, shall we say and we were very proud of them. We saved all our jumping about until after we got to our tents," she says with a laugh.
Tuala-Fata says their crisp, clean netball is a tribute to adroit coach Kori Waerea whose daughter Kyra captains the side.
"We had different faces coming to watch us - referees and teams from different parts of the country - just because of how our girls and boy played."
Players celebrate as representatives of the contingent of 68 from Taradale Intermediate who returned with the Teammates Cup from the Aims Games in Tauranga. Photo/supplied
The sole male player is Tuala-Fata's son, Denim, who put his 1.93m height to good advantage in the shooting circle.
"Our girls have been together for five years so they have a lovely team work and flow through the court."
The girls have been under Waerea's tutelage over that duration and that continuity will remain as they graduate to Hastings Girls' High School to give rise to the possibility of a Bay team leaving their calling card at the New Zealand Secondary Schools' netball championship in a few years.
"I think Hastings Girls' have recognised that because they have named Kori as their junior coach so this team are really strong - not just as netballers but athletes."
Denim also has scored a foundation scholarship to Hastings Boys' High School.
The Flaxmere community, she says, is coming under the microscope for nurturing athletic children.
"For me that comes down to not just appointing the right coaches but also the parents' commitment."
Tuala-Fata says it boils down to carrying out duties such as transporting children to practices and on game days from Bridge Pa to Napier as well as making sure they have the basics, such as drink bottles, and raising funds.
"It's heartfelt because the whanau works so hard for their kids to make sure they get all these opportunities to make sure they are achieving at that level."
Tuala-Fata says Peterhead School are aware of their prowess in the Bay where they have been undefeated for the past five years but to venture to a national tourney took them outside their comfort zone.
"To know you're good enough when you go there [Aims Games] is when you realise you're good as a coach, parent and school because you have some super talent."
