Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Te Awamutu mates shoot hoops for 12 hours to raise funds for local boy's vital medication

Bethany Rolston
By Bethany Rolston
Te Awamutu Courier·
2 Jul, 2018 08:25 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Te Awamutu mates Gerard Dorssers (left) and Ollie Ward will be shooting hoops for 12 hours to fundraise for a Te Awamutu boy.

Te Awamutu mates Gerard Dorssers (left) and Ollie Ward will be shooting hoops for 12 hours to fundraise for a Te Awamutu boy.

Ollie Ward and Gerard Dorssers have set themselves an epic challenge — to shoot 6000 netball hoops in 12 hours.

And it's all to raise money for a Te Awamutu boy who needs vital medication.

The 'shoot-a-thon' is at the Te Awamutu Sports Indoor Centre this Saturday from 7am to 7pm.

Ollie and Gerard will each shoot 3000 hoops in 12 hours. They'll use separate netball hoops but be on the same court.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They have allowed themselves a five minute break every hour.

Some people are calling the Te Awamutu mates big-hearted, some are calling them crazy.

If they reach the target early, they'll keep shooting until the 12 hours is over. If they don't reach the target? That's not an option, they say.

The two men have played basketball for Te Awamutu in regional and national tournaments over the years.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They've been through plenty of challenges on the court together — but none as gruelling as this.

"By our rough calculations I think we'll just make it," Ollie says.

"Although it won't take long for us to get tired. The last two hours will especially be a struggle."

Gerard says the event will be tough — but not as tough as what Jai and his family have been through.

Discover more

Restorative breathing, ice-bath immersion classes come to Te Awamutu

27 Jun 08:36 PM

Te Awamutu father and son excel at NZ clay target nationals

27 Jun 08:52 PM

A history of social dance in Te Awamutu: Teaching a town the Foxtrot, Gay Gordons and Valeta

27 Jun 11:35 PM

Te Awamutu: Helping children learn with interactive stories, rhymes

04 Jul 08:17 PM

"Ollie and I are just helping in a way that we know how," Gerard says.

Ollie had been thinking about the idea of a shoot-a-thon for a while and was waiting for a good reason to do it.

Gerard jumped on board and together they hope to raise $3000 for Jai Bowers-Anstis — a boy they have no close relationship to, but heard about through friends and family.

Jai was born a happy healthy baby, but at nine months he contracted herpes simplex virus and encephalitis — a brain inflammation.

He now has a severe brain injury, developmental delays and refractory epilepsy — seizures that are not controlled with seizure medications.

Jai's only relief is cannabidiol (CBD), an oil-based medicinal cannabis produced by Canadian company Tilray.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The money raised from Saturday's event will cover two months' medication.

The public is invited to come along to watch. If you head down between 3pm and 4pm you might even spot the guys in Disney princess costumes.

To make a donation get in touch with Gerard on 027 505 4008 or Ollie on 027 290 9268.

For more information click here.

NZME Upbeat

Much is said of media focusing too much on what's going wrong - now we're going to tackle this head on.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

From today, we plan to shout more about the good things.

We already cover many stories about the great things local people, businesses, schools, agencies, councils, even government departments, are doing.

Now we plan to show off about it more.

Meet NZME UPBEAT.

You can send your positive story ideas to dean.taylor@nzme.co.nz

When you see this branding, you will know this is something we consider you'll be cheered by. We'll be cheering about it too.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Cheers,
Dean Taylor
Editor

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

Bullseye: Police recover stolen archery equipment

19 May 10:54 PM
Waikato Herald

Lake Taupō mystery: Photos identify Russian stuntman missing 22 years

19 May 10:54 PM
Waikato Herald

NZ's new cheapest petrol station revealed

19 May 10:04 PM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Bullseye: Police recover stolen archery equipment
Waikato Herald

Bullseye: Police recover stolen archery equipment

19 May 10:54 PM

Archer spent 20 hours preparing the kit before it was stolen together with his ute.

Lake Taupō mystery: Photos identify Russian stuntman missing 22 years
Waikato Herald

Lake Taupō mystery: Photos identify Russian stuntman missing 22 years

19 May 10:54 PM
NZ's new cheapest petrol station revealed
Waikato Herald

NZ's new cheapest petrol station revealed

19 May 10:04 PM
Key All Black re-signs with Chiefs, NZ Rugby until 2027

Key All Black re-signs with Chiefs, NZ Rugby until 2027

19 May 07:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP