Sport Liaison Reports

Touch - Demi McAlwee

This term, much like every other sport, has had its ups and downs with cancellations of tournaments and games due to Covid. Throughout this term, Years 9-13 managed to get to play 2 games every fortnight at the OSSSA touch competition on a Tuesday night and 7 and 8 on a Thursday. We have 2 senior teams, 1 Year 10 team, 2 Year nine teams, and 2 Year 7 and 8 teams. 

At the beginning of the term, we started the initiative with our Year 7 and 8 girls that there were weekly training on Wednesday lunchtimes that anyone could attend. This was put in place to encourage more people to get to know the sport and hopefully encourage participation. This season the senior students are the majority of the coaches for the junior teams, which creates a nice sisterhood between the players and coaches. 

The Senior A team is lucky enough to have 3 amazing coaches who have been very committed throughout the entire season, including Grant Milne, Hanlin Johnstone and Olivia O'Neil. Unfortunately the OSS and Otago champs this term were cancelled for the Senior A but we look forward to heading to Rotorua at the end of the year for nationals. Our junior team will also have a junior tournament day in Term 4. Overall, this term we have had really good participation rates and it is promising with a high number of teams that the sport is growing at St Hilda's.

Athletics - Billie Crowe & Zara Geddes

Despite major cancellations of the Otago and South Island Secondary Schools Champs, this term we have had some excellent athletics results. Covid-19 meant that school athletics day got cancelled, however the school was able to adjust and allow those who were competitive within the sport to compete against Columba in a joint athletics day. 

Notably, at this event Bernice Cullen broke our school senior long jump record with a jump of 5.31m. Along with this, we also had two athletes selected for the Otago team who competed at the NZ Track and Field Championships in Hastings on the 3-4th of March. We again had incredible results against tough competition, with Bernice Cullen winning gold in both the Under 20 long jump (with a jump of 5.32) and triple jump (with a jump of 11.06), as well as Zara Geddes getting silver in the Under 18 2000m Steeplechase (in a time of 7 minute and 15 seconds). 

Earlier in the term we also had a small number of athletes compete at the Otago Senior Club Champs, with Renee Willis taking out the U18 shot put and hammer titles, Zara Geddes winning the U18 3000m and 1500m, and placing 2nd in the 800m. Billie Crowe won the U18 800m and also placed 2nd in the 1500m, and Bernice Cullen took out the U20 long jump and triple jump. This is a great set of results from such a small number of athletes and we look forward to seeing lots of St Hilda’s girls competing at the Otago Secondary Schools Champs and NZ Secondary Schools Athletics Champs, which will both be held in Term four.

Summer Hockey - Billie Crowe

Throughout a very 'Covid disruptive' term one summer hockey season, St Hilda’s was still able to get many teams down to the turf on Tuesday nights. We were very excited to have so many teams entered and it was great to see lots of Year 9’s coming through. St Hilda’s had 5 teams entered, all in the same pool. This meant very often it was St Hilda’s on St Hilda’s, and while watching and playing these games it was very encouraging to see so much blue and white. 

Due to the lack of player availability in the final round, no St Hilda’s teams were available to play. However, the SHCS Storm placed 3rd on the table and the rest of the SHCS taking out 5-8th place. With these results and numbers, we are very excited to see these students continue with hockey throughout winter.

Tennis - Claudia Christe

Term one has been a great start to the tennis season at St Hilda's. We were very well represented, having 11 teams entered into the after school competition on Thursdays. All of the teams have shown excellent sportsmanship and have enjoyed getting out and playing some matches. This has been a good opportunity for the girls to practice and improve their tennis skills with some friendly competition. 

St Hilda's also had a great turn out at the Otago Secondary Schools tennis competition at the start of the term. The St Hilda’s Blue team, consisting of Mya Haigh and Penny Nicholson took out the title of the championship grade, winning both the doubles and two singles games against Columba College in the final round. We also had St Hilda’s Gold, consisting of Georgie Lawson and Fiona Hunt winning the Division 3 grade, where they played off against a fellow St Hilda’s team. Well done to both these teams and also to all the other teams who entered. 

Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, the South Island Secondary Schools tennis tournament and the annual Summer Quad were cancelled. It was a shame these two events couldn’t go ahead, but the girls made the most out of the tennis opportunities that were presented to them this term. We are all looking forward to seeing what the Term 4 tennis season holds.

Triathlon - Maddie Cockburn

St Hilda's was a school to look out for when it came to triathlon in Term 1. We had some great achievements throughout the season in all age groups. Zara Geddes had great success throughout the season, placing first in the Dunedin Harbour Basin Triathlon. 

St Hilda’s sent a team of athletes to the South Island secondary school competition in Oamaru, which led to some awesome achievements. Year 11 girls Lucy Robertson and Eve Kennedy competed in the intermediate duathlon category and displayed some promising talent for the coming years of St Hilda’s triathlon. Maddie Cockburn, competed in many triathlons throughout the season with podium finishes for all. Unfortunately at the beginning of the term the Wanaka challenge triathlon was cancelled meaning our large team of girls were unable to show off their skills in the sport!! 

The girls have jumped at every opportunity to give the sport a go, despite the many cancellations and setbacks we were challenged with. As the summer season comes to an end, we can look back at everything these girls have put into this sport and be proud of their achievements.

Waterpolo - Tiana Brummitt Rodriguez

2022 has been another fantastic start for water polo here at St Hilda’s. We have had an immense number of students participating with four teams competing in the inter-school competition. The year 7&8’s have had an amazing season, showing huge improvements and winning the majority of their games. The junior teams have had a challenging run with some tough competition. However, they have shown outstanding perseverance, determination and positivity which has led them to some amazing results. 

The Senior A has had some awesome wins and is competing in the final. Unfortunately, yet again the South Island Secondary Schools have been cancelled due to Covid-19. Despite this, the seniors have kept their heads high and have continued to make the most of the season.The Year 7/8 team and the junior teams are both looking well prepared for their South Island championships, which we are hoping will take place in Term 4. We are very grateful for all the time and effort our amazing coaches have put in and we can't wait to be back in the pool!

Cricket - Chole Deerness & Anna McClean

For the cricket that the St Hilda’s teams got to play this term, it was very successful. We had 3 teams competing in our Wednesday competition, the first XI and two Year 9 and 10 teams. It has been great to see the number of St Hilda’s cricketers growing. 

We saw huge success for our first 11 as they dominated the competition and used these games as valuable practice leading into their qualifiers for nationals. Covid had an impact on our first 11 this term, as all our qualifiers have been pushed back to Term 4. However with some of the first 11 squad being unavailable on Wednesday’s, it gave some of the junior girls the exciting opportunity to step up and have some games in the senior team. It was great to see our Year 9 and 10 girls also doing well in this grade as they came out with some exciting wins going against some more senior teams. Big thanks to Kate Ebriham, Mr Armstrong and Mr Ingram for coaching our teams in the Wednesday competition, and a special thank you to Ms Baker for making the effort to come down every Wednesday and umpire our games. 

Over the summer holidays we had girls representing many teams including Dunedin U13, U15 and U19 and Otago U19. Hannah O’Connor and Chloe Deerness had a special opportunity to be a part of a school girls first 11 to play at the prestigious Willows, against many former internationals this term. The girls had an awesome time away and even managed to come away with the win. A special mention goes to Chloe Deerness who made her debut for the Otago Sparks this term and was selected in the New Zealand development training camp in Lincoln. Zarah Moana was also selected into the NZ Maori U19 Cricket Team, well done Zarah.

Swimming - Malaika Ogbuehi

The St Hilda’s swimmers have had a great start to the term, as we have had quite a few competitions take place earlier in the year. The first competition that took place was on the 26th of February, which was the Mako’s Zonal Secondary School’s Open Water Challenge in Akaroa, Christchurch. Both Anna and Sophie Hutchens represented St Hilda’s in the Open Water Championship. Anna competed in the 14-19 year-old female age group, Sophie competed in the 14-15 year-old female age group category, and both swam in the Akaroa Bay 2km swim. Anna placed 2nd in the top 100 Females category, with a time of 30 minutes and 20 seconds. Sophie placed 3rd in the top 100 Females category, with a time of 32 minutes and 26 seconds. Both girls did very well and scored a total of 47 school points for St Hilda’s. 

The New Zealand Open Championships which will take place from the 4th to - 9th of April. Good luck to Eva Borkowski who will be competing in the championship meet in Auckland. This meet will take place from Monday through to Saturday and will be held at the Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre, in Auckland. This national event is a part of both the Commonwealth Games and the FINA championships, an opportunity for lots of swimmers around the country to compete for the title of National Champion. The best of luck to Eva, who will be racing the 50 freestyle, and 100 freestyle. 

The St Hilda’s swimmers have had a great start to 2022 so far, and have achieved amazing results in their previous competitions. We are looking forward to a nice break, as well as some more eventful competitions next term.

Golf - Harriet Sinclair

Although we were off to a little bit of a rocky start with golf this term, it has made the times we have been able to attend even better. We started our first lesson off with some putting, which proved to be harder than it seems but was quite easy once we got the hang of it. The next week we tried our hand at chipping, which took a bit longer to master a good technique that worked for us but was rewarding once we had mastered it. We practised our aims by using a hula-hoop to hit into which was helpful for improvement. 

Finally, at our latest lesson, we learnt how to use the driver, which was extremely fun. It was great to be able to send the ball flying, without even having to use that much power. All of our lessons have taught us great new skills that we will hopefully be able to apply on the course when golf starts again in Term 4.

Volleyball - Tessa Putt

Volleyball at St Hilda’s has had 10 teams enter the local competition in Term 1. These have been 2 Year 7& 8 teams, 5 junior teams and 3 senior teams, including the Senior A team. The Senior A Volleyball team has improved immensely over the last 2 months, winning their last 2 games, 2-1 against Taieri College and 3-0 against Kavanagh College. 

Even though Covid has affected many aspects of the volleyball season, particularly attending tournaments, the team aims to attend the Otago Championships in April. Practices have been successful with some coaches being brought in to help out and teach skills at these training sessions. The team has also attended the Scorpions Volleyball Clubs' scrimmages, to help improve and get extra games in that were missed out on due to Covid. 

A brunch was also held for team bonding, which helped the girls improve on communication skills and teamwork. The Junior and Year 7&8 teams have had a large number of teams enter their competition. Luckily they have still managed to play most games, even with the Edgar Centres Covid-19 restrictions. Unfortunately, spectators have not been able to watch and support the girls as they play, however, they still have heaps of fun enjoying the wonderful sport. It has been great to see the amount of involvement and improvement from all teams this term in the volleyball community here at St Hilda’s.

Futsal - Olivia Hall

Despite the effects of Covid-19, futsal has continued to thrive at St Hilda’s. During Term 1 there were 4 teams entered, 2 senior teams, one Year 9 & 10 team and one Year 7 & 8 team. As futsal is played at the Edgar Center, this has had some limitations. Our game times were shorter to allow for space, and sadly no spectators are allowed to come and cheer the girls on while watching this skillful, fast-paced sport. However, these limitations have not hindered the performance of the Hilda's girls. 

The Senior A team is doing very well and is making the most of their last season of school futsal. They have won every game except for one, and on track to winning another league trophy. The other senior team is sitting in 3rd in Division 2 and won their last game 3-0. The Year 9 & 10 team is currently sitting 4th and the Year 7 & 8 team is sitting in 6th. Glad to see all these girls participating in futsal this term while having fun and enjoying themselves.

Rowing - Christy Foster

St Hilda’s rowing has had a busy term with girls competing in both South Island Secondary Schools and the Maadi Cup (New Zealand Nationals). South Islands was a great regatta for the whole squad, with 8 A finals and 9 B finals made over the weekend. Our top results from this regatta were the girls U18 novice double of Lola Castles and Sienna Hore coming away with 5th in their A final and our girls U17 coxless pair of Lucy Taylor and Peta Ericsson who came away with 4th in their A final!

Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, the juniors were unable to attend Maadi this year and illness affected a few members of the senior squad as well. However, the South Islands were a great way to end the season as a whole squad and we were lucky enough to still be able to take a small squad of eight up to Twizel for the week! St Hilda’s competed in six events - girls U16 single (two entries), girls U17 coxed quad, girls U17 single, girls U17 coxless pair, girls U17 double and girls U16 double. It was a great week with 3 B finals made - the girls U16 double of Maggie Dowling and Olivia Ollerenshaw taking 5th, the girls U17 pair of Lucy Taylor and Peta Ericsson taking 7th and Christy Foster in the girls U17 single also coming away with 5th. As well as her B final results in the double, Olivia Ollerenshaw also made the A final for her U16 single and came away with 5th overall in a very tight race! 

Congratulations to all the St Hilda’s girls who competed in Twizel over the season, we look forward to seeing what next season brings!