Western Bay schools rule in AIMS Games cross country

Alex Searle crosses the line to win the cross country Championship School Relay for Otumoetai Intermediate. Photo/George Novak

The 14th AIMS Games started in wet and chilly conditions today with the prospect of better weather to come this week for the 10,139 competitors taking part.

Cross country, gymnastics and yachting began the games before two lavish opening ceremonies at ASB Arena captivated the record numbers attending.

At the cross country course at Waipuna Park, heavy early morning rain meant heavy conditions for the Year 7 and 8 girls' and boys' individual races and the epic mixed championship school relay.

The physically demanding end to a tough schedule required 12 laps of the 1km course to be completed by up to 12 runners.

Otumoetai Intermediate won in style with a final lap from Alex Searle getting them home ahead of Katikati College, featuring New Zealand reps and identical twins Daniel and Sean Nicholson, with Tauranga Intermediate taking out third place for a clean sweep by Western Bay schools.

Team manager Lisa Chappell, who also coached the team with Craig Kirkwood, said they were hoping to win the blue ribbon championship relay.

"We won inter-schools a couple of weeks ago and I saw the competition that we had and knew we had a pretty strong team. It was just working out on the day did I get them in the right order and they did fantastically," she said.

"They did exactly what I wanted."

Chappell said from lap seven they took control of the race and worked into a 300m lead that Alex Searle made full use of to bring home the gold medal for his school.

"It was amazing, a good experience and yeah, it was really fun to do," Alex said.

"The rain made it really tough and much harder and the hill was really slippery, which took me a while to get up. But everyone in the team gave 100 per cent so it was really cool."

Also satisfied with her day's work was race organiser Kristin Potaka, who said the volunteers that helped set up the course, organised by Malcolm Taylor, deserved the most praise.

"On Friday afternoon we had people from the Tauranga Ramblers and Tauranga Intermediate who came down to help us out and we had more volunteers here Saturday morning setting up the entire course.

"Early [Sunday] morning we had people setting up banners and marquees so we had heaps and heaps of people to get the grunt work done and get the massive event that it is working."

Yesterday's event was the first time para-athletes have been part of AIMS Games which Potaka said was really exciting.

"They are with us and swimming. We had Mary Fisher, a Paralympian, down here in the morning and Nikki Hamblin, who was given the Fair Play Award at the Rio Olympics.

"The Anchor AIMS Games is all about that fair play, about getting in behind your school and just the whole culture and the buzz of these games is just wicked. It's what we love about it."

About the Anchor AIMS Games

AIMS (Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools) Games run from September 10 to 15 at a range of venues across the Western Bay of Plenty. The premier sporting event for 11, 12 and 13-year-olds is a strategic partnership between Sport Bay of Plenty, Tauranga City Council and the four Bay of Plenty intermediate schools.

This week 10,139 athletes from 302 schools are contesting 21 sports.

Information: www.nzaimsgames.co.nz