Havelock North High School sporting whiz Colette Ritchie has some pretty impressive achievements on her CV.
But it's her latest entry which is going to be hard to beat in future.
Ritchie has won two sports scholarships, one for netball and one for volleyball, at the Maribyrnong High Performance Academy in Melbourne.
"For a girl who is into sport, this is heaven," Ritchie's mother, Alison Marshall, said and she isn't wrong.
Ritchie, 17, will begin the scholarships on February 2 instead of completing Year 13 at Havelock North High School. A United States college stint will be among her options at the end of next year.
The academy is modelled on the Australian Institute of Sport and has similar philosophies to the American college system.
"I have to keep up with the academic side of my studies or my attendances at the sporting commitments will be reduced," Ritchie said.
With the latest gym facilities, an injury clinic, fitness trainers, physios, nutritionists, sports psychologists and video analyst personnel on site, Ritchie won't want for anything.
"The academy doesn't have any teams," Ritchie said. "It is aimed at preparing individuals for club, state or national team honours.
"Obviously I'm not eligible for Australian teams, but if things go well I could return to New Zealand in future and have a crack at gaining national honours here."
A goal shoot on the netball scene, Ritchie has been in Havelock North High School's senior A netball team for the past two years. The side won the grand final in the Bay's premier secondary schools competition, beating Woodford House in last year's final and Sacred Heart this year.
Earlier this year the Charissa Barham-coached team played in a televised game against Waimea College of Nelson.
"We lost that game. Waimea won their region's club and school leagues and were a lot more experienced under pressure than us," Ritchie recalled.
The Havelock side also won the plate at the Lower North Island Secondary Schools tournament in Wellington. In addition to playing for her school, Ritchie also played for the HHSOG Huias side which finished second to Otane in the Hawke's Bay Premier League.
A former Te Mata Primary School and Havelock North Intermediate School player, Ritchie, had seven years as a Hastings netball representative. She regards last year's win against Woodford House as the highlight of her netball career to date.
"I was the only Year 11 player in the team. The rest were all Year 12 players who had been together since Year 9 and they all made me feel welcome," Ritchie said.
She captained her school's girls A volleyball team this year. It was unbeaten in winning the Hawke's Bay Secondary Schools league, open and seeding tournaments as well as the third division title at the national secondary schools tournament.
Ritchie has represented Hawke's Bay volleyball at under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels. She has been fortunate to have been coached by two of the Bay's best coaches in the code, Ian Johnson and Alani Samia.
"I'm really appreciative of the coaching I have had from all my coaches. Mum has been a great critic, too," Ritchie said.
While in Melbourne Ritchie intends to continue her sports photography studies, and this is high among her list of career possibilities.
She has come a long way since her days as a barefoot rugby player in Dannevirke. There is plenty of potential for Ritchie to go further within the next year or two ... once her stint in sporting heaven is over.