The boot was on the other foot for Christina Ashton when she helped organise an intermediate schools futsal tournament at the Edgar Centre yesterday.
She is a member of the Queen's High School physical education class that is participating in the national Sport in Education project.
Ashton (15) is a New Zealand junior athletics representative and was a silver medallist at the national secondary schools aerobic championships last year.
She teamed with schoolmate Madalyn Fox (15) as a referee's assistant yesterday, and made sure the official was at the right court in time to control the game.
The year 11 physical education class had been planning the tournament for several weeks. It was the culmination of the futsal programme supported by Futsal New Zealand.
''It was a good learning experience for the girls,'' Futsal South development officer Wayne Gray said.
''They had to overcome several problems to make sure the tournament ran smoothly.''
As part of the programme, the Queens High School girls had coached Kiwi Sport at Bathgate School.
The aim of the Sport in Education project is to develop leadership skills in pupils and apply the new skills in everyday life.
''Sport models real life and the project will help the girls deal with the ups and downs of life and society,'' Queen's physical education teacher Helen Lowther said.
''The project has been good for the development of their leadership skills.''
There were 170 pupils, from 10 schools, playing in the tournament at the Edgar Centre yesterday.
Results.-Girls year 7-8 (div 1): Tahuna 1, St Hilda's Red 2. Girls intermediate (div 2): DNI 1, KVC 2. Boys intermediate year 7: John McGlashan Blue 1, Kavanagh 2. Intermediate mixed year 7-8: Tahuna 1, Waitati 2. Intermediate year 8 boys: Kavanagh No 1 1, Balmacewen B 2.
