March the 9th was the date WIS held the first major school-wide sporting event for the 2023 year, Swimming Sports! Our WIS kura showed incredible sportsmanship, enthusiasm, and competitive spirit, making our swimming sports a memorable event...

The day began with the students arriving at the school pool, excitedly cheering on their respective whānau with chants and songs. The weather was perfect, with a clear blue sky and warm sunshine. The event began with arguably the most difficult event, the year 7 and 8 Championship Medley. This is a one length backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle race. Quickly, the tone for the day was set. The championship swimmers who had to earn their place in the respective finals showed a spectacular display of skills, speed, and stamina. Every race was competitive, and students who were not participating in the championship events cheered on their whanau competitors, making the atmosphere electric.

Some of the most exciting events of the day were novelty races. Students from each whānau who were not involved in any championship races came together to form small teams or compete individually. The races were fiercely contested, with every team giving it their all. It was incredible to see the teamwork and camaraderie among the students, even as they competed against each other for valuable whānau points and bragging rights among one another. The novelty races included waka races, torpedo races, dolphin dives and whānau relays.

The highlight of the day was the announcement of the winning whānau. After a long day of swimming, the results were finally in, and the cheers erupted when the winning whānau was announced. A massive congratulations to Te Whānau o Waiarohia, who were commanding winners. However, every whānau put up a fantastic effort, and every student who participated in the swimming sports should be proud of themselves.

We would like to thank all the students who participated and the staff members who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the day went smoothly. We are proud of every student who participated, not just for their performance but for their dedication, sportsmanship, and teamwork.

The year level championship winners are listed below: A massive congratulations to these excellent and well-deserving winners. These fabulous swimmers will now be testing themselves against the best year 7 and 8 swimmers at the Whangārei Zone championships held right here at Whangārei Intermediate on Wednesday 15th March. Good luck to you all.

Year 7 Girls/Kotiro

1st - Sadie Stevens - Ruma 1 - Waiarohia

2nd - Casey Dyer - Ruma 22 - Pikiararoa

3rd = Cinnamon Heke-Abernethy - Ruma 19 - Parihaka

      = Lara Gray - Ruma 8 - Kohu

      = Iris Wilson - Ruma 19 - Parihaka

      = Hayley Twaddle - Ruma 19 - Parihaka 

Year 7 Boys/Tama

1st - Thomas Palmer - Ruma 8 - Kohu

2nd - Cooper Webster - Ruma 1 - Waiarohia

3rd - Grayson Roycroft - Ruma 8 - Kohu

Year 8 Girls/Kotiro

1st - Cara Hardwick - Ruma 3 - Wairipo

2nd - Madi Fedarb - Ruma 3 - Wairipo

3rd - Lexi Hati - Ruma 3 - Wairipo

Year 8 Boys/Tama

1st - Mataio McDiarmid - Ruma 5 - Kauika

2nd - Tyrin Going - Ruma 4 - Waiautō

3rd = Taine Going - Ruma 5 - Kauika

      = Charles Murray - Ruma 15 - Kairewa