On Tuesday, 10 March a team of almost 30 athletes from our school descended on the Central Western Zone Athletics Championships at Mt Smart Track and Field Stadium.

The weather was a mixed bag with brilliantly hot conditions and also rainy, windy, cooler temperatures at other times. This mirrored to a certain extent the results of our team, but definitely not the efforts, as we battled in all the events that were on offer to us.

We had athletes competing right from the beginning of the day where Harrison Chapman competed in the Senior boys’ 3000m race, right through to Kole Tavita battling right to the end in the Junior Boys High Jump.

Those who need to be recognised with their stellar performances are our athletes that won their respective events:

Nikita Ru – Intermediate Girls Discus
Odessa Lawson – Senior Girls Javelin
Sebastyan Jack – Senior Triple Jump

There were a number of other commendable performances too, none more so than Kea Churchill who came second in three events, and part of the Senior girls 4 x 100m relay team that came second also!

Hannah Taylor – 2nd= in Intermediate Girls High Jump
Kea Churchill – 2nd= in Intermediate Girls High Jump
– 2nd in Intermediate Girls Long Jump
– 2nd in Intermediate Girls Triple Jump
Nikoia Vaihu – 2nd in Senior Boys High Jump
Kole Tavita – 3rd= in Junior Boys High Jump

2nd Senior Girls 4 x 100m relay (Tamia Gascoigne, Hannah Taylor, Kea Churchill and Odessa Lawson)
3rd Junior Boys 4 x 100m relay (Jesse Schwalger, Kole Tavita, Jordan Meintjies and Michael Stuart)

Because of our team’s efforts, a number of these students and some others also qualified for the now-cancelled College Sport Auckland Athletics Championships.

All the team performed and behaved exceptionally well, and were a credit to the school. Thanks must go to Mr Thomas and Mr Thompson for assisting throughout the day and in transportation duties. Thank you very much to the parents and caregivers who assisted with the transportation of their young people. Your contribution helped make this trip to Mt Smart a seamless and enjoyable experience. I must personally thank the help of some of the other western school sports coordinators, who made my experience a positive one.