’s Years 7 and 8 sp ear y or is ts h t f pr o
e as giv to
A RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES
many sports a sp os s ib l
Words by Anna Waghorn
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SPORTS CO-ORDINATOR
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a
go
he key to een t t h es sb ha u c ce s
YEA R 7 & 8 SPORT
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ving every stud • Gi en e ta m m ch a r a g o
Sports Co-ordinator, Anna Waghorn with 10A Netball Team
While the emphasis has been on participation, we have also given the students the opportunity to progress their skills with first-class coaching from the schools elite Rangi Ruru coaches. No matter what an individual student’s level of ability or skills, we have provided an opportunity for everyone to be challenged, inspired and empowered through sport by offering a range of opportunities. We have tracked the progress of each student and identified the skill development required. As a result, our students have been able to further enhance their skills, which will be invaluable as they further develop in their chosen sporting codes.
We have made sure that the sports programme has offered a meaningful learning experience for all students, providing a lot of opportunities for skill development. We were fortunate to start Term One by giving everyone a chance to try a sport they were familiar with. Professional coaching was provided in Frisbee by Canterbury Ultimate Frisbee, Tennis by the Waimari Tennis Club and Cricket by Canterbury Cricket. With the Athletics Sports as one of the first events on our annual sporting calendar, we focused on Athletics - running, jumping, and throwing all of which provide a foundation for all sports.
The COVID-19 lockdown caused an unwelcome disruption to our programme. Even in the immediate aftermath of the lockdown, outside opportunities were limited as many interschool competitions were cancelled. We seized the opportunity to provide our students with professional coaching in preparation for their winter codes. Students selected their chosen sport and then participated in a skillsbased programme for six weeks. The aim was to encourage students to commit to their chosen sport and gain greater knowledge and understanding of their chosen code. They could either apply the skills learnt to their winter codes and prepare them for the new season or ignite their passion for a new sport in a team environment, working within the same group each session.
A highlight of this year’s programme was bringing in our senior coaches to provide our Year 7 and 8 students with expert coaching.
