The Year 8 Toko Storm touch rugby team. Photo / Alyssa Smith
The Year 8 Toko Storm touch rugby team. Photo / Alyssa Smith
Nearly 400 kids are taking to the field to play touch rugby on Tuesday afternoons.
Organiser Aaron Moore says the Central School Touch Rugby competition first started 12 years ago.
“I was approached by a parent after a Rippa Rugby competition. They asked if there was something similar their childcould do after school. There wasn’t, so I thought I would start something up for primary school pupils.”
The competition grows in size each year, he says, with 40 teams from Stratford Primary School, St Joseph’s Stratford, Pembroke, Midhirst, Ngaere, Kaponga, Toko and Eastern Districts.
“We have 380 kids taking part this year. I think the remarkable thing is every year, you see the children’s skills develop. Some of the children I’ve watched progress from Years 3 and 4 right up to Year 78. It’s pretty neat to see the progress made by the kids each year.”
Aaron says the aim of the competition is to help school pupils develop hand-eye co-ordination skills and encourage them to be active.
“There’s nothing better than being outside playing a game of touch with your mates on a fun Stratford afternoon. The competition takes place in Terms One and Four. It leads into rugby, so we hope some of the players will join the Streltham rugby teams.”
The members of the Year 7 and 8 Toko Storm team have all been taking part in the touch rugby competition since they were in Year 3.
