The Special Olympics swimming team from the Bay of Islands club, wearing the medals they won at the National Summer Games last week.
The Special Olympics swimming team from the Bay of Islands club, wearing the medals they won at the National Summer Games last week.
The Special Olympics Bay of Islands Club Team came away from the recent Summer Games with a total medal haul of 29: six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze, won by 10 swimmers and one equestrian rider.
The Freemasons New Zealand Special Olympics National Summer Games took place in Hamilton from December 8 to 12, hosting over 1300 athletes and coaches from 42 clubs from around the country.
The BOI Club, which covers all the way north as far as Kaitāia to Kawakawa and Kaikohe, as well as the Hokianga to Kerikeri, has existed for 17 years.
Suzy Newhouse, team manager and club chairwoman for the Bay of Islands, noted it had taken “five years of hard work … but the team spirit has been great; all looking after each other. We are a small compact team who have been having a ball … they are phenomenal.”
Many of the swimming team have competed in at least two National Summer Games, with a few newbies joining the group this year.
The team is diverse in disabilities as well as in age, ranging from 13 to 33. The eldest, Chris Newhouse, has been sharing his experience with his teammates to help prepare them.
The four swimmers who have done incredibly well over the several days of competition with personal best times or better were Te Waipuke Tohu, Chris Newhouse, Lani Wallace and Jessica Rooney.
In a relay race, the team were swimming third, but once Tohu dived into the pool as the final swimmer, he pulled back several lengths to get the team into second place.
Speaking before her 25m freestyle final, Jessica Rooney exclaimed, “I’m going to boost it … I’m going to go fast. I want medals to show my mum!” She then won a silver medal.
Special Olympics equestrian rider Alana Baker, pictured with her coach Kate and mother Janet at the National Summer Games.
Special Olympics horse rider Alana Baker hails from Kerikeri and has been riding since she was 5 at Riding for the Disabled.
This was her first National Summer Games, and in speaking about Baker, her coach Kate noted “she is very precise … as long as she has fun”.
Participating this time at the Waikato Equestrian Centre as a CS-class rider, she competed at walking pace while supported.
Like all the other riders, Baker was allocated an unknown horse for the competition. An important characteristic of the Special Olympics is that horses are provided by the event management.
Matching horses is the first stage and one of the most important, with horses matched to riders on the basis of their rider profiles. Thankfully, she matched perfectly with a horse named Hogan during the horse-matching phase before the competition started.
Baker ran Hogan through his paces in three disciplines: English equitation (responding to commands given by the judge), dressage (working through a pre-determined course test) and working trails (working over and through obstacles). She came away with silver medals in all three disciplines.
When asked about her achievements, Baker commented, “It was amazing. He [Hogan] did what I asked him to do — he’s a sweetheart.”
Medals apart, Baker set out to achieve the goals of having fun and taking part, and the Games received a big tick in both boxes.
“It’s a very emotional moment. I’m so proud,” said Baker’s mother, Janet.
The Bay of Islands Club Team have a long way to travel home, but they will revel in their many successes as the kilometres roll by, no doubt to be recounted in the days and weeks to come. Who knows how high their sights will be set for the next National Summer Games, set to be held in three years in Christchurch?
Special Olympics Bay of Islands Club Team members include: Swimmers Sharon Kopa, Hazel Leefe, Lani Wallace, Zadkiel Beazley-Tango, Te Ariki Beckham, Kelsey Heta, Tadi Tadiwanashe, Jessica Rooney, Te Waipuke Tohu, Sarasin Ben, Chris Newhouse, Sam Tecklenburg, Denise Pure, Cameron; and Alana Baker, who competed in equestrianism.
