Programme to help young locals foot it with NZ's best

UP AND RUNNING: A new initiative for secondary school athletes to prepare them for the New Zealand Secondary School Cross-country Championships started this week. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

The countdown to the New Zealand Secondary School Cross-country Championships is on.

Rotorua will play host to the event for the first time in its 43-year history and Rotorua Lakes Council through its Major Events and Run Rotorua initiatives is helping students prepare. An eight-week programme began this week.

"The programme has been put together primarily to get local secondary school students active and prepared for the Podium New Zealand Secondary School Cross-country Championships in Rotorua on June 18 and 19," said Rotorua Lakes Council major events co-ordinator Jason Cameron.

Eleven days prior to the national event, Rotorua will also host the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regional Cross Country Championships.

Already 40 students have enrolled on the new programme, which includes gym fit sessions each Monday at Rotovegas Boxing Gym and a run at different venues around the city each Wednesday.

"As well as that, we've got Wise Up sessions where kids get access to a guest speaker every few weeks. They will look at things like goal-setting, training principles, stretch and flex yoga, flexibility, event preparation, event equipment, cooking for athletes, things like that."

Julian Dean is going to be a mentor on the programme and guest speaker at its concluding graduation.

As well as all the city's secondary schools, students from Murupara Area School and Reporoa College are also on the programme.

"This is the first initiative like this that we've done for a secondary schools' event in Rotorua, and to my knowledge, in running, it's a first in New Zealand as well," said Cameron.

"There are all different levels of age and ability and we are giving them the fitness and the skills and the confidence to be able to participate in these events."

The secondary schools championships will bring around 1000 athletes to Rotorua from 200 secondary schools, plus around 2000 supporters.