College sport: MAGS celebrates grand new gymnasium

Mt Albert Grammar School's new gymnasium cost $3.1 million and took a year to build. Photo / Supplied

The completion of the multimillion-dollar first stage of an ambitious project has put Mt Albert Grammar on the growing list of Auckland schools enhancing their sporting facilities.

Prime Minister John Key will tomorrow open the school's new gymnasium, which headmaster Dale Burden sees as an important part in the school's curriculum in catering for its 2500 pupils.

The $3.1 million first stage - which has taken a year to complete - gives a state-of-the-art wooden sprung floor, bleacher seating for 300, six changing rooms and a climbing wall.

The second stage will be undertaken when funds are raised.

"Mt Albert Grammar School has a national reputation for outstanding physical education marks and its excellent teaching," said Burden.

"This facility now matches what one would expect from such high performance sporting school."

BRING IT ON

After a watery end to the summer sports programme in term one, the scene is set for intense winter competitions across a wide variety of sports in terms two and three, ending in the winter tournament week in August.

The first of the defending champions into the breach will be the King's College first hockey XI, playing at home against St Peter's College today.

Tomorrow EGGS begin the defence of their open A girls' hockey championship away to the St Cuthbert's 2nd XI.

On Friday night AGGS will begin their defence of the premier girls' basketball crown with a trip to play St Cuthbert's at the Jordan Centre. After them on court are AGS, who meet Onehunga as they attempt to defend their premier boys' championship.

The real interest comes on Saturday with the start of the rugby and soccer championships.

Defending rugby champions MAGS are away to Otahuhu while AGS kick off their soccer campaign at St Kentigern at noon.

Rugby will again have 1st XV matches broadcast live on Sky's Rugby Channel with the first of the local matches also on opening day with KBHS at home to King's.

KBHS will again be back on screen on May 21 when they travel to tackle MAGS. A week later Otahuhu are at home to De La Salle in the televised local derby while the traditional battle between AGS and King's will be played at AGS on June 18.

In other regular-season matches on the channel, Massey will host WBHS on July and St Kentigern will be at home to MAGS on July 16.

Traditional league powerhouse St Paul's begin their University Shield defence at Southern Cross Campus on May 18 after playing a pre-season opener on May 11 at home to Massey.

Defending netball champions MAGS will sit out the early weeks while grading games are played.

MAGS will also defend the Auckland girls' premier soccer title with their opener a week today against Baradene at Owairaka Domain.

Apart from the round of national championships during tournament week, there will be more than passing interest in the NZSS national championships in equestrian (on May 15 at the Clevedon Polo Club), multisport (in Rotorua on June 5), and squash (in Auckland from August 12-14).

ICE HOCKEY

Year 12 Diocesan student Libby-Jean Hay says winning gold with the New Zealand women at this year's world championships is "just the start".

Hay, 16, was the youngest member of the Ice Fernz national side who won their division of the world championships in Reykjavik, Iceland. She spent a month overseas with the Ice Fernz who spent 10 days training and playing in Finland before going on to win division four of the world champs.

In Reykjavik, New Zealand won their first game 3-1 against the top-ranked home team. They also beat South Korea 3-1, South Africa 7-2, and Romania 7-2, which has resulted in elevation to division three for the 2012 championships. Hay says their ultimate goal is the 2018 Winter Olympics.

"Winning gold was the best feeling ever," said Hay, who plays in the team's defence. "We trained really well together, winning was definitely our goal and we knew it was achievable."

Hay's next personal goal is to compete in the women's individual skills challenge in Finland in July. The top 10 athletes in the challenge will go on to compete in the Winter Youth Olympics next January.

She competed in the challenge in 2008, finishing fifth in skating, so she thinks she has a good chance and is planning a training programme with her coach over the next few weeks.

She puts her confidence on the ice down to the fact that she has been skating since she was 3 and was a figure skater until she was 13.

Her father, Grant Hay, is the president of the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation, and her five brothers have also played the sport.

Two are in the New Zealand men's team which was second in the division two world champs in mid-April.

"My dad always used to say that watching New Zealand women's ice hockey was like watching paint dry. But he's certainly changed his mind after the huge progress the team has made in the past year."

Hay hopes to get a sports scholarship in the United States when she finishes school next year. She wants to study communications and hopes to be a journalist or television presenter.

ROWING

While hardly to the forefront as a so-called top rowing school, Auckland's St Peter's College is happy to take reflected glory in having two members of last year's crews selected for the 2011 New Zealand junior team.

A relatively new sport at the central city school - they have just completed their sixth season - they had Campbell Rhodes, Lewis Hollows and Stephen Jones at this year's trials, with Hollows and Jones eventually gaining selection in the Bruce Jones-coached quadruple scull.

Now rowing out of the West End club, the pair will be joined at the Junior World Championships at Dorney Lake in England from August 3-7 by Mitchell Horner and Scott Green (Nelson College/Nelson Rowing Club).

Hollows and Jones, both 18, left St Peter's at the end of last year.

Jones had rowed for five years at the school before joining West End. He won the sought-after under-17 single sculls at last year's Maadi Cup regatta and was a member of the winning St Peters' quad scull. Jones was St Peter's sportsman of the year and is now studying bachelor of business studies.

Hollows had two years in the St Peter's rowing programme before joining West End. At the end-of-year prizegiving he was awarded the Unitec Partner School Scholarship which will assist with his studies and enables him time to concentrate fulltime on rowing.

The pair were members of the Auckland under-20 eight who, coached by Carl Vincent, won the interprovincial title on the Whanganui River. "We both trained extremely hard over winter at the Millennium Institute under the guidance of high-performance RPC coach David Rodger," said Jones.

"Since October we have been training under John White and competed in singles, a four and a quad.

"As part of our training plan leading up to North Island club championships and the national club championships we went on a self-imposed camp over Christmas/New Year in Mt Maunganui to train."

All that hard work has paid off and has given their school the chance to share in the glory of gaining selection in a national crew in a port which continues to capture the headlines both at school and club level.

RUGBY

Rosmini held off favourites Massey High School to win 7-5 in the final of the North Harbour SS Sevens and qualify for the BNZ Condor Sevens in December.

Rosmini join Whangarei BHS, Feilding High School, New Plymouth BHS and Napier BHS as the earlier qualifiers for the 16-team national finals.

After winning their semifinal 45-0 over Orewa College, Rosmini harassed Massey, who had beaten Kaipara 32-5, throughout the final as Massey struggled to find any rhythm and retain possession.

From a turnover, Rosmini broke the Massey defence and scampered away for a try under the posts for the easy conversion and a 7-0 lead. Massey responded by spreading the ball to the wing Itei Tago who evaded two defenders and scored in the corner to trail 7-5 at halftime.

The second half was scoreless with Rosmini hounding Massey all the way until the final hooter.

The 5-3 win over Sacred Heart in the final of the NZSS premier boys' championship in Wellington continued a great start to the sporting year for Westlake BHS.

The hard-fought win at the end of the school holidays allowed the school to add the impressive bronze trophy to their term one haul which also included national volleyball and beach volleyball successes.

WBHS director of sport Rob Taylor happily reflected on his school's achievements. "Early in the term, our premier volleyball team completed a clean sweep in winning the national championship after winning the Auckland title," he said.

"We completed the national volleyball double when two of our top players, Jesse Hawkins and Tom Hartles, easily won the New Zealand Beach Volleyball championship."

Westlake's impressive on-court performances continued in tennis where, after a titanic struggle, the premier team lost to St Peter's School on a countback to finish, for the second year in a row, as runners-up in the NZSS championship.

On the water the WBHS under-18 senior eight finished third in the Maadi Cup and at the same regatta at Lake Karapiro won gold in the under-16 fours, under-15 eights and under-15 fours. Earlier the school had won three golds at the North Island regatta.

Elsewhere Westlake continued their successful start to the sporting year when their premier golf team beat AGS to claim the Auckland championship. To cap off the sterling summer effort, Westlake's orienteering team won the Auckland SS championship for the third time in four years.

WBHS headmaster David Ferguson obviously savoured a summer to remember.

"It was certainly a very memorable sporting term. With three national titles, one runner-up, three gold medals at the national rowing championships and three Auckland championships, we are very proud of our school's sporting achievements during term one," said Ferguson.

"All of our top sportsmen work exceptionally hard and deserve all their success. We are extremely grateful to the teachers, parents and coaches who give up their time."

WATER POLO

Meanwhile, Auckland teams dominated the national water polo championships, taking five of the six premier grade medals.

Rangitoto dominated the premier girls, beating Diocesan 12-1 in the final to underline the strength of their team.

After dominating the first day in scoring 33 goals and conceding just four, it was just a case of who would fight it out for the other medals. Sacred Heart Lower Hutt broke the domination of Auckland schools by beating St Cuthbert's 5-4 to claim bronze medal.

The premier boys' championship was in marked contrast with no team unbeaten. Three Auckland teams filled the podium with WBHS beating defending champions Sacred Heart to regain the title they had won in 2009.

Sacred Heart had earlier beaten Rangitoto 7-2 in the semifinals while WBHS beat AGS 4-2.

Westlake and Sacred Heart went goal for goal in the final before Westlake's Ben Perham netted twice in the final stages to take a two-goal margin. Despite attacking desperately in the final two minutes Sacred Heart were unable to close the gap.

Rangitoto took the bronze, beating Auckland Grammar 11-8.

At the division two championships in Hamilton, Northcote College were runners-up to Rongotai College.

ON THE WEB

www.asbcollegesport.co.nz