As we write this latest edition of the newsletter the build-up to Tournament week is happening all around us. Letters are going out to parents and girls asking for baking and making sure that packing is kept to a minimum for the trip.

 Draws are coming out letting the girls know what time they will be playing. Coaches are making sure all the coaching is spot on and the girls are prepared for the coming tournament. Seven sports from St Margarets will be represented during this very busy week, Badminton, Basketball, Climbing, Croquet, Cycling, Hockey, Netball. We wish all our fabulous SMC girls the very best of luck during this time. We look forward to hearing how they get on, but most of all we want them to be proud of SMC and the sports uniforms that they wear. Go out there and have fun girls. On a side note, you may notice a few odd photos that you wouldn’t expect to see in our sports newsletter, courtesy of Miss Lloyd.

Basketball
Term 3 has been a busy term for basketball this year, with a total of 20 teams from Year 5 and 6 to Year 13, it’s been awesome seeing the raw talent that young SMC girls have to offer. As Captain and Vice-Captain of Basketball, we’re really proud to see so many girls playing the sport both competitively and non competitively as well as making memories and friends that will last a lifetime. It’s been a long season for some girls but for many, it’s the last season of school basketball. We hope that girls continue to play the sport after school and keep growing the love for the great game. A big congratulations to those who have made representative teams this year, from SMC we had Lia Jenkins, Evie Leeson, Karereatua Williams, Olive Tuipulotu and Ivy Brown. We wish every Basketball player here at SMC the best for the rest of the season and hope to see more girls make representative teams in the future. As the season comes to a close, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank those who have supported the girls along the way whether it be driving to and from venues or being supporters on the sideline, your efforts do not go unnoticed. We really do appreciate the effort behind the scenes, without your help and support the girls wouldn’t be able to play each week. Massive good luck to our Intermediate A team who travel to Dunedin in tournament week to compete in the Year 9 and 10 basketball tournament as well as our Senior A Basketball team who are currently training for the South Island Basketball tournament in Nelson in September. Best of luck to our seniors for the rest of the year and we hope to see you in the future. We look forward to seeing you all at the breakup for a fun farewell.
Natashia Ieti and Casey Bennett
Captain and Vice-Captain of Basketball

Equestrian
School Sport Canterbury Secondary Schools One Day Horse Event 2019
Twenty-five teams from across Canterbury competed at McLeans Island for the Canterbury Secondary School One Day Horse Trial. Fabriana McQuarrie Y9, Sophie Thomas Y9, Meg Glassey Y9 and Evie Eaton Y12 all took part in less than favourable conditions. The Cross Country course, designed by Kirsty Sharapoff, was fantastic and offered plenty of challenges on the day. As well as Cross Country, the girls participated in Dressage and Show Jumping. After completing the Dressage the team were sitting in 14th place. Both riders and horses all did very well in the wet conditions and came home in 5th place, with only 6.2 points between us and first place.

Hockey 2019 Season overall
We thought you would like a little news on each of our brilliant hockey teams and how they have been going this season;
Primary A 11 aside
Our Primary A hockey team has become a solid well-rounded team who has shown improvement in every game. The girls have been working on consolidating their hockey skills as well as developing their ‘game play’ and Pieta, Miss E and Mrs. GC have enjoyed watching the team grow and show their opposition, how to play the ‘SMC’ way.
St Margaret’s/St Andrew’s combined 11 aside team
The combined team have been very committed this season and have strived to develop their skills during practice and in Saturday games. They have been fortunate to have two amazing St Andrew’s coaches who have used their expertise to show the girls some effective strategies and core skills. The girls have also been lucky enough to develop their hockey skills further with the help of Molly and Gaby who have coached them here at St Margaret’s.
St Margaret’s Magic
The Year 5 & 6 Magic are continually showing improvement every game. They are taking on board the skills we teach at training and incorporating them into the game. We have had a mix of results but even though some hard losses the girls continue to walk off with a smile. After coaching the majority of the girls last year, it has been awesome seeing their skills and their attitudes grow.
St Margaret’s Wizards
The Year 5 Wizards are such a positive bunch of girls. They have had some very tough matches this season but they have never once given up. They have turned up week after week and given it their very best. Everyone has improved their own skills and they have grown as a team.
St Margaret’s Stingers
The Year 4 Stingers have had a great season so far. The girls get better and better every week, and it's obvious to see as their skills develop with each game. They have had plenty of great wins and have been jumping up the grading pools all season.
St Margaret’s Wildcats
The Year 3 Wildcats have had an awesome season, being unbeaten the entire time! The girls have come so far in their hockey skills and everyone has made a great contribution to the team. Go Wildcats!

Profile of an SMC Athlete as told to the Sports Council.
Kate Baird
What sport do you play and what age were you when you first started?
I play Badminton here at St Margaret's College and have played badminton from the age of five, so for 13 years altogether.

Who is your sport inspiration/role model
My sport inspiration/role model would be my dad, Scott Baird and my Grandad, Bruce Baird. From birth, I have watched my dad and Grandad play badminton back home on the West Coast. Both my Grandad and Dad have been incredibly successful in their badminton results and have set the standard high for younger generations. Back home on the West Coast, some say I inherited the “Baird genes” and I am incredibly proud to be honoured with this title. My Dad and Grandad have taught me everything I know and I am forever grateful for the endless hours put into ensuring my success.

What have been your major highlights/achievements?
Major achievements in my badminton years have been becoming the West Coast Women's Champion in my various age groups from the age of 11. Most recently being named the Under 19 Overall Women's Champion, placing 1st in singles, doubles and mixed. Another significant achievement for me has been becoming the Canterbury Under 19 Women's Singles champion. This title is a dream since moving to boarding school in Christchurch in 2015. A major highlight for my school Senior A badminton team was becoming the Canterbury Secondary Schools Champion in 2018.

How many hours of training do you do per week?
During competition season (Winter) hours can be between eight - twelve a week. During the off-season (Summer) hours can be between two - four a week.

What do you enjoy most about playing sport?
Sport has been a significant part of my life since I was little and I have grown to love sport because of my family. For me personally, sport is about being a part of a team. For example, being a part of a tight, close-knit doubles pair in badminton is the most rewarding thing a badminton player can dream of. Having a trustworthy, passionate player like yourself makes the game so much more rewarding.

What's one thing which helps to be a successful athlete?
I believe to be a successful athlete you need to be a player that makes the most of your mistakes. An athlete that can take their mistakes and make them into a valuable learning lesson is what I believe a successful athlete looks like. A player that can turn the bad into the good, and hard times into good times. A player that learns from their mistakes and moves on, focuses on the future and not the past.

Awesome Kate, it is good to learn a bit more about you and your chosen sport. I love how you are following in your family’s footsteps. All the best for your future games.

Korf Ball
For the past two weeks, Middle School teacher Miss Lloyd has been in Durban, South Africa representing NZ in the World Korfball Championships, the first time that NZ has participated at this event. After some tough first-round games, they very narrowly missed out on making the top 16 of the tournament by 2 goals! They took convincing wins over Macau China and the hosts South Africa, then came very close to Hong Kong, going down by 2 in their final playoff game, to gain 18th position. Miss Lloyd finished as NZ's highest-scoring female with 13 goals in the tournament.
Alongside the Korfball, they managed to see some brilliant sites of Durban, including uShaka Marine World and a Safari tour with lots of incredible animals including Giraffes, Zebras and Rhinos! An amazing opportunity that she will never forget. Keep an eye out for more Korfball opportunities at SMC, and if you have any questions feel free to hunt down Miss Lloyd! 

Rowing
Back in April, we were super excited to announce that Charlotte Darry had been selected to represent New Zealand in the Women’s Coxless Four at the Junior World Rowing Championships in Tokyo in August. We are so proud to report that Charlotte Darry and her crew came 5th at Junior Worlds.

Women’s Four (JW4-) - A Final
New Zealand’s Charlotte Darry (St Margaret's College), Alison Mills (St. Paul's Collegiate), Lucy Burrell (Baradene College) and Sally Wylaars (Avonside Girls' High School) progressed straight to the A Final after placing second in their heat earlier this week. Coached by Nick Barton, the crew made a strong start in the A final today and held the second position by the first 500m, but were unable to maintain the speed of China, Italy and Germany who took gold, silver and bronze respectively.
Darry, Mills, Burrell and Wylaars placed fifth in a time of 07:14.50.
Interview with Charlotte Darry,
How did you feel back in April when you made it to the coxless 4 and what was going through your mind back then?
I was really excited and slightly shocked, I wasn’t sure of my chances and went into the trial just wanting to give it my all and see what happened. I really enjoyed the past season of rowing at SMC so to get to continue that and keep rowing was something that I loved.
How much preparation have you been doing since April to get ready for Tokyo?
Quite a lot really, we started training pretty soon after the trial by ourselves for 8 weeks and that was pretty full-on just getting ready for the campaign up North. Then we trained for 10 weeks together before Tokyo up in Cambridge.
How did you manage to balance your other commitments and time?
It was definitely a struggle at times to balance everything. I think one of the biggest things I learned was about prioritizing, and the importance of things in relation to you, and to people who are important to you. Once you understand that, it becomes a lot easier to balance everything.

How do you feel about your crew?
I love my crew, it was such a cool group of girls and we all got along really well. None of us knew each other before coming in but we quickly formed a really strong bond and I would say I will have a friendship with all of them for many many more years.
Describe your thoughts about Tokyo?
It is definitely a lot different to NZ. The heat was definitely a big thing but also things like the food and the general culture are very different. But they’re very kind and generous people and so they were always trying to make everything as good as they could for us.
How long were you in Tokyo for?
We were there for just under 3 weeks. We spent 10 days in Kyoto which is just out of Tokyo training and then the rest of the time was spent in Tokyo prepping for racing and actually racing.
Did you get time for anything else while you were away?
Yeah, we did when we were in Kyoto. We had some time most days where we could go out for an hour or two and explore, however it was pretty hot so often we didn’t really want to go outside and would prefer to just relax. One afternoon we had off, we went on a guided tour and got to visit a famous shrine and got to do a seated meditation with an instructor.
How did you feel going into the final?
I was excited but nervous, I knew that it was going to be a tough race but that I just had to stick to the plan and trust the process and let the result take care of itself. I really tried to take my mind off the end result and focus on what I could be doing each day before, to make sure it was my best performance I could produce.

How did you feel at the end of your race?
Physically exhausted, I think it was the hardest I’d ever pushed my body and with the combination of that and the heat I was really struggling at the end. I was happy that our crew had given it our best shot and we knew we couldn’t have done any more. However, it is still disappointing to come away with 5th as the goal is always to medal at least, if not win. However, that just provides more fuel to the fire for next time.
What is next for you?
For now, my focus is rest and recovery, giving my body a time to just chill for a bit. After that, I’ll be excited to rejoin the SMC team with the coaches and amazing bunch of girls. I’ll take some of the lessons I’ve learnt from my time away and hopefully have a successful school season again. Then I will look at remaking the NZ Junior team next year.
Charlotte thank you for your time and I am sure everyone will join me in congratulating you and your team for all your hard work once again. Enjoy the rest that you deserve and we look forward to seeing you back on the water for the next season.

Skiing
CSS Skiing 15th August
This month the Canterbury Secondary School Ski and Snowboard Championships was held at Mt Hutt. SMC had thirteen girls head up the mountain, where they had a stunning day, with clear skies and great snow. The SMC team had some fantastic results, with Paige Causer, Mari Henderson, Lydia Pye, Felicity Pye, Evie Eaton, Georgia Dawson, Olivia Studholme, Harriet Simpson, Victoria Clark, Hannah Smith, Rosa Davidson, Charlotte Haycock. Isla Fulton was also part of our SMC group and was our sole snow -boarder on the slopes.
1st Place - Girls Ski: Paige Causer
1st Place - Girls Ski Team: Paige Causer, Mari Henderson, Evie Eaton, Victoria Clark.
Paige Causer won first place in the girls ski racing and combining with Mari Henderson, Evie Eaton and Victoria Clark to win the teams’ trophy. Many of the other students also did well, despite a few crashes as the course became very icy later in the day. The girls had an awesome day on the slopes and should be proud of their efforts. Thank you to Miss Beaumont who accompanied the girls up to the slopes for the day.
Evie Eaton writes, “ The top team ( Paige Causer, Mari Henderson, Evie Eaton, Victoria Clark ) managed to win the fastest girls school, with Paige Causer being the fastest overall girl. All the girls did very well and had a fun day.”
Great job girls, the photos show what fabulous conditions you had and the smiles tell us even more.

Water Polo
Apologies to Emma McClure Y11 whose name was missed out of the last newsletter. Emma was also part of the Canterbury Water Polo U21 and U18 teams that competed last holidays. Good work team.

 Whistlers
A big congratulations to our three Year 9 girls, Makayla Hulme, Ashlee Tacon and Anita Avia who all received their Christchurch Netball Club Whistler awards at prize-giving last Saturday. It is awesome to see our SMC girls be a part of this great programme.
The Christchurch Netball Centre website explains;

“Whistlers is a great place to start for budding young umpires Year 8 up – no experience is necessary.

Whistlers umpire either on a Thursday or Friday after school, or a Saturday morning – they can choose. The sessions start with a theory rules session and then the umpires go outside and umpire Year 5-6 to U13 games depending on their level and ability. Each group of 4 Whistlers has a coach who is there to give advice and assistance.
If you are interested in becoming a Whistler you can register with the Co-ordinator Pam Ormandy via email or phone 3265731.”

Year 7 and 8
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, our Year 7 and 8’s had some exciting games against STAC. We had three Y7/8 Netball Teams at STAC and one Hockey Team at Nunwick Park.
Y7/8 A-Team, Charlotte Coughlan, Georgie Opie, Hannah Wareing, Brooke Mullinger, Lia Jenkins, Evie Leeson, Emma Ford.
Y7/8 B Team, Ellie Hale, Ruby Dorrance, Aneira Salt, Emily Fradd, Annabel Smith, Martha Luisetti, Clara Gomes-Lira, Emily Chambers,
Y7/8 C Team, Annabel Leete, Anna Qiu, Jess Shivas, Cleo Nicholas, Harley McVicar, Mia McMath, Tilli Leeton, Cesca Harris, Emma Hoskins, Abi Croft.
Congratulations to the B team who won their game.
1st X1 Hockey Georgie Powell, Sophie Wilson, Brooke Manson, Rosa Turner, Payton Edmondson, Molly Backhouse, India Horrey, Freddie Greening, Nelly Bascik, Frankie Jack, Lucy Todd, Sienna Godfrey- Chatterton, Holly Ross, Briena Colway, Angelina McCullough, Eve Tayler.
An enthusiastic and happy bunch of girls invaded the Sports Office after their very close game with STAC out at Nunwick Park last Wednesday afternoon. They had a narrow loss to STAC 2-1 but they were all very happy with how they played.
“We played really well and we scored a great goal Thanks to Rosa who made an excellent pass, Brooke scored our fantastic goal.”
It was great to see the happy and flushed faces of girls who had enjoyed their game even though they didn’t win. That is what SMC sport is all about, great team-work, enthusiasm for their chosen game and looking out for one another on and off the field.

Netball
Our senior A team had a narrow loss to CGHS in the final of the Supernet competition last night at Pioneer Stadium going down 29-33. The girls will continue to work hard in preparation for the South Island Secondary Schools tournament being held in Nelson this year. There will be 80 teams representing nearly every Secondary School throughout the South Island.
SMC B won their A Division Div.1 final and are winners of the Westpac Trust Cup.
And SMC D won the Junior Div.1 Brenda Rowberry Cup.