Over the weekend of 11-13 December, a small but enthusiastic team of Roncalli students flew up to Tauranga for the New Zealand National Secondary Schools Track & Field Championships.

The Roncalli Athletics team for Nationals 2020 consisted of Rhys Stevens, William Laing, Lachlan List, Morgan Oudemans, Monica McDonald, Archie Jones and Bethany Oudemans.

Some highlight results:

• William Laing (Junior Boys): 4th 400m; 6th 800m
• Morgan Oudemans (Senior Girls): 7th Javelin; 9th Triple Jump; 12th Long Jump
  
• Archie Jones (Junior Boys): 11th Steeplechase.
• Monica McDonald (Junior Girls): 13th Javelin.
• Junior Boys 4 x 400 Relay: Rhys, Lachlan, William and Archie 7th over all. 
• Well done also to Rhys, Bethany and Lachlan who competed in their respective events -  we hope you all enjoyed the opportunity and experience.

We were very lucky to be able to even compete at this meet, with doubts still around community transmission in the North Island and alert level two looking very imminent in some points leading up to December. However, with it being late in the year this proved to be an advantage as we managed to get a big event in for the year, despite having the Aoraki and South Island championships cancelled, whereas a lot of sport codes missed out. 

Even with COVID, this meet was a big one for our team, as for everyone except myself it was their first time competing at NZSS, and for me it was my final year. As a school team, it was an awesome weekend away, with some great results for some but also a good chance to experience and watch a different level of athletics that you aren’t usually exposed to. 

We were lucky enough to watch the New Zealand Women's 4x100 metre relay team try to get a Tokyo qualifying time against the Senior Girls 4x100 finals, which was eye opening in itself. 

Staying with Craighead and Timaru Boys' also meant that there was plenty of time to relax with other people and have some fun, with pizza and volleyball on the beach at Mount Maunganui after the last day of competition. Heading to this meet also gave some the chance to meet up with friends that they had made through athletics. 

Personally, being Year 13, I found that I knew more what to expect which helped me focus more on my own performance compared to everyone else’s. Overall, it was a great way to finish off my time in the blue and gold and I’ve been left with some great memories. I felt really privileged to even have a team around, as in previous years when I have competed there hasn’t been one. 

A big thank you and appreciation also goes out to the parents, caregivers and coaches who supported us during the weekend, our team managers Toni and Gareth Oudemans, Ms Leckie for her support over the weekend and her hard work put in as an official and also to Craig and Gaela Motley for their help and support over the weekend. Another thank you goes to everyone who supported our fundraising prior to our heading away, it was all greatly appreciated.