College Sport: Teachers vital element of sporting success

Rangitoto College volleyballer Josh Cunnold attempts to spike over the Kelston Boys High defence. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Sport in New Zealand secondary schools is big business - and not just in a financial sense.

With more than 140,000 students representing their schools, there are huge organisational roles (headaches?) locally and nationally.

The New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council, established in 1992, will this year oversee nearly 200 sanctioned events, mainly national or North Island, over a wide and increasing range of sports.

The number of participating students has remained reasonably constant in the past 10 years, from a low of 139,046 (2002) to a high of 146,984 (2004).

The worrying trend is the fall-off in the percentage of pupils representing their schools. From a high of 57 per cent in 2001, it has dropped away in the past two years to 51 per cent.

Also dropping off is the percentage of teachers involved in school sport. From a high 10 years ago of 46 per cent it is now down to 36 per cent, with the numbers actually coaching at 22 per cent - down from 27 per cent in 2000 and 2001.

Despite this fall-off, teachers continue to provide the greatest proportion of coaches and managers for which the national association is grateful. But it is of little surprise that the fall-off in teacher involvement is also mirrored in pupils' participation rates.

Some sports have bucked the trend in boasting a more than 30 per cent increase in participation rates in the past five years.

Sports where more than 1000 pupils take part and have shown such an increase include cycling, waka ama, adventure racing, indoor soccer, indoor netball, orienteering, league, shooting and equestrian.

Smaller sports to show similar increases include indoor cricket, beach volleyball, gymnastics, motocross and disability sports.

The so-called big sports - with more than 5000 participants - to show significant increases include soccer (up 25 per cent to 23,500), badminton (up 17 per cent to 9000), athletics (up 11 per cent to 13,400) and cross-country running (up 25 per cent to 6500).

Some sports have gone the other way by recording a decrease in playing numbers. Rugby is down 8 per cent to 28,600; cricket down 7 per cent to 13,100, netball 5 per cent to 27,500 and basketball 3 per cent to 17,600.

The fall-off in sports seen as traditional and major in this country is, surely, a concern, or is it more a case of school pupils being keen to try the more "new-age" sports now on offer?

In another survey, it was found of the 389 respondents, 58 per cent of school's sport co-ordinators are female and 62 per cent fulfil the role on a part-time basis.

Of these, 40 per cent report directly to their school's principal and 38 per cent to their head of department.

It is hardly a get-rich prospect with the average for those paid on an hourly rate receiving $17.86 from a $12 to $27 range. Some 56 per cent are paid on an hourly basis.

Of the sports co-ordinators who responded, 30 per cent were aged between 35 and 45 and 31 per cent between 46 and 55. About 71 per cent claim to have tertiary qualifications relevant to their work.

Sport remains a big part of many schools' curriculum, whether in organising the bus across town, flights to national championships or just getting out and ensuring that those pupils who want to play get the chance to do so.

Cricket

Girls rarely grab the headlines in the Auckland SS competition but, during her unbeaten 50 against St Cuthberts, Baradene's Imogen Temm, 17, notched a rare, perhaps unique, double.

In that match, Temm scored her 1000th run for the school's first XI to complete the 1000-run/100-wickets double after claiming her 100th wicket in October. She has scored her runs at an average of 36.10 and taken her now 109 wickets at 6.4 runs.

Temm has played in Baradene's first XI since arriving at the school as a Year 7 student. Given that the matches are played in a Twenty/0 format, and that, in some years, only six or seven games are played, the school takes justified pride in her efforts.

Auckland

Final-round matches in the senior boys' one-day competition were dominated by the bowlers, with runs at a premium.

Batting first at AGS on a pitch in which spin bowlers took centre stage, MAGS failed to bat their 50 overs in being dismissed for just 116. But even that target proved a challenge for the home team, who needed 43 overs to reach 120/6 in reply.

St Peters earned a place in the championship section of the two-day competition with a tight two-wicket victory over Rosmini in another low-scoring affair.

Rosmini managed just 118 as Josh Brajkovic continued his good form with the ball, adding a further four wickets to his season's tally.

St Peters then lost eight wickets and needed strong resistance from their tail-enders to deny the spirited Rosmini attack, with the ninth-wicket partnership adding more than 30 vital runs as the chase teetered at 90-8. Rosmini were left rueing the 48 extras they handed St Peters.

Kings made it five from five with yet another commanding performance in swamping Avondale College.

Solid contributions from almost all of their top order allowed Kings to compile an imposing 261.

Despite batting their 50 overs, Avondale never looked likely to threaten the target, finishing 127/9. Mark Chapman was the pick of the bowlers, with 3-12 from 10 tidy overs.

KBHS have struggled to gain any momentum this season and again disappointed, managing just 82 against Sacred Heart, for whom their captain, Freddie Klaassen, finished with impressive figures of 4-2 from his six overs of left-arm pace.

His side then comfortably chased down the total, losing just two wickets.

St Kentigern joined pool A winners Kings as the only other unbeaten team after they claimed pool B.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, star performer Richard Sillars (112) hit a fantastic century to lead his side to an impressive 249/8. Devon Jones played an important support role in scoring 42.

Macleans then capitulated to be bundled out for 77 in the 23rd over.

Jamie Brown picked up 3-11 as Simon Fitzgerald was the only Macleans batsman to offer any resistance. He was stranded on 32 as wickets fell around him.

The much-anticipated game between Shore rivals WBHS and Rangitoto did not live up to expectations.

WBHS comfortably outclassed their rivals.

A complete performance from the top order allowed WBHS to pile on 264/4 including a half-century from Charles Elton to back up his century from a week earlier.

Paceman Ashley Martinus then made short work of the Rangitoto response, taking 5-17 as they crumbled to be all out for 119.

With the one-day, round-robin completed, the top three teams from each pool will now play in the two-day championship starting on Saturday.

Kings and St Kentigern will meet in the RH Marryatt Cup final next Wednesday at Waikaraka Park. The two schools met in last season's final.

Waka Ama

De La Salle, James Cook, Manurewa and EGGS will be the crews to beat when 104 teams from 21 schools line-up at the Orakei Basin in Saturday's 13th annual junior regatta.

In a four-hour programme, the six paddlers in each crew will race over 500m.

Those schools who have targeted the sport through their development programmes and emphasis on coaching are again expected to dominate.

Schools from across Auckland including Alfriston, Aorere, AGGS, Avondale, De La Salle, EGGS, James Cook, Kaipara, KBHS, Manurewa, Marist, Onehunga, Papatoetoe, Southern Cross, Tangaroa, Te Whanau O Tupuranga, TKKM O Mangere, Waitakere, Wesley and WGHS will be in action.