Football and frisbees for Holmes

FOOTBALL FERN OF THE FUTURE? That’s the aim of Gisborne teenager Renee Holmes, pictured in action for the New Zealand Football Development team at last year’s ASB Women’s League. Picture by Papatoetoe AFC

GISBORNE student Renee Holmes says the New Zealand under-20 team to compete at the world junior ultimate (flying disc or frisbee) championships in Poland are “looking good”.

“We beat Australia 2-1 in a three-test series in September and we have all been attending training camps and improving,” said the 16-year-old, who was named Most Valuable Player and is also a promising footballer aiming to play for the Football Ferns.

“At the last junior world ultimate champs none of the players were proficient at forehand throwing (holding the frisbee on the inside edge and flicking it). Now everyone in the squad is good at it.”

There are seven players in each ultimate team and games last for 100 minutes or until one teams scores 17 points.

“You have three positions — handlers who start the game, mids and the longs who are like running backs in grid-iron,” said Holmes, who is a long. “Our job is to get in behind the opposition defence and catch the frisbee (in the opposition end zone) to score a point.

“One of the things I really love about playing ultimate is it’s such a fair play sport.

“As soon as you catch the frisbee your opponent, who must be within a metre of you, counts to 10 and if the frisbee has not been passed on it’s a handover.

“If the catcher thinks the person counting is not close enough, or is counting too quickly, they call ‘contest’.

“If the contest is accepted, the frisbee is handed over. If it’s not then the two captains are called in to sort it out.

Played in good spirit“Generally there’s no problems with contest calls. The game is played in good spirit.”

Holmes first started playing ultimate while at Gisborne Intermediate School but did not continue when she went on to Lytton High.

“There was no ultimate team but then Lytton entered a team for the 2015 national champs.

“We had four girls so we entered a mixed team but when we got to Auckland there had been a mix-up, and we had to combine with the boys and play in their competition.”

The mix-up proved good for Holmes. She impressed enough to be asked to play for the Auckland under-19 women’s team at this year’s nationals, which Auckland won.

“A couple of weeks after that I was told I was in the New Zealand squad for the junior world champs and have attended three-day training camps in Auckland, where we focus on fitness and skills.”

Ultimate, though, is very much a minior sport in New Zealand and the trip to Poland is self-funded.

“We’ve (whanau and friends) raised $3000, which is half the cost, which is why I’ve started a givealittle page (givealittle.co.nz/cause/getreneetopoland2016).

“It would be great if I could get some help. It’s an honour to represent New Zealand at any level.”

Hoping to be picked for NZHolmes, now attending Girls’ High, is also a member of the New Zealand under-17 women’s wider training football squad. She is hoping to be picked for the New Zealand team for the 2016 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan in October.

She left Gisborne last year to play for Norwest United in Auckland’s NRFL women’s premier league last year but returned to Gisborne this year.

“I enjoyed the football in Auckland but, at 15, I was too young to be away from family,” said Holmes, who has been in fine scoring form for her school team — 17 goals in the past three weeks.

She played for the New Zealand Football Development Squad in the 2015 ASB Women’s League and also captained the Northern u16 team at the federation tournament in Wellington in December.

“I’m hoping to make the Central Football women’s team, who play in the national league, which starts in October.

“My long-term goals are to gain a football scholarship in America and play for the Football Ferns.”