Students dive into fun at Wai o Rua-Stratford Aquatic Centre

TSSSA regional sports director Karla Ralph (left), New Plymouth Girls' High School students Portia Plumtree, 16, and Eden Fairweather, 17, and Parafed Taranaki adviser Manuel Lugue. Photo / Alyssa Smith

Students made a splash at the Taranaki Secondary Schools Sports Association (TSSSA) para-swim event in Stratford.

On Tuesday last week, 54 students from Stratford High School’s Te Rangimarie, Te Paepae o Aotea, Francis Douglas Memorial College, New Plymouth Girls’ High School and Spotswood dived into a morning of fun activities and games.

TSSSA regional sports director Karla Ralph says the event is one of 12 on the organisation’s calendar specifically for Taranaki school’s para-athletes.

“It’s important to us to be inclusive of all students and provide fun opportunities. The aim of this event was fun, engagement and improving water confidence.”

She says there is a total of 48 sporting events planned this year, with the students able to enter all of them

“We cater to everyone at these events. They’re all fully accessible. We organised these events specifically as we believe it’s important to offer these opportunities for our rangatahi.”

The students took part in a range of fun activities such as relays, raft races, and other fun water-based games.

“We had a lot of activities to help engage the students and also build their water confidence.”

TSSSA ran the event in conjunction with Parafed Taranaki. Parafed Taranaki adviser Manuel Lugue says the organisations will work together on the other planned para events.

“It’s the way forward where we can work together and increase the levels of participation and ensure we’re providing fun activities for these students.”

Student leaders from Taranaki Diocesan School for Girls and Stratford High School and teacher aides jumped in the water to help with the events, and Karla says it was great to see everyone get involved.

“It was a wonderful day and everyone enjoyed themselves.”

New Plymouth Girls’ High School students Portia Plumtree, 16, and Eden Fairweather, 17, were two of the students taking part in the day’s events. The two students also took part in the athletics event earlier in March.

Portia says she likes attending the events.

“Both events were heaps of fun. I liked everything about them.”

Eden says she enjoys spending time at the pool and liked the fun activities of the day.

“It was all so much fun.”