Marathon week of sports and cultural activities

TAS at technology.

Written by: Susan Fenemor, Tapawera Area School

Tapawera Area School was one of seven Area Schools from the Top of the South Island who participated in a week long sporting and cultural competition held in Tapawera recently. Teams came from Rai Valley, Collingwood, Murchison, Reefton and South Westland.

Teams of 20 students from each Area School were made up of 10 boys and 10 girls. Some of these schools have very small secondary rolls from which to select teams, making it difficult for them to field teams in local sporting events.

At the Area Schools’ Tournament they have the chance to field teams, usually made from a range of ages and sometimes including a few students who have had no experience at all in that code.

Students are challenged by their peers to help out and just make up the numbers so that a team can be fielded.

Tapawera this year put on a total of 22 events for the visitors. Play-offs led onto finals in many of these events, so extra pressure was put on the student’s capabilities.

School’s teams practiced most of the first term of this year to acquire the fitness and stamina necessary to compete in this hectic tournament week.

The school that plays host supplies a variety of school events designed to challenge the senior students from all the other attending schools.

The host school has a list of winter and summer sporting codes which schools traditionally take part in such as netball and tennis. Usually sports are codes that require a smaller number of players because Area Schools seldom have the number of students needed to field a 1st 15 team for rugby, plus substitutes.

While competitive matches are the norm the pervasive attitude at these events is “give it a go” and “have fun trying.”

Tapawera Area School went on to win the event overall. Followed by Collingwood and South Westland.

The next stage sees trials with the best from Canterbury Area Schools in Culverden. Here teams are chosen to represent the northern region of the South Island at the NZ Area Schools’ Tournament, which will be held in Christchurch in the first week of the July school holidays.

Ten Tapawera students from various sports were selected to go on to the next stage-some being selected in as many as three sporting codes.

Similar events are happening within Area Schools in other regions around NZ. In the past teams have competed in a national tournament which alternated between North and South Island venues. It has recently been decided that the National tournament will be held every year and this is where students will be selected for NZ Area Schools’ teams.