A decade is a long time in sport

In 2004, the Otago Daily Times began a series called The Fast Lane to profile the rising stars in Otago secondary school sport. But where do they all go? As another year ends, Jeff Cheshire looks back at the top 10 chosen in 2010 and the other promising stars profiled.

The top 10

Rebekah Greene

(St Hilda’s Collegiate School)

Athletics

Then: Dubbed Otago’s best female middle distance runner since Sylvia Potts 40 years earlier, Greene had an illustrious year, notably qualifying for the world junior championships 1500m final.

Now: Ran at the University of Florida, although was hampered by several bad injuries and a heart issue which required three operations. Now back in Dunedin, Greene has won several national medals in recent years and is the reigning 5000m national champion.

Courtney Duncan

(East Otago High School)

Motocross

Then: Won the Australian junior women’s motocross title, was third at the Oceania championships, finished second at the New Zealand junior championships and won the New Zealand TT title.

Now: After three years of being denied in unlucky circumstances, Duncan is now the back-to-back women’s motocross world champion.

Regan Wilson

(King’s High School)

Ice hockey

Then: Captained the Junior Ice Blacks and was already playing for the Dunedin Thunder.

Now: Remains with the Thunder and has become a stalwart of the team, while also having played for the Ice Blacks.

Samara Gallaher

(Kavanagh College)

Basketball

Then: Captained the New Zealand under-18 basketball team and was a Tall Ferns extended squad member. Also helped the Otago Gold Rush reach the final of the national championships.

Now: Became a regular Tall Fern and played in Australia, while also returning to help the Gold Rush to a national title in 2015. Was forced into retirement after a series of head knocks. Remained in Australia initially, although is now back in Dunedin.

Kate McDonald

(Dunstan High School)

Mountain biking

Then: Was selected in the New Zealand team for the Youth Olympics in Singapore, where she was fourth in the time trial and 10th overall girl.

Now: Now a PhD student at the University of Otago, McDonald no longer competes in mountain biking, although remains very active in the outdoors.

Johannnah and Caitlin Kearney

(St Kevin’s College)

Rowing

Then: Had a dominant Maadi Cup in which they helped St Kevin’s become Otago’s dominant rowing school of the time.

Now: Johannah won medals in the New Zealand women’s four at both the 2013 (bronze) and 2014 (silver) under-23 world championships, before giving the sport away competitively in 2016. She is now in Wellington, last week graduating with a degree in landscape architecture, and is planning do postgraduate study. Caitlin did not carry on rowing, but keeps active. She completed a double degree in law and politics and now lives in Wellington, working in the policy division of the NZ Police.

Brad Evans

(Taieri College)

Cycling

Then: Represented New Zealand at the junior world championships in Italy, where he came fourth in the team pursuit and ninth in the individual pursuit.

Now: Put together a handy career in which his most notable achievement was winning the Tour of Southland in 2015. Now lives in Kaiapoi and while not announcing his retirement, racing has taken a back seat to family life.

Samara Dalziel

(Columba College)

Hockey

Then: Played a starring role in the New Zealand bronze medal-winning team at the Youth Olympics.

Now: Played for various Canterbury teams and now plays in the Mid/South Canterbury senior women’s competition as well as the senior women’s Tasman hockey team, which won the national competition last season.

Lauren Wilson

(Queen’s High School)

Athletics

Then: Won age-grade national titles in the 100m and 200m sprints, as well as breaking 100m Otago records in both the 17 and 18-years grades. Had a goal of competing at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Now: Studied agriculture, at which point she stopped sprinting as it did not fit well with farm life. Worked on dairy farms where she met her husband, before moving into shepherding. Now lives on a dairy farm in Mid Canterbury and is a stay at home mother to her 8-week-old son.

Liam Edwards

(Otago Boys’ High School)

Rugby

Then: Had scored 209 points, including 26 tries, playing at fullback for the Otago Boys’ High School first XV.

Now: Had a couple of electric seasons with the Dunedin premier team and was a star for South Canterbury in the Heartland Championship in 2012 and 2013. Moved to Hawke’s Bay after not being given an opportunity in the Otago team, where he has been a regular for the Napier Old Boys Marist premier team.

The others

Ben Watts

(Otago Boys’ High School)

Softball

Then: A pitcher in the Junior Black Sox squad, Watts was preparing for the 2012 junior world championships. He hoped to one day represent the Black Sox at the world championships.

Now: Lives and plays in Christchurch and has become a regular in the Canterbury team. Is currently in the Black Sox squad, first being named in 2018.

Dayna Turnbull

(Otago Girls’ High School)

Touch/basketball

Then: Was picked for the New Zealand under-21 touch team as a 16-year-old, while also playing for the New Zealand under-18 basketball team.

Now: Went to the United States and played college basketball at Cottey College for a year after leaving school. Returned to become one of the country’s top touch figures, both in captaining the Touch Blacks and coaching as high as the New Zealand under-20 women. On the basketball court won a national title with the Otago Gold Rush in 2018, while being club basketball’s Most Valuable Player in 2016 and 2018. Works at Columba College as the sports director.

Emma Spratt

(St Hilda’s Collegiate School)

Volleyball

Then: Was part of the New Zealand team at the Asian youth volleyball championships. Also played hockey.

Now: Continued to excel on the hockey turf and has played in the national league. Works as the marketing manager for Stirling Sports.

Hamish Philip

(King’s High School)

Football referee

Then: At 17 became the youngest referee of a senior football game in Dunedin. He planned to travel to Scotland the following year to visit relatives and continue his referee development.

Now: Continued to referee in the men’s Southern Premier League, before turning his primary focus to coaching. He began initially in strength and conditioning roles and is now the Roslyn Wakari premier women’s coach. That ended his premier refereeing career, although he still regularly officiates junior football.

Leni Mai’ai

(John McGlashan College)

Volleyball

Then: Went to the Asian junior volleyball championships in Thailand with the New Zealand team.

Now: Went to the United States and played division one NCAA volleyball for three seasons. Grew more as a person and a player during that period than he ever did before or since; the fulltime training, the constant pressure and the shared desire to win. Took a few years off after returning, but is now back enjoying playing at club level. Lost in the national final the past two years.

Reubyn Bisschops

(St Kevin’s College)

Multisport

Then: Finished third at the national secondary schools duathlon championships and hoped to make the New Zealand under-19 triathlon team.

Now: Raced several international events for New Zealand between 2011 and 2014, including winning the women’s 20-24 grade in the 2012 World Triathlon Grand Final in Auckland. However, chronic nerve pain in her back and hip forced her to stop. That pain still bothers her, although she remains involved by helping manage races in Christchurch, where she works as a real estate agent.

Daniel Williamson

(Logan Park High School)

Futsal

Then: Had represented New Zealand in age-grade futsal teams, having played in Australia, China, Guam and the United States.

Now: Injuries and concussions limited his involvement in the sport after leaving school. Now a personal trainer living in the United States.

Finn Fairbairn

(Mount Aspiring College)

Climbing

Then: Won a clean sweep of the under-14 indoor climbing national championships, Oceania championships and New Zealand Cup.

Now: Went on to represent New Zealand at the world youth championships in 2012. Now lives in Dunedin and no longer climbs, although remains active through surfing and free diving.