Gisborne teams do well against BoP

SWIMMING GOLD: Gisborne Intermediate swimmers (from left) Jodiesha Kirkpatrick, Charlie Keepa and Rixon Skudder were gold medallists at the Super 11 Bay of Plenty/Poverty Bay Intermediate School swimming tournament in Rotorua. Jodiesha Kirkpatrick won gold in the 12-year girls’ 50-metre butterfly, 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 100m butterfly; Charlie Keepa won gold in the 11yr girls’ 50m breaststroke; and Rixon Skudder won gold in the 11yr boys’ 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly.

INTERMEDIATE school students in Gisborne are in the midst of a 25-code annual programme of sporting contests with their Bay of Plenty neighbours.

These Gisborne Intermediate teams and athletes are among the winners at recent Super 11 Bay of Plenty/Poverty Bay Intermediate School tournaments.

Athletes from intermediate schools in Gisborne (Ilminster and Gisborne intermediate schools), Whakatane, Te Puke, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga and Rotorua meet at tournaments spread around the region throughout the year.

The 25 codes in which tournaments are contested include rugby in its various forms, football, hockey, netball, golf, tennis, swimming (pool and lake), ki o rahi, surfing, surf lifesaving, triathlon and athletics.

Gisborne Intermediate deputy principal Brendon Hart said that of the 25 codes, rock climbing was the only sport in which Gisborne Intermediate was not represented.

Schools hosted sports on a regular basis. Gisborne Intermediate organised surf lifesaving, ki o rahi, ultimate frisbee and lightweight rugby tournaments; Ilminster organised the triathlon.

The tournaments are a big part of the intermediate sporting landscape, Hart says.

“We have big numbers at trials for the teams, and we’ll be sending over a hundred students to the winter tournament — rugby, netball, football and hockey — at Mount Maunganui. We send full teams away — Year 7 and 8 boys and girls.”

In touch rugby in Rotorua, Gisborne Intermediate Year 8 girls did not concede a try in the tournament and beat Rotorua Intermediate 4-0 in the final. Last year, these Gisborne girls won the Year 7 title.

The Year 8 boys had their first tournament win, beating Rotorua 4-1 in the final.

The Year 7 girls beat Whakatane Intermediate 2-1 in the final, having lost to them in pool play.