Maggie Squire (17)

Diver

Former

Rangitoto College student Luke

Sipkes is an international Diver who is currently studying for a Bachelor of Business at Massey University, Albany.

Luke competed for New Zealand at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and at the Diving World Championships in 2022. It was a big year, he is NZ's top ranked Open Men's Platform Diver and is also the number one Open Men’s Synchronised Diver. At Birmingham he made both finals, being placed 12th in the Open Men’s 10m Platform and 6th in the Open Men’s 10m Platform Synchronised.

Luke has been Diving since age 12 (2016), being introduced as a result of a “give it a go” diving programme that Auckland Diving ran at Albany Junior High School.

On top of his 20-plus hours per week training he is studying full-time at Massey University. Luke has excelled in his University studies as well as his diving. He also works around 16 hours per week to support his life goals.

“During 2023 I have many possible events that I may be participating in but the main ones are the Olympic qualifiers,” says Luke. “I have qualified to compete in the 2023 World Cup, which will have three unconfirmed legs in three different nations. Only three other New Zealand Divers also qualified for these events with them all being over the age of 22.”

Since 2018 Luke has competed internationally in Ukraine (2018), Australia, Canada and Italy. He says this is essential to achieving his childhood dream of competing in the Olympic Games. He will have Olympic qualifying events in Japan (July), Singapore (September) and Australia (December) during 2023.

AIMES Award grant funds will be spent on travel, training fees, coaching and physio. Luke says with Diving being a minority sport in NZ they don't receive much funding. He says this award will massively boost him reaching his future aspirations and being able to maintain and reach even more success in the upcoming years.

Luke Sipkes receives a North Harbour Club AIMES Emerging Talent Award, sponsored by Bellingham Wallace, and a cash grant of $7,500.

Former Takapuna Grammar student Maggie Squire was first recognised with an AIMES Junior Excellence Award in 2017, aged 13. Maggie went to her first international diving comp in Australia at 10, winning multiple events. After that success in Sydney, she was hooked. The NH Diving Club member has achieved big, nationally and internationally. In 2022, Maggie was 1m Open Champ, 3m Open Champ and 3m Mixed Synchro Champ at the NZ Diving Champs. She achieved success in the same events at the NZ World Champs/ Commonwealth Games Qualification Event 2022, adding the 10m Platform Open Women's Synchro title.

Other achievements include:- North Harbour Diver of the Year Trophy, 2021; a FINA International Diving Development Scholarship 2022; Takapuna Grammar Sportswoman of the Year 2022.

“Winning the AIMES Junior Excellence Award was a massive thrill and boost,” says Maggie. “At 13, I was the youngest New Zealander in the senior NZ team. When 14 I competed at FINA Grand Prix events and won a medal.”

Covid proved to be a temporary road block for Maggie’s career. She was back in the pool in 2021 and says that 2022 proved to be a balancing act.

Maggie says that training 24 hours per week, balancing time out from classes (1.5 days per week), qualifying, and managing extra school work was hugely challenging.

“I have high standards for my diving and education. I was scheduled to finish school in 2023, but was determined to finish a year early to focus on working towards Paris Olympic selection. This meant I had to skip a year ahead in the majority of my subjects and work really hard to achieve my NCEA excellence endorsement in both Level 2 and Level 3 in the same year.”

Her Commonwealth Games journey was full of ups and downs. Maggie ended up competing (as the youngest NZ team member, aged 16) in less than perfect physical condition having contracted COVID in Europe, being cleared to compete only days out. She qualified for 1m, 3m, and 3m Mixed Synchro at Birmingham, placed 10th in the final of 1m with a PB and 9th in final of 3m Mixed Synchro.

Other international results:- Silver at FINA Gold Coast Grand Prix 2019; Top NZ qualifier for semi-finals of 3m Springboard at FINA Malaysian Grand Prix 2019; Qualified finals FINA World Diving Champs 2022 and Junior Worlds 2022.

In 2023 Maggie’s plan has been to continue training full-time and attempt Paris 2024 Olympic qualification. Her ambition is to study engineering on a diving scholarship in the US from 2024.