Anendra Singh
The thought of facing a media scrum or approaching organisations for some much-need "moolah" give Holly-May Taylor the shakes.
So when the Hastings Girls' High School Year 12 pupil discovered Sport Hawke's Bay had included her in their inaugural high-performance academy last week, she was over the moon.
"It's great to have that sort of support when you are young and have dreams of playing sport at top level," says the 16-year-old.
An Akina Hockey Club player, Taylor has aspirations of one day being a Black Stick like her idols, Mandy Barker (nee Smith) and Hawke's Bay utility player Caryn Paewai.
A dedicated Taylor, who found netball "too feeble" as a child, will find immense benefits from the programme, her mum, Jill Tonks, says.
Twenty-four elite athletes will benefit from the year-long programme that will cover such diverse areas as workshops on sport nutrition, sport psychology, exercise prescription, video analysis on skill, goal setting, dealing with the media, fitness testing and sponsorship.
Napier Boys' High School has the lion's share of places this year with six, while Napier Girls' High has four.
Hastings Boys' High, Iona College, St John's College and Karamu High have two each while William Colenso, Havelock North High, Woodford House, Central Hawke's Bay College, Taradale High and Hastings Girls' High have one each.
Sparc ambassador and five-time ironman world champion Cory Hutchings presented the students with their academies last Thursday night after the official launching of the academy at the Lady Pettigrew Theatre at the Pettigrew-Green Arena, Taradale.
Hutchings told the high-fliers that they needed to do more then just take part in sport - having a killer instinct was a vital ingredient if they were to excel.
Sport HB's sport development officer for secondary schools, Joe Hitchcock, said the programme would not look to take a coaching role or impose on the training or strategies established coaches administer for the students.
"(The programme) will add value rather than take a controlling interest," Hitchcock said.
"At all times it will work with the athlete and their supporters to give them an overall education and experience of what it takes to be an elite athlete."
Each year, schools will be asked to nominate contenders for top athletes from their school before an independent panel finalises winners.
The hopefuls must be under the age of 19 on January 1 of each year.
The programme will be for the duration of one school year and consist of workshops through each school term and also monitor their personal progress.
Sport HB facilities and resources will also be available to them.
Hitchcock said the academy would be run out of school time, where possible, amid consideration of the many pressures student athletes endure in juggling studies, sport and part-time work.
Sport academy thrills HB pupils
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