All time high with Coast cheerleaders in NZ team

Four local cheerleaders are among those who have been selected to represent the country at the Cheerleading World Championships in Florida next month.

Among them is Katie Haggerty of Stanmore Bay, 21, who has been a cheerleader since she was 14 years old.

She says Team NZ, made up of cheerleaders from all over the country, has gelled well over many hours of training together, five days a week.

Katie says among the strongest teams they will compete against are Jamaica and Chile. The depth of cheerleading talent on the Coast has seen Maddi Smith and Zak Hulena of Red Beach and Paige Jones of Ōrewa also make Team NZ.

Zak is one of seven males in Team NZ. The 20-year-old apprentice builder was a keen basketball player, until he injured a knee. He says it was when he went to support his cheerleading sister at a competition in Hawaii five years ago that his interest in the sport began to take flight.

He joined All Star Infinity Cheerleading in Silverdale, in 2018, mainly for fun and fitness.

Zak says his team mates are the main reason he is still cheerleading.

“I stuck around because of the friendships you make,” he says. “Cheerleading requires a lot of trust, so you get to know the others well. It also teaches you a lot of life lessons –resilience, never giving up, working hard and pushing through when things get tough.”

His love for the sport grew, and although representing NZ was not in his sights originally, he is excited to now have that opportunity, and head to the Worlds.

Although Zak says he initially got a bit of a hard time for cheerleading from some of his mates, others were more positive.

“I told them that when they can do a backflip, they can criticise,” he says.

His role in the NZ team is as a ‘stunter’ – throwing a team mate, the ‘flyer’, above his head and catching their feet in a single hand, with his arm extended.

“You have to be flexible, fit and strong,” he says. “It’s the best sport I’ve come across for that.”

The trip to Florida has to be self-funded for all the athletes. Katie and Zak have raised most of what they need by working.

Katie also has a Givealittle page – https:// givealittle.co.nz/cause/please-help-me-get-tothe-cheerleading-world

The team leaves on April 16, with the World Champs to be held from April 21-24.

In it for life: still strong on the ball at 70+

Hockey NZ is sending its first ever Masters 70-plus men’s side to a trans-Tasman series next month – and local player Merv Huxford is on the team.

Merv, who is chair of Hibiscus Hockey based on the turf in Millwater, says in NZ, the age range for Masters Hockey used to be 35-65 years. He says by comparison, Australia and Europe have had 75-plus teams for around 10 years.

“I played in a World Masters tournament 30 years ago and saw the Australian and Netherland men’s 70 plus teams in the final,” Merv says. “I was amazed by how they played and hoped to be able to do that one day myself.”

At 73, he is one of the oldest in the NZ Masters 70plus squad. Being selected last month has been a huge motivation for staying fit, but he is also careful not to overtrain.

“As you get older, it takes longer to recover from injuries, and I’m very aware of that. You also train more specifically – you stick with what you’re good at and train smarter. I am doing cross training like swimming, cycling and shuttle runs as well as playing hockey at least once a week, and also coaching,” he says.

The 70s-plus side will compete in the trans-Tasman event early next month in Christchurch.

And Merv already has his eye on the World Masters next year in Cape Town.

He says hockey is a great sport to play throughout your life, as it’s non-contact and you can play in mixed teams with rules that are exactly the same.

“I’ve talked with young players who are just starting out and seeing someone my age still playing is amazing to them. I hope it inspires them to stay in the game.”

Skate fun rolls into town

Skate instructor Brigitte Legendre, who started her first Skatescool at Whangaparāoa School 12 years ago, is coming back to run a class and Roller Disco this month. Now living in Northland, she runs skate events and classes in small communities all around the region.

Brigitte skated as a child in France, and says she loves the sport because it can be done inside or out, and also in a disco format with music and lights.

She says skating is a great way to get around a city because you travel faster than walking, with little effort.

Her skate lesson, and Roller Disco, for both inline and roller skates and all age groups, is at the Stanmore Bay Pool & Leisure Centre on. Friday, April 14, starting 4.30pm. Cost is $10 for a lesson, $10 for the disco and $5 skate hire.

Info: Roller Disco Whangaparāoa https://fb.me/e/Gs3JY6iU

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