Many of the Far North's most talented junior sportsfolk are once again facing the long and cold road into winter to play the sport they love. But you'll find it hard to to match the commitment and the miles put in by some of Kaitaia's youngest football aficionados.
Take the case of Kalani Walters Hewson from Ahipara who, by season's end, will arguably be able to lay claim to being the most travelled athlete in the Far North. With the support of her parents, the Kaitaia College Year 9 student has once again committed to the hard slog ahead with the North Force under-13 girls team contesting an Auckland league championship.
To play at this level necessitates travelling twice a week to Kerikeri and/or Whangarei for team training. So, as soon as school's out on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, Kalani is on the road to either Waipapa or to Whangarei.
Then there's the actual competition itself beginning this Saturday, which father Paul Hewson noted often meant getting up at 6am and returning home around 10pm. That's for the away games, although the home games in Tikipunga (usually) still represent a huge day out, especially for someone from Ahipara.
One of the few players left from last season's championship-winning side in which she was a proflic striker, Kalani was a shoe-in for the 2014 North Force U13 squad, again being coached by Paul Wolt this year, as well as featuring her KUAFC stablemates Brydie Harrison and Jade Florian, both aged 11.
Last Saturday on her 13th birthday, Kalani also trialled at a National Talent Centre (NTC) day in Papakura. Both parents were fully supportive of Kalani's second season of travelling to Auckland and back but said they were now considering leaving their beloved beachside community and relocating to Auckland when their daughter becomes a Year 11 student - as long as she continues to show potential and maintains her current passion for the beautiful game.
Kalani's favourite teams are Liverpool and Barcelona, and her favourite player is Lionel Messi. A striker, she prefers her right foot but can strike the ball with her left as well, while her favourite move when running at goal with ball at foot is a jink/ feint designed to leave onrushing defenders flat-footed.
North Force honoursKalani Walters Hewson is among a growing contingent of local players who have gained representative honours with the various North Force age-grade teams preparing to play in Auckland Football Federation competitions kicking off this weekend. While the bulk of the five squads are made up of Whangarei players, Far North footballers securing North Force honours this season include the following.
In the U13 girls (playing Hibiscus Coast at Tikipunga on Saturday) beside Walters Hewson are Brydie Harrison and Jade Florian from Kaitaia, Holly Inwood and Tara Jackson of Kerikeri, and Lucia Avery of Russell.
In the U13 boys (playing Hibiscus Coast in Stanmore Bay on Saturday) are Zac Kingsford, Taine Lonsdale and Jack Williams, all Kerikeri. In the U14 boys (playing Forrest Hill Milford in Tikipunga on Saturday) are Russell Benseman, Reece Norwalla and Matthew Timperley, all Kerikeri. The U15 girls (bye this weekend) feature Jess Fuller, Libby Inwood, Aimee Walden and Nada Walker, all of Kerikeri; while the U16 boys, the only NF team playing on Sundays this season (away to Oratia at Parrs Park at 11am) feature Kaitaia's View Rungpao and Dylan Rogers, along with Kerikeri's Drew Young, Adam Streamer and Cameron Lambers.
Several of the above-mentioned players attended NTC trials last weekend in their respective age grades. Players who apparently impressed and now confirmed to progress on to their respective NTC camps in Auckland during the coming school holidays include View Rungpao, who has strong potential to make the New Zealand under-17 world cup squad next year, Nada Walker and Taine Lonsdale.