OTAGO BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL
Jonathan Tucker
Highlight: New Zealand under-19 secondary schools football representative.
Legacy: Captained First XI to Otago SS premier championship and best-ranked finish at nationals in 10-plus years; first OBHS student to represent the New Zealand secondary schools team; coached junior high performance goalkeepers; leadership workshops for junior students; Cancer Society sports initiative fundraiser.
Reflections: Being a sports leader is a great privilege, being able to represent OBHS as one of the sporting leaders who get to have a voice and make key decisions in the school for the development of sport and involvement for younger students. It is an honour to have been able to serve in this role. I have come to understand that true leadership lies in inspiring those around me to reach their fullest potential both on and off the field. I am proud to have contributed to the opportunities, growth and potential success for others.
Ethan Des Fountain
Highlight: Winning the Otago secondary schools premier football competition, and getting to play the final at the stadium.
Legacy: Organising teachers v prefects sporting competitions to encourage other students to give sports a go; leadership workshops for junior students.
Reflections: Being a sports prefect has given me the opportunity to get a better understanding of the sporting culture at Otago Boys’ and what it means to not only the current students but also past students.
QUEEN’S HIGH SCHOOL
Kaila Geeves
Sports: Netball and volleyball for the senior A team. When I am not playing, I am giving back by coaching junior teams within the school. This year I coached the 10A netball team, which in turn helped my own personal development as a netballer. I have been to many netball tournaments, as far as travelling to Christchurch, to compete in the SISS tournament. I have also been to many tournaments for volleyball including travelling to Christchurch.
Value of school sport: Playing sports at Queen’s gave me the chance to meet new people and form relationships with my coach and my team-mates. I have met new friends at Queen’s through sports alone over the years, which has helped me recognise how important it is to get involved in that sport even if you don’t know anyone else. As someone who values friendships greatly, I’m glad I took a chance because some of the people I met while participating in sports have now become some of my closest friends. Being involved in sports has allowed me to develop my netball and volleyball skills to the max. Netball has allowed me to be involved in coaching the 10A team, which was a big step up.
Petra Andrew
Sports: Senior B netball team for three years as well as social basketball and volleyball with friends. I’ve also spent a lot of time coaching junior netball teams, such as 9B this year. Both playing and coaching, especially in netball, has given me plenty of opportunity to develop as a player and encourage growth in the teams I’ve coached.
Value of school sport: Sports has meant a lot to me over my time at high school, and allowed me to make connections and friendships I wouldn’t have otherwise made. It provided me with a healthy outlet for competitiveness in playing and an opportunity to watch players grow as a coach, as well as built my confidence and created a sense of belonging and community within my teams. School sport also helped me keep fit and often helped relieve stress. One of my favourite things about being involved in sports at Queen’s has been the opportunity to give back to the school through coaching junior teams. Getting to see the growth and development of junior players is worth all the work put in, and seeing them succeed and encourage each other has meant a lot to me.
Lessons: Playing and coaching sports has taught me a lot about leadership. Having to stay positive and motivate a team through difficult situations and losses has made me a much better leader, team-mate and competitor. I’ve been able to apply the lessons I learn in sports such as sportsmanship and developing healthy habits to the rest of my life and education.
Highlights: Getting to captain the First XI hockey team and represent Queen’s at the New Zealand track and field championships.
Legacy: I wanted to make sure that the students had fun games organised for lunchtimes and allow any abilities to join in. We also had a prefect v staff relay at athletics day which is a great way for the prefects to have some fun and the rest of the school watch the teachers. This year, the prefects took the win.
Reflections: This year has brought me many opportunities to speak in public as well as run activities within the school. It has widened my leadership skills which I will be able to use in the future. Being the sports prefect meant a lot to me as, since year 9, it was my goal. I wanted to help students who weren’t so interested in physical activity have a go and see if they would enjoy it. I also wanted to show my journey and how I achieved my goal.
Murphy Lister
Highlights: The interhouse touch competition. The final was really intense and competitive and went to a drop-off. Or the year 11-13 rugby game against Blue Mountain College. We had a fair few boys who had never played rugby before but we stayed competitive and had a ton of fun.
Legacy: Successful exchanges against East Otago and Blue Mountain.
Reflections: Being a sports leader is hugely important to me, as sport is a huge part of my life. I referee rugby and touch to a high level and I also played cricket for the Milton King Crabs in the summer. Trying to get as many kids involved in sport as possible is one of my goals as a sports leader, as many kids are not even attempting new sports or the ones already playing are pulling out because they no longer enjoy it. Trying to keep the games fun and friendly while also being competitive is how kids are going to try new sports and stay in them.
