Waka Ama is much more than just another sport at James Cook High. It is THE sport of choice for many of the 1200 pupils at the Weymouth school. And, they are pretty good at it.
Victories in the division one boys' and girls' championship finals at the Auckland Secondary Schools regatta at the Orakei Basin on Saturday followed hard work put in by the school's 60-odd paddlers under the programme run by George Pomana and Richard Schuster.
Waka Ama, outrigger canoeing, is an extension of the school's bilingual unit administered by Pomana and based around their Te Pou Herenga Marae.
"There is a majority of Maori and Polynesian boys and girls at the school who mix in with the mainstream pupils for Waka Ama," said Schuster, who introduced the sport to the school while his daughters were there a few years ago.
"We have the resources and it is just a short walk from the school to where we train at Weymouth."
Many past pupils have gone on to join the Te Pou Herenga Club at Weymouth, which Schuster also started.
The canoes - five six-person and six singles - are owned by the club but made available to the school.
At $11,000 and $2500 respectively, they don't come cheap but Schuster does not let that dampen his enthusiasm.
"We have put in a lot of work already this year but we will have to do more before we go to the nationals in Rotorua at the end of the month," said Schuster, who has been paddling for 18 years after competing in dragon boats. "But that won't be easy as a lot of the kids are also in the ASB Polyfest which also takes a lot of their time as it is quite intense."
Keen to provide Waka Ama year round, Schuster has introduced a Year 9 programme at the school.
"While some of our paddlers go off and play league, rugby or netball in the winter, some want to stay with Waka Ama - so we are extending our programme which will take them through to the junior regatta in term four."
All eyes will now be on Joshua Perese, who won the J16 and J19 titles at last year's national secondary schools championships and will be back to defend this year in Rotorua from March 31-April 3, hoping to give James Cook High further recognition on the national stage.
CRICKET
Auckland
First-round matches in the 1A two-day championship got off to a watery start with one match called off without a ball being bowled.
Elsewhere, the two matches that did begin promise to be tense first innings affairs.
Rangitoto will resume at 11/1 on Saturday in their chase for the 177 scored by Kings, for whom Nathan Williamson (47) and Ben Horne (39) were the main contributors. Richard Raven with 3-7 and Ross Jenkins, 3-17, have given the home side a real chance of getting the points.
It is a similar situation at St Kentigern College where AGS will resume at 15/1 in their pursuit of the 182 scored by the home side of which Jordan Drinkall scored an unbeaten 40.
Waikato
If nothing else, the shocking weather which has dogged the division one 1st XI competition has served to keep the teams within sight of each other.
After five of the scheduled seven rounds, St Peter's are three points clear at the top of the table but three points back six teams are locked together with two of those schools, Morrinsville and Matamata, to meet at Morrinsville on Saturday as the race for the March 28 semifinals hots up.
Morrinsville were robbed of perhaps a winning chance when their game against Melville/Fraser was washed out without a ball being bowled on Saturday.
The game between Thames High and neighbours Te Aroha suffered the same fate.
In the matches in which there was play, three of the four teams batting first lost. St Peter's had an early day.
In a match reduced to 80 overs but which in the end needed only 22, St Paul's had no answer to the St Peter's attack as Ross Fitz-John bagged a match-winning 5-28 as St Paul's were all out for 46 in 17 overs.
Led by an unbeaten 36 from Kurt James, St Peter's needed only five overs to hit off the runs.
The combined Te Awamutu/Otorohanga team had a day to savour on their trip to Matamata.
Batting first, the home side managed a respectable 205 of which Kurt Gaskell scored 62. Ricky Palacio continued his good work with the ball taking 3-23.
In reply, Clinton Sinclair led the charge with 88 as the visitors sneaked home by two wickets in reaching 208/8. The bonus was in lifting the Dave Hoskin Trophy for the first time. They will now defend the coveted prize when they play St John's on Saturday.
Sent in, St John's struggled in damp conditions to post 169 in their 50th over against Hillcrest High after posting 28 for the first wicket before James Evetts was run out. Newcomer David Jaques topscored with 37 while Jude Copper managed 35.
In reply, Hillcrest were in trouble early at 18/3 before rain interrupted play. On resumption Andrew Fowke took control, going on to score 45 as Hillcrest reached their target for the loss of eight wickets in the 47th over.
TABLE TENNIS
The sport is alive and well among Auckland schools with a significant increase in numbers playing the term one competition. A total of 84 teams from just eight schools are playing this year - up from 66 a year ago.
Organisers are now expecting more than 150 teams to contest the term two and three competitions with over 20 schools likely to enter.
TENNIS
Individual and school supremacy goes on the line at the ASB Tennis Centre tomorrow in the finals of the Auckland Secondary Schools Champion of Champions tournament.
Defending girls' champions St Cuthbert's are being strongly challenged by Rangitoto College, who have Leora Hemmerich through to the singles final and, with Sabina Heinemeyer, the doubles final. Hemmerich's passage to the finals was made easier when Imogen Golder (Baradene) pulled out of both her semifinals yesterday with a knee injury.
St Kentigern and AGS are chasing the honours in a tight boys' contest after they and Kings College had shared the title last year.
College sport: Full speed ahead for Waka Ama
Epsom Girls 2 celebrate winning the girls' division two championship final at Orakei Basin. Photo / Brett Phibbs
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