2020, a new year and a new decade. A huge welcome to all of our wonderful SMC girls. Here in the Sports Office, we are excited to see what 2020 will bring. The sign up for sports is always a crazy time. With so many wonderful sports to choose from throughout the year, it is a tough decision for many of our girls.

Some codes overlap and for those of you wanting to play more than one sport, some choices have to be made. As we encourage our girls to sign up for a sport, some of you are brave enough to give new sports a try. Being an SMC girl means being a good all-rounder, willing to give anything a go and trying your very best in everything you do. But most of all we encourage you to have fun and be a part of a bigger picture here at school. As always we love hearing all about what our SMC students are up to in the world of sport. Please feel free to email us in the Sports Office anytime and update us. 
louise.eder@stmargarets.school.nz

Bowls
Fantastic to see SMC Old Girl, Katelyn Inch taking the title of National Bowls Champion, not once but twice in both the doubles and singles - a huge congratulations! 🏆🥇( Jan 2020)

Coast to Coast
Eliza Barltrop Y13 and Sophie Rutherford Y13 are competing in this year's Coast to Coast February 7 - 8. I asked both girls to tell me a little bit about what they have been doing in the lead up to this amazing and tough event. Both of these girls are a huge inspiration and a good example of the spirit of SMC. We wish them all the very best as they embark on an incredible couple of days.

Eliza writes; “. Ever since I was little we have gone down and supported the Coast to Coasters going past on their final bike ride. I was always so inspired and never thought I would actually get to compete in such an amazing, life-changing event. Two friends of mine competed in a school team last year and that's when I realised that it would actually be possible. Sophie and I then started talking about it saying how cool it would be to give it a crack and surely enough our parents supported our decision and in no time at all, we were entered. It all seemed quite daunting at first that we were actually in for this huge event. First of all, I had to get a Grade II Certificate to be able to complete the kayak. Since this was also new to my family, I needed to get a multisport boat to complete my certificate in. I did this through March 2019, which was challenging. But as soon as I got into it I felt comfortable going down strong moving water and I felt so excited to have this race ahead of me. I have been training since we signed up and about the last 6 months the training has really ramped up. I was training 5-6 times a week doing kayaking, cycling and running. I've absolutely loved all the training that I've had to do. For cycling, I did some school cycling during winter last year to experience some bunch riding and Terry Gyde, my coach really helped me improve as a cyclist even in just a few short months. I did quite a lot of training around from Lyttleton to Diamond Harbour area to get some good hill training in as my bike ride is very 'hilly'. Other days I would just go on fairly long-distance rides around home to get some good strength and extra time on my bike. For kayaking, I train on both the Avon river for endurance training and also the Waimakariri River for good moving water training. This is also the river I will be racing on which I am lucky to live so close to. I competed in the Classic Rasdex Series which is an annual event that consists of 3 prologues of 15km of the lower part of the course on the Waimak and then the Classic Race which is supposed to be the 70km of the Coast to Coast kayak leg however this year the river was high so there was an alternate course on the lower half of the Waimak which was only 35km. When I signed up to do the kayak leg, I did not know what I was really getting myself into. I originally thought to go downstream in a kayak, yeah that will be kinda easy. But no... it's got a bit more to it than that. My parents are definitely my biggest supporters allowing me to train as much as I do by helping out with transport. Dad completed his Grade II towards the end of last year so he can come training with me on the Waimak. However, I have gotten support from many of the close ones around me. Now that it is getting nearer the time, it's beginning to all feel quite real. I am nervous but mostly just so excited to finally race this amazing race. My friend who completed the Coast to Coast last year was probably my biggest inspiration. He went out and achieved so highly. This year with my training, he has continued to inspire and support me through my Coast to Coast journey which has kept me motivated and excited for this year's race which I will finally be a part of.”

Sophie writes; What led you to sign up for the Coast to Coast?
“It is something I have always wanted to do since I was little as my dad did years ago and always said he really enjoyed it. Somehow the conversation came up with Eliza early last year and we decided to give it a go, myself doing the mountain run and the final bike whilst Eliza does the first bike from the beach and the kayak.”

How long have you been training?
“I was doing a good amount of running and biking throughout last year to keep a good base fitness, and in May I ran the Mt Isobel challenge just to have a practice of a hill run with others around me. I also started Cycling with the SMC team later in the season over the Winter which helped my technique and bunch riding. At the start of November, I started a race-specific 12-week programme, from then I have followed and been training 6 days a week with the duration increasing each week. At its peak the runs were up to 5 hours at a time, followed by an endurance bike the day after.”

How is the training going?
“My training has gone really well. It definitely helped me having a programme to follow to keep me consistent and not doing too much or not enough. Now getting closer to race day my training is easing down which is a good feeling.”

Where do you train?
“I have been lucky that most of my training has been at home since being on study leave since November. Living on a farm has made it easy to get enough time training on hills and rougher terrain for running. I would also run at various places I visited over the summer holidays. I did a training run over Goats Pass with my Dad which I really enjoyed and it helped me to get a bit more of what I was training for and where to go. For cycling, I did most of it out the back roads of Culverden to avoid the traffic on the main road and a few rides over the hill when we were in the Marlborough Sounds. Everywhere else I went with my family I would try to take my bike.”

Who is supporting you?
“Throughout my training both my parents have helped me a lot to get to places to train when we were away. For our support crew on race day both of our parents are supporting us.”

How are you feeling now that it is getting nearer?
“I am really excited to do it especially since it has been so long in preparation so to get to the race will be an awesome feeling, but I'm also a bit nervous.”

Who inspires you?
“I've been inspired by a lot of people who are into endurance and multisport events as some of the races that people are able to do require a lot of hard work so it is pretty inspiring, like Godzone and other events.”

Rowing
As our Captain of rowing Charlotte Darry Y13 and Vice-Captain Emily Young Y13 say, rowing is now well and truly halfway through the season. The team has been working incredibly hard as have the coaches and supporters behind the scenes. The girls sent this report of what they have been up to over the holidays;

“Welcome back to another term of school and for our rowing girls, it marks the halfway point of our season! In the holidays the rowing girls ventured down to Twizel for another camp filled with racing, training and lots of laughter and fun. We started with two days of training to get ourselves prepared for the upcoming regatta that weekend. Everyone was buzzing with excitement for our first regatta in Twizel and looking forward to the chance to test themselves against the other schools. We were lucky enough to have beautiful conditions although at times a bit hot for us. The Canterbury Club Champs regatta showed how hard the girls had been working over the summer break with the squad making 15 A finals and 2 B finals and from these, the squad got 1 bronze medal, 3 silver medals and one gold medal. After the regatta, we then got on with training camp for the next four days before we went back to school. Over the camp, lots of improvements were seen with major gains technically and physically all around. The weekend after we headed back down to Twizel for another weekend of racing at the South Island Club Champs. Here the improvements made at camp really shone through all over the squad and each of the girls showed massive development in the way they were rowing. This was highlighted by the 16 A finals made with the squad coming away with 4 bronze medals, 1 silver medal and 3 gold medals. From here we head back into training at school for the next 6 weeks getting back into the familiar routine with our sights firmly set on South Island Secondary Schools and Maadi Cup (New Zealand Secondary Schools)! We are all really excited for the upcoming months not only to train hard but to come closer together as a squad.”
Charlotte Darry and Emily Young 

Softball
Congratulations to Trinity Mackley-Flutey who played in the Canterbury U15 team competing in the Little League National Championships in Christchurch from the 9-12th January and won. The U18 Canterbury Team played in Auckland from January 16 - 19 and came second. Trinity has been named in the Junior White Sox Squad and the NZ U15 Developing Sox squad. This squad will travel to Melbourne at Easter, after which a team will be named to go to Brisbane in June.
In rep season Trinity trains 5-6 times a week with 3 games as well. She loves the opportunities she gets given through the sport and enjoys meeting interesting people and making new friends. Trinity plans to continue to work hard and she hopes one day to go and play for a College in America.
Good luck for your forthcoming season Trinity and keep up all the hard work.

Swimming
Our swimming girls have had a very busy period during the holidays and have spent most of their time in the water, either competing or training. The girls attended swimming camp from the January 6 - 18 and went on to compete in the Canterbury Champs held in Dunedin from January 22 - 26. There is still a lack of a 50m pool here in Christchurch, hence the team travelling to Dunedin. Many thanks to our coaches and supporters for all their hard work in getting these girls to where they need to be. Their results were:

Maisy Perriam – Girls 15-16 year age group
Gold 200m butterfly
Gold 200m backstroke
Silver 400m Individual Medley
Silver 800m freestyle
Bronze 200m Individual Medley
Bronze 100m backstroke

Sienna McEwan – Girls 13-14 year age group
Gold 100m breaststroke
Gold 50m breaststroke

Grace Seeto – Girls 13-14 year age group
Bronze 50m breaststroke
Congratulations girls, awesome results.

Synchronised Swimming
Our lead Barista at Maggies’ Coffee shop, Chantelle Symons has swum, competed and coached in Synchronised Swimming for 15 years. Chantelle originally started out as a gymnast and from the age of 10, she took her gymnastics to the water. Through this sport, Chantelle has been able to travel overseas. She represented NZ at the age of 12 on the world stage in Japan. At the age of 13, she started coaching as well as competing. Last November she proudly took 11 girls away to compete in the Asia Pacific Open in Malaysia. They placed second in both categories, the Open Combination Team and the 13-14-15yr age group. The team is busy working towards the Argentinian Opens this coming November and we wish them well. For the last 7 years, Chantelle has been the head coach of the Synchronised Swimming Club here in Christchurch. The girls range in age from 8-16. They train three times a week in three different pools around Christchurch, depending on their age and stage. They compete in both the South Islands and the National Competitions, all the while aiming to get into the Development Squad from the age of 12. The club started out with four girls and has grown to 32. Chantelle would love to hear from you if you are interested in Synchronised Swimming. This year Norah Malan, Year 8, a synchronised swimmer from Australia, is joining the Christchurch Synchro Club. Feel free to email Chantelle for more information. chantelle.symons@stmargarets.school.nz

Tennis
A big congratulations to Abby Mason who won the New Zealand U16 girls doubles title prior to Christmas.
Andrew Falck, our fabulous SMC Coach has won the performance coach of the year award. Congratulations Andrew, it is good to see all that hard work and commitment has been rewarded.

Volleyball
Our Volleyballers have been extremely busy over the summer so far. They had a North Island Tour prior to competing in the NZ Secondary School Beach Volleyball Championships and came away with three great wins against Mount Maunganui College, Tauranga Girls College and Bethlehem College. They also had an amazing opportunity to train with one of NZ top beach volleyball players Mike Watson.
Five pairs of SMC beach volleyballers returned to the beach to compete in the NZSS Beach Volleyball Championships at Mount Maunganui on February 1 & 2. Each pair played four games and out of 20 games they had 14 wins. The temperature reached 32 degrees which meant the sand temperature was scorching. The girls battled some fantastic rallies and worked as great teams. Two teams made it into the quarterfinals playing for positions 1-8 and two teams playing for 9-16. The final results are as follows, congratulations to all of our amazing players;

Ella Ballantyne & Rosa Davidson 11th Div 1
Mackenzie Haycock & Grace Mains 1st Div 2
Frankie Molnar & Livvy Parker 6th Div 2
Annabelle Goodwin & Ellie Withers 12th Div 2
Charlotte Haycock & Emily O’Connor 25th Year 11
A massive thank you to our coaches, managers, supporters and Paula Vesty for everything they do to enable the girls to play Volleyball.

Six of our talented volleyballers represented Canterbury in the National Age Group Provincial Beach Volleyball Champs at Mount Maunganui in the last week of the holidays. They all did exceptionally well with extremely close games and the girls being watched by New Zealand selectors. Our top results came from Ella Ballantyne who gained a Silver Medal in the U17 grade with her partner and Rosa Davidson who was 4th in the U19 grade. Other results were;

U17 Girls: 
Emily O'Connor 5th
Charlotte Haycock15th
U19 Girls
Mackenzie Haycock 11th=
Grace Mains 21st
A huge congratulations to Ella Ballantyne who has just been named in the New Zealand U17 Indoor Squad to have a final trial for selection for the team to compete in the Youth Asian Games in Thailand in September. This is exciting news and we wish you the best of luck for your trial. The hard work is paying off Ella.
Congratulations also to Charlotte Haycock and Emily O'Connor who won silver at the South Island Beach Volleyball Championships played at Pioneer Stadium in December. They played a hard-fought match displaying some incredible defence and crafty beach shots. Well done girls. Very exciting times ahead for SMC volleyballers, keep up the great work girls.

Water Polo
Captain of Water Polo here at SMC, Josie Persico had a fabulous opportunity in the holidays to add to her many skills. She writes; ‘I was asked to train and play for the Sydney Northern Beaches Breakers U18 Water Polo team (the same team that Annabel Norris played for, who is now an SMC old girl) in December 2019 and January 2020 after them seeing me play earlier in the year for the NZ Youth Team. So I have been able to train and play in their weekly competitions for a month leading up to the Australia Youth Nationals held in Brisbane in early January. We ended up placing 6th. The State Championship is still to come in April which I'm hoping to also attend and further gain some more crazy Aussie games!!’
Go, Josie.
Two of our SMC Senior Water Polo players Ella Frazer and Emma McClure felt very privileged to attend a 3 day Water Polo camp in Blenheim run by Tony Azevedo in January. Tony is a 5-time USA Olympian, Olympic Silver medalist in 2008, Former Team USA Captain and is just a good all-round guy. Tony is considered to be one of the best players in the world. He is now retired from playing professional Water Polo and gives back to the sport by travelling the world to spread his love of Water Polo and inspire the next generation of players.
The camp was a great experience for Emma and Ella. They learnt lots from Tony and made good improvements to their fundamentals and shooting technique. They have a newly found appreciation for yoga which they did each morning as well as spending 4.5 hours in the water each day. They are both looking forward to attending another camp in the future especially to see how much improvement they make to the testing that they did at the camp. 
Water Polo isn’t all about training in the water as some of our girls found out at the Marlborough Camp. Sharon McClure writes;
“The Marlborough camp was attended by a couple of SMC players as individuals. We had a conditioning camp in Auckland which some players attended - 5 in total plus myself as a bystander coach. The SMC players got to mix it up with Auckland players and they found the Auckland camp very beneficial and tiring. They worked very hard on their fitness in and out of the pool. The players had 3 sessions a day, one PT session which covered strength building and stretching and two in the pool working on fitness, skills and gameplay. They are looking forward to the Water Polo trials and the start of the school water polo season.”

Water Skiing
Congratulations to Ellie Rogers (Y10) who has been selected to represent NZ in the Under 14s against Australia in February at Lake Crichton in Slalom Water Skiing. Ellie was selected based on her previous tournament scores. What a great way to kick off 2020 and an outstanding achievement!
Emily Milner (Y12) has been very busy on the water as well. She writes;

“Lots of tournaments are coming up in the next couple of months. From February 3 - 9 both Ellie Rogers (Y10) and I are competing in the annual Ozkiwi (Australia vs New Zealand) tournament at Lake Crichton. Ellie is competing in her first Ozkiwi in the U14 team. I am competing in the U17 team for the 4th year. Over the holidays we both attended the ski school at Lake Crichton to work on some skills with coach Kyle Eade who came over from his home site in Florida. I then went up to the North Island to ski for a week at Lake Kereta with the Junior Worlds training squad. (Team to be announced late April.)”

We wish Emily and Ellie the best of luck for Ozkiwi this year.