Sports
Wherever possible, we offer team sports across the entire age range (12 years to 18 years). Teams train before and after school, see separate page for details. The support and help of parents is welcomed and encouraged across all the codes.
2010 Sports Reports
Basketball l Cricket l Cross Country l Cycling l Hockey l Moto X l Rowing l Rugby l Soccer l Skiing & Snowboarding
Enjoy these basketball pics!
Senior Prem Team: This team under Coach, Bevan Sutton, competed with honour all year. In April they attended the Western Heights tournament in Rotorua as a warm up for the upcoming season.
The team competed in the Waikato Basketball Secondary Schools premier grade under a new format. After being competitive all season and improving as the season went on they made the finals against Hamilton Boys High School. This was probably the worst game of their season and they finished runners up.
In late August early September they competed in the Regional Premierships and were unbeaten in pool play but qualified for the NZ National Tournament by just losing to Hamilton’s Fraser High School in the final.
In the first week of the September holidays the team travelled to Palmerston North for the National Championships. They finished second in their pool after playing poorly against Nayland College and lost to the highly fancied Auckland Grammar School in the quarterfinals. They finished a creditable 6th. Ngarotata Bristowe was selected in the 2010 tournament team.
Senior Blue Team: This team was made up from the bottom 4 players from the Prem Team roster and some of the Junior Prem team and competed in the Waikato Basketball senior open competition where they finished in 7th place. The members of this team will be the basis of the Senior Prem team next year.
Senior Gold Team: This team is all Year 12 players who didn’t trial for the Senior Prem team. It is an extremely talented team and finished 4th in the Waikato Basketball Senior Open competition. I hope that most of this team will trial for the 2011 Premier squad.
Junior Prem Gold team: This team of dedicated Year 9 and 10 boys ably coached by Mr Young competed with distinction throughout the season. They won the Waikato Basketball Junior Premier competition, beating Hamilton Boys High School in the final. They attended and finished 4th in the New Zealand Secondary School Junior Regional Premierships in Rotorua.
Junior Prem Blue Team: This predominantly Yr10 players coached by Mr Erece also competed in the Waikato Basketball Junior Premier Competition and finished 3rd. They attended the New Zealand Secondary School Junior Regional Premierships and finished 11th out of 22 teams.
Most of the players in these 2 prem teams will trial for the Premier squad for 2011.
Junior Blue team: Competed in the Waikato Basketball Junior Open Competition. After some player withdrawals we recruited some willing players from Raglan Area School to complete the team. Thanks to Mrs Dunn for being an able manager and keeping the team together.
Junior White Team: A yr 9 team also competed in the Waikato basketball Junior Open Competition was coached by Peter Sewell and team manager was Mrs Belinda Porteous. Towards the end of the competition this team started to come together and get some wins.
Regional and National representation
Congratulations to Te Ra Hodges-Tai who was selected for the New Zealand U18 Team which contested the Australia State Nationals and the FIBA Youth Olympic preseason tournament in Germany.
Waikato U19 representatives:
Tama Paki, Ngarotata Bristowe, Te Ra Hodges-Tai.
Waikato U17 representative
Kieran Le Gros
Waikato U15 Representatives
Doven Barlow, Jayden Bezzant, Nikau McCullough, Joshua McKee, Joseph Erece.
NZ Koru:
Doven Barlow,
Term One this year was one of the most successful in recent years with 5 teams being fielded with overall pleasing results and a lot of building for the future.
1ST XI
This team took out the Division 1B title beating Morrinsville College in the 2 day final. This puts the team for Term 4 in the top 6 schools in Division 1A and for the season. The team also beat Hillcrest High School in the 20/20 Gillette Cup competition, the first time this has happened for a number of years. While the team was knocked out in the next game bt St Peter’s there is eager anticipation at meeting them in the top division. There were some great individual performances but it was overall a team effort.
Sam Cooper was the stand out with the bat, scoring 379 runs at an average of 42. He got great support from his brother, Jude, with 268 runs at an average of 33 and he also kept wicket well throughout. Other pleasing performances with the bat was the emergence of Hamish Whyte , who, along with Brett Kennedy, formed an opening partnership which will continue into 2011. ( Incidentally, Brett played one “ rotation “ game for the 2nd XI where he took 7 – 18 with the ball to help the team win a game against Hamilton Boys’ High School. Other younger players introduced to 1st XI cricket, Matt Swney and Sam Watson, contributed at significant times. In the final Andy Mourits produced a critical innings of 54 later in the batting order to ensure the game was won.
On the bowling front the attack was spearheaded by Sam Pritchard, with 23 wickets ( the most by any player in the Division overall and included 2 six wicket bags ) which cam at an average rate of 10 runs a wicket and 2.6 runs per over. He also captained the side with authority and direction. Support came from Sam Geenty with 16 wickets, Sam Cooper with 13 and Jordan MacKinnon with 10. The fielding was sharp throughout to support the bowlers. The depth in bowling will be excellent next year with spinners to pick from in Andrew Johnson, Ryan King and Brendan O’Neill. The quick bowling will be assisted in 2011 by Sam Watson ( who did not have much luck ), Keagen Faria ( who looked sharp and troubled the other teams ) and Hamish Whyte who can also bowl with penetration.
The coaching input from David Pritchard and Wayne Aberhart has contributed in no small manner to the success of the team and great support from parents as well. Competition for places has been intense and there is a promising group coming through to replace those senior boys leaving. We look forward to a successful 2011.
2nd XI
This team played in Division 2 and faced some very strong teams, some of whom could have played in a higher grade. Each game had an additional player or two from the 1st XI squad. Creditable performances were put in by Randell Menezes with the bat, who in one game batter right through the innings for 74 not out. Bowling was led by James Morgan and Nick Coulam The team was ably led by Andrew Johnson and they never gave up trying, bonding together well. Significant wins were against a Hamilton Boys High School team where Brett Kennedy ( mentioned earlier ) bowled the side to victory and Te Aroha College, where Brendan O’Neill ( on loan from the 1st XI ) scored 43 and Jayden Purcell ( on loan from the Colts ) scored 72 to chase down a total of 224. This team will be strengthened next year by Colts players and the wider 1st XI squad to keep the pressure on the 1st team for places.
COLTS
This team was all Year 10 players and after an indifferent start came right in the end. The outstanding performance for the Term came from Connor Clarke, who, against Hillcrest Colts scored 96 not out and took a hat trick with the ball. Other players chipped in with runs and wickets – Jayden Purcell, Todd Rice, T-J Jones and Damian Sun. The coaching input of Jonny Babe and management of the team by Mr Healy, as well as support from parents in transport and other duties such as scoring has ensured a good base for the future as these boys move into the senior levels.
Year 9 PREMIER TEAMS
Due to the number of boys keen to play cricket two teams were put together – a Blue team representing players from outside Hamilton city and a Gold team from players living in Hamilton. The two teams were very evenly matched – in a pre season match between the two sides there was a tie. Both teams performed well and finished second and fourth in the competition out of 14 teams only losing one game each. James McLuskie was awarded the batting prize for the most runs in the grade from the Hamilton Junior Cricket Association with two scores in the 60’s and Andrew Douglas the bowling prize for most wickets. There is a very strong group here who will be the backbone of the Colts team in 2011 and beyond. Thanks must also go to the two coaches – Graham Sharpe for the Blue Country teams and David Whyte for the Gold City team. Parental attendance was considerable and there were always plenty of support for the teams at games.
The school cross country event took place on Tuesday the 25th May in varying conditions on the college grounds. The event is the 3rd of 4 House events held each year, and was compulsory for years 9 and 10, but optional for seniors. The top three place getters will progress and represent the College at the Waikato Secondary School Cross Country event two weeks later. Congratulations to all those who took part and especially those who made the top ten in their respective racers. Also a big thank you to PE staff who helped run the event, particularly H. Miller, J. Kelly, L. Asplin, R. Tong, and the two trainee teachers D. Rattray & P. Speedy.
This year seemed to generate more interest and participants from the seniors having 54 in total. The course increased its difficulty by some Year 13 innovative students drenching the slippery slopes. Two potential candidates to win pulled out after just 2 laps - Justin Jang blew a mockerson, and Josh Nooyen apparently couldn’t breathe. To me that’s just being unfit.
The top 3 for each respected groups were for the Year 9’s - Arden Andre 1st, Nick Disher 2nd and Josh McKee 3rd. For the Year 10’s - Connor Gyde 1st, Bailey Webster 2nd and Ryan King 3rd. The senior results finished up Callum Dickson 1st, Josh Parkin 2nd and Brendan Fransen 3rd.
Overall it was another successful event run by the PE dept where Pompalliar House dominated the points
Cycling - Action shots of Hayden McCormack NZ U17 cycling champion.
The winter hockey season finished for SJC on the 25th of August, with the first XI finishing in 7th position out of the 8 competing A-grade teams. Although this was not the result the boys wanted they will need to work hard in the coming six months with fitness preparations for next year’s competition to become a top four contender. This year’s side was completely new, with only 3 players left from last year’s 1st XI, a mix of home schooled and pupils of the school teamed up well to create a competitive side, that at times showed they can foot it with the power houses of Waikato secondary school hockey. Under the Eagle eyed coach Aaron Barnsdall, the team have increase their skills so that after the first round where no game was won the team improved into a highly competitive unit.
This year’s tournament team, which was lead by Michael McKenzie, showed their worth by almost winning their pool at tournament and missing out by goal difference to their rivals Matamata College and having to settle for second. In post sectional play the team played with spirit and gained an overall placing of eighth. This is fantastic improved from a ranking of 15th at the beginning of the tournament.
Hockey training and games have been a long hard slog for the past six months, fostering faith, skills and motivation into the team - the dividends are paying off. We now need to sustain our game in order to make the top four spot. Our coaching panel was impressive, thanks to Aaron Barnsdall and Aaron Biddick for sharing their vast skills and for their continued belief in the boys and their talent. Parental support was constant and our teams were managed by fathers, Peter McGirr and Darryl Kimber. Donna Meehan, the hockey secretary, is an extremely capable lady who did an amazing job.Thank you to Alison Hassett for her cooking skills on tournament. The boys were very grateful for her cooking and so was the management team, also a big thanks to Brett Gordon, for the kind donation of his services of a vehicle from Fairview Motors to transport our team to tournament
Next year will see the return of almost all of the team, with additional players joining the line up, so if you are keen to try the game or ask about some of the skills come along to our Tuesday training sessions, these are extended till the end of the year (3.30pm – 5.00pm). We are interested in anyone, and there is always a spot to be filled, you may even like to try out for the goalie position.
St John’s hockey has made some giant steps forward this year and has been able to hold it place in the top flight for next season. With the continued support of the College, parents, and especially the boys we can continue with the growth of the sport and push for a top four finish next season.
Late in Term 1 the St John’s College Motocross team attended the Western Heights Secondary Schools motocross competition at the Rotorua Club Track. The team consisted of Leo Voorend, Matt Himiona, Aaron Manning, Jacob Van Der Lee, Cody Kilgour and Dylan Boyle.
The day started out looking like it was going to be a bit wet and muddy, but the clouds passed and the sun quickly dried the track out. Our boys all rode really well, for some being there first competition. Aaron Manning was a standout, beating a large number of nationally ranked riders on his way to a 4th place in his 10-13 85cc class.
The day ended up being cut short after two heavy crashes soaked up a lot of time.
Early in term 2 the team was again away, this time in Ardmore, South Auckland for the North Island Secondary Schools Motocross championships.
The team was a bit smaller for this event with Leo Voorend, Matt Himiona, Aaron Manning and Jacob Van Der Lee making the trip.
While all the boys rode really well, the standouts in this event were Leo Voorend and again Aaron Manning. Both of these boys beat out some of NZ’s top class riders at secondary school level, with Leo finishing 2nd overall in the 15-18 125cc class and Aaron finishing 7th in the 10-13 85cc class.
Each schools top 3 placing’s were put together to create the overall school teams results. Matt Himiona’s 6th place in the novice 125cc class was combined with Leo and Aarons placings to give the school an overall placing of 10th in the North Island, A result the whole team can be proud of.
The senior rowing team of Brendan Murphy, Duncan Shand, Callum Dickson, Brendan O’Halloran and cox Anthony Meehan had an amazing season. Our first regatta took place in November at Mercer in the U18 coxed four event. We faced opposition both older and bigger than us, but amazingly we won! Our second regatta was KRI 1 - the Men’s Club Coxed Four. This was much larger regatta than our first and again we faced much larger opposition, but our training obviously paid off as we raced home in our heat to finish first, comfortably ahead of Hauraki Plains. The final saw us up against another crew out of the Hamilton club; it was in fact our ‘top club crew’. But to their dismay they finished 3rd behind the St John’s lightweights in 2nd and the Wellington Rowing Club’s top crew taking 1st.
During the Christmas holidays we had a joint rowing camp with the lovely ladies from Epsom Girls Grammar at Lake Karapiro; needless to say it was a lot of fun. The camp also saw the crew improve dramatically and was a crucial time in the development of our team.
On Feb 16th we opted to enter the Men’s Club Coxed Four once again at the Club Nationals regatta. Being a lightweight crew in an open men’s race was something which we were becoming accustomed to, but the size of the regatta was unlike anything experienced so far. Incredibly we made it to the final and ended up 8th out of the 14 crews competing.
Our next regatta was KRI 3 and it would be an opportunity for us to finally race boys our own age. Our U18 event was hotly contested with Boy’s High having their top coxed fours on show. We managed to take fourth in the final, just behind the St Paul’s Collegiate top crew. The U17 final was a real fight for second place between our crew and the crew from Auckland Grammar. Thankfully we just snuck past them and took 2nd behind Boy’s High 1.
The business end of the season started with North Island Secondary School Champs and we were ready to make an impression. Our first race was the U17 coxed four heat in which we finished 2nd behind the favourites, Boy’s High. The final was yet another nail biter as we battled for 3rd place and a bronze medal with Westlake Boy’s High. Unfortunately we came up short, by 0.2 seconds and had to settle for fourth place. The U18 lightweight coxed four was the event that we had been working towards all season. We raced home in the heat, upsetting the favourites Westlake, and took 1st place! The final was a great contest between Westlake, Sacred Heart College in Auckland and us. After another agonizingly close race we claimed the bronze medal, finishing 0.6 seconds behind Sacred Heart and the National favourites Westlake.
The height of our season was certainly the Secondary School Nationals at Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel; the Maadi Cup regatta. In the U17 coxed four we took first in the repecharge and awaited our chance to race in the final. But on finals day the weather meant that we were forced to scratch from the U17 final and missed out on a possible medal. The U18 lightweight heat saw us beat a very sharp crew from St Bedes College; we went straight to the final. Our last and most exciting race of the season was an incredible tussle between ourselves and the favourites, Westlake Boys. We sat a few seconds behind Westlake until the last 500 metres where we slowly gathered them in. After a mad dash to the line we missed out on being national champions by the canvas of a boat, 0.6 seconds, taking second place and the silver medal. Our success in Twizel was a first for St John’s rowing and a fantastic finish to a stellar season; but we will certainly look to go one better next year!
1st XV Coaches: Mr Justin Harris, Mr Ron Mace Managers:Mr Adrian Molenaar, Mr Andrew Jaques
The 2010 rugby season was always going to be a tough one for the SJC 1st XV, with only 5 players returning from last year’s team and therefore the need to use many young and inexperienced players. However, with the blooding of many young talented players this season like Year 11 students; Kegan Faria, Sam Walters, PD Mahutonga, Sam Cooper, and Ben Greene we are set to be a force to be reckoned with over the next couple of years.
Throughout the season the team was powerfully led by our hooker and Captain Robbie Mace as well as tight-head prop Mark Tyrell. Both were uncompromising on defence and powerful ball runners. Experienced centre Niko Malo also produced some magic moments throughout the season.
After an up and down regular season we still managed to earn a quarter final showdown with 2nd seeded St Paul’s College, who only one week earlier had absolutely smashed us. However, after a week of soul searching and due criticism the boys picked themselves up and played their best game of the season but unfortunately still went down by 20-5. St Paul’s College went on to beat St Peter’s College 21-10 for the Championship.
Congratulations to Mark Tyrell, Sam Walters, and PD Mahutonga for making the Waikato U16 team and also Niko Malo for making the U17 Harlequins.
Many thanks to Mr Harris, Ron, Adrian, and Andy for all their time, encouragement, and commitment to the SJC 1st XV.
U14’s– Coach Jonathon Peachey
It was a privilege & an honour to coach at St John’s College. Being an old boy of the school I have the respect, history & commitment towards the school so I was able to be a step ahead in telling the boys about the dedication & the reason why you should keep training. It was definitely a challenge coaching the U14's Rugby team as it was a first, not just for me at this grade but also for the boys at high school level rugby.
The year did not turn out the way we wanted in the way of team results but coaching this team for me was all about the individual result. I knew I would be happy at the end of the season if these boys improved & I truly believe every single one of them did. Even though we went through the season with only 1 win against Hillcrest, It was definitely a year I enjoyed because I was able to see the improvement in all the boys week after week. I truly hope all the boys keep up the training over the holidays as next year will be another step up in all aspects of the game. I honestly believe all the boys have the potential to be 1st XV material in 2-3 years but that won’t come true if the boys don't train hard & give 100%.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!!!
U15’s
What can I say but, WAIKATO U15 CHAMPION’S 2010. It has been an interesting season with many twists and turns along the way but we made it and what a journey. After the disappointment of last season the boys felt we had some unfinished business and so we started the season with an optimistic view that this year could be our year. Some very light fitness sessions prepared us well for the pre-season thanks to Uncle (Mr Morgan) and some skill work (Henimullers) from Mr Kelly. The pre-season started well with a lucky win over Hillcrest 72-10, they were lucky to get 10 followed by a mixed performance against HBHS and an outstanding game against Forestview won with a last minute try to Ethan Vette.
We hosted St Stanislaus College from Bathurst in Australia as our last pre-season game. The boys from Bathurst who a more famously known for its dominance of Holden’s provided a new and interesting test for our boys. The U14’’s/65kg’s played the curtain-raiser with a dominant performance winning 82 to 10 with some aggressive and expansive rugby that the tourist found hard to contain. The U15’s had a stuttering performance and we were unable to unleash our backs due to lots of mistakes on our part and dogged defence from the Stanie’s boys. The boys really enjoyed their exchange and thanks to all the parents who helped out.
We soon realised that our ability alone wasn’t going to win us this competition and it would need a huge amount of effort from the whole team to ensure that we were fitter then the teams we played against. This paid off as we were able to apply pressure when teams were fading much like the All Blacks did to Australia in Sydney earlier in the year. Our fitness was major factor in many of our games this year along with our ability to play well as a team.
As we headed to the semis and final’s it was a tight competition but we managed to finish 2nd overall on the competition ladder. This set up a semi-final with our neighbours from Hillcrest who had finished the season strongly. It was a tough game in difficult conditions with each try being scored replied to quickly, in the 2nd half we managed to play a better game plan and pinned Hillcrest in their half and waited for them to make mistakes which paid off for us with a 25-10 win.
In the final we played HBHS who had not lost a game all season and it was clear from the start that the SJC boys were on the job dominating the first 15 minutes with two tries. The game evened out towards halftime but we were definitely on top and took a deserved 10-3 lead into halftime. In the 2nd half HBHS started strongly and scored a try which was to be the last points they scored. HBHS continued to apply the pressure but we repelled their efforts with some strong defence and some wonderful long distance tries from Zac Leet-Guinan which was a major turning point in the game and Matt Blackie. The game wouldn’t be complete without a fight, a drop goal from Liam and a great team effort. We totally dominated the final and the boys deserved their win 32-8 win. On behalf of the coaches we would like to thank the boys for their efforts this year and we really enjoyed coaching you guys.
It was a great team effort that won us the competition and thanks to the boys who turned up to training in all conditions and worked hard all season. I would like to thank the coaches Mr Morgan and Mr Vette along with the wonderful parents who supported us all the way in all sorts of rain who made our season so successful on and off the field.
REPRESENTITIVE PLAYERS;
- Matt Blackie; Waikato U15’s
- Matthew Staijen; Waikato U15’s
- Zavion Porteus; Waikato U15’s Harlequins Black
- Liam Prendergast; Waicoa Bay Stallions U15 League
- Amuketi Samson; Waicoa Bay Stallions U15 League
Under 65KG – Coach Logan Asplin
When I was presented with a miss matched bunch of young men from years 10 through 12 at the beginning of the season, I would never have imagined we would have been playing for the championship come seasons end. Having seven teams in the competition, round robin play involved every team playing one another, and then splitting into a top four group along with a bottom 3 group. Finishing equal 4th, after some mixed results through pool play, our team was awarded the 4th spot, coming down to a tie breaker with Cambridge, at which we squeezed out a tough 15-7 victory. So it was on to the top four where we had two outstanding victories over both Hamilton Boys High teams back to back, this was particularly significant as they had both beaten us during round robin play. These games were played in atrocious conditions, and if it wasn’t for the steady goal kicking of Jesse Warwick, we may have been in trouble. We went on to narrowly lose our final top 4 game versus the form side of the competition, Te Awamutu, but finished in third place, therefore avoiding T.A in the semis. Come semi final time we were blessed with home field advantage, and were matched up against HBHS once again. The boys played out of their skin to romp home 24-5 and secure a finals birth against Te Awamutu. So it all came down to the final in Te Awamutu, where we put up a spirited challenge to lead narrowly 11-10 at half time, but were simply outplayed in the 2nd half to eventually go down 29-16. These boys should hold their heads up high and be proud of their efforts, and improvements in both team and individual play throughout the season, and the entertaining rugby they played week in week out. Stand out players included the never say die loose forward trio of Ben Ewen, Jayden Purcell and Cameron Bailey, along with Jesse Warwick and captain Eugene Koning in the backline. A big thanks to Tim Purcell for giving up his time every week to help coach, along with all the other parents, staff and supporters who contributed to the team’s success this year.
Under55kgs
Earlier this year, 21 other St. Johns boys and I started in the St. Johns Under55kgs rugby team with Coach Mr Cullen-Wright, Manager/ Co. Coach Mr Tapper, and often joined by 2nd 15 player Brendan O’Neil for trainings. Half of the team were year 10, and the other half year 9 so as the season started not many boys in the team knew each other. Even so, the boys turned out to be a lively bunch and although often struggling to focus at times, managed to finish the season in 4th place in the table.
Trainings were held every Monday and Wednesday without fail, rain or shine. One training we had was right in the middle of the winter and it was raining so heavily that all of the other teams had called their trainings off, but our coaches said “It builds character” quote Mr Tapper, and so we trained anyway. Games played with the U55’s were fun and exciting, I can truthfully say that I had a lot of fun playing for the U55’s as prop, centre and captain and I’m sure the other boys did as well. Having fun wasn’t all we were capable of doing, we as a team managed to finish 4th overall in the competition having beaten every team at least once (except the undefeated Hamilton Boys High A team) but unfortunately not by enough points at times.
I would like to say a big thanks to Mr Cullen-Wright, Mr Tapper and Brendan for helping and teaching us in trainings and games and for being so dedicated to the team. I would like to thank the supporters and parents for spending their own time for driving, watching, cheering, supporting and being there for all of the team. Finally I would like to thank all of the boys who I was lucky enough to play rugby with, all the lads who may not have got a whole game each week but came to training none the less, a team couldn’t function without these who sacrifice game time for someone who may be slightly more capable than themselves. As a captain it has been an honour to play with these boys and has, more than anything, been good fun. Hopefully next year, the boys staying in the team can get 1st place in the competition.
Due to the success of the Wellington Phoenix and the All Whites qualifying for the Soccer World Cup Soccer in New Zealand has become popular again. This has reflected in the College having over 100 players and having to have another senior boys team. The College has 8 teams for the up-coming season. 4 senior teams and 4 junior teams.
This year Soccer started in March having trials and starting training well before the Term 1 Easter holidays. The majority of teams have many volunteers as either coaches or managers which we are really grateful for. Only the 1st XI has been involved in pre-season games to date. They had a 1-3 loss to the Wanderers Classics, a 3-5 loss to Hillcrest 1st XI and a 7-0 win against Te Awamutu College. The 1st XI played in the Referees Trophy (a preseason tournament) on Saturday 24th April narrowly going down 1-2 to St Paul's Collegiate & Hillcrest however beating Cambridge convincingly 3-0 in the final pool play game. The team has progressed well during the preseason and has established a good base of fitness and some good training ethics. The boys have been training at least 3 times a week and sometimes 5.
Grading games for all divisions commence this Saturday 1st May. Grading games will go for 3 weeks then teams will be graded according to their ability. I look forward to the season ahead and I'm sure all of our teams will complete honourably.
Mr. H Miller
TIC Soccer
This was to be the year St John’s would for the first time have both a ski and snowboard team competing in the North Island Secondary Schools Competition to be held at Turoa Ski Field above Ohakune.
Both teams travelled to the mountain for practice on a weekend leading up to the competition. This weekend was amazing, with 40cm of fresh snow to ride, blue skies and no wind at all. This wa some of the best riding to be had by anyone this season and little did we know it was the last riding good we would get as a team.
The ski team consisting of Marcus Powels-Strange, Robin Buser and Arron Gifford, travelled down with high hopes of coming back with a good result unfortunately the weather had different ideas.
After getting to ride in some average conditions on the Saturday, the boys then spent 4 days of sitting in the mountain Cafe on the mountain and only having one run each the competition was called off.
The snowboard team consisting of Luc Powell-Reymer, Cameron Hynd, Lochlan Hynd and Soren Bouma headed down the following week.
We arrived to Ohakune and unloaded the van. Little did we know we would not be loading it again until it was time to go home three days later. A lot of movies were seen, some volleyball and ‘foam pit jumping’ were taken part in, inside the Ruapehu College gymnasium.
We awoke on the morning of the third day to see the school van coated in 15cm of snow, unfortunately this caused the competition to be cancelled due to road up to the ski field being closed.
All and all a pretty disappointing competition year for SJC snow sports.
Thanks to all the parents who helped out with the snow teams this year.
