WIS leads mountain biking

ON THE TRAIL: Wanganui Intermediate School's Caleb Wilson competes in SuperSport mountain biking yesterday. INSET:Joe Hazlehurst rounds the final bend in yesterday's SuperSport mountain biking. PHOTOS/STUART MUNRO 060615WCSMBIKING2, 060615WCSMBIKING1

Wanganui Intermediate School (WIS) continue to dominate interschool mountain biking, placing first and second overall in yesterday's SuperSport event.

WIS along with three schools from Palmerston North and one from Masterton battled it out for the boys and girls titles at Harakeke Mountain Bike Park.

SuperSport is an interschool competition for central North Island schools over a variety of sports. Just over 100 pupils took part in yesterday's mountain biking event.

WIS have won both the boys and girls titles for the past three years but this year the boys were pipped by Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School to finish second. The WIS girls however, continued to dominate, claiming the title for a fourth straight year.

WIS mountain biking coordinator Nigel McIllroy said the event, which Wanganui has hosted for the past few years, had been fantastic.

"The year 8 boys was really good. Really, really close racing," he said.

He said the sport was popular at the school and was something he had been pushing.

"It's growing and growing.

"We have it as a winter sport at school. Out of all those intermediate schools, we are the only [one] that regularly does it."

"Its a chance for those kids to shine individually rather than as a team."

WIS has 35 pupils who regularly participate in mountain biking.