Indoor bowls: Bay youngsters break the barriers

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Te Ara Hou indoor bowls students and coaches. Photo / Warren Buckland

Could Hawke's Bay's Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Te Ara Hou students become the stars of a movie similar to The Dark Horse?

If they did, indoor bowls would be the code not chess as was the case in the 2014 New Zealand drama which was written and directed by James Napier Robertson and starred Cliff Curtis and James Rolleston. This possibility had to be raised after observing the passion for indoor bowls at the Napier school this week.

"Thanks to the enthusiasm of our tamariki we're breaking down a few barriers in a sport which is dominated by Pakeha and old people," coach Robert Abraham said.

Abraham and his partner whaea Kirstyn Harrison, a teacher at the school, introduced indoor bowls to the students earlier this year.

"It's taken off big time ... so much so it will become part of the curriculum next term. By the time some of these students reach intermediate school age they will be ready to go to the AIMS Games in Tauranga where there were 306 singles entries this year," Abraham said.

He pointed out teachers and parents are quick to appreciate the benefits.

"There's a lot of strategy and co-ordination involved. It improves the attention spans of our tamariki who are aged between 5 and 9 and this follows through to their school work. It's a win-win for everybody," Abraham said.

"Some of our tamariki who aren't into traditional sports, have taken a liking to indoor bowls. It gives them an opportunity to do well in a code they like."

Harrison pointed out one of the highlights of the journey to date for her was when 80 students from the school particpated in sessions alongside adult players from throughout the province at the Hawke's Bay Indoor Bowls Association's Onekawa Hall.

"Our students learnt a lot about the code's etiquette. They also got an appreciation about what makes the mind of their older mentors tick just like the mentors worked out what made the minds of our students tick. The best feedback we got was how well behaved our students were and it was the first time for many years there were so many youngsters of this age in the hall."

Two of their students, 8-year-old year three student Hazel Reti and 8-year-old year four student Pohio McLean-Nahora, have excelled so much they have been playing in the Hawke's Bay association's drawn triples summer league.

McLean-Nahora has won seven of his eight matches and Reti has had a 50 per cent success rate.

"I want to learn and I'm keen to play in as many tournaments as I can," McLean-Nahora said.

"I'm thrilled whaea Kirsty got me involved. I want to play in more tournaments in the future too," Reti, who is also involved in waka ama and plays basketball and rugby, said.

Harrison and Abraham have taken Reti and McLean-Nahora to several clubs in the Bay.

"Often I've been the youngest at some of the club nights and I'm 44. One of Pohio and Hazel's opponents has been 93 years their senior ... this sort of interaction benefits everyone involved," Abraham said.

A former long-serving Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports premier rugby player Abraham has been to several tournaments around the country including the nationals. He discovered the New Zealand representatives are just as professional as top rugby players with their approach.

"Pathways are there for youngsters like Pohio and Hazel to follow."

He won't be surprised if they feature at national tournament level in the not so distant future. Definitely movie material ... it's just a matter of when.