Teamwork pays off for country school pupils
Huirangi School has been riding a wave of sporting success this year.
The country school, in North Taranaki, has about 118 students on the roll, with 16 of those in Year 6. The majority of the boys and girls in this age group have turned out to represent their school in rippa rugby, basketball and league – taking out local titles together in each sporting code this year.
School principal Tony Williams said while there was some natural individual ability among his students, the way they pulled together as a unit was one reason for their success.
‘‘We do have some very talented individuals but I think one of the biggest things was the teamwork.’’
He said this didn’t stop at the school gates either, as the assistance and encouragement from the students’ families made a big difference too. ‘‘We have really fantastic parent support.’’
Teamwork and family support was also matched by the Huirangi School children’s enthusiasm to have a go.
Jasmine Limmer, 11, was part of the rippa rugby team that won the North Taranaki competition, the Champion of Champions tournament and represented the province at the Air New Zealand Rippa Rugby Championship held in Wellington earlier this month.
She also donned the school’s uniform for its basketball team, which took out the Betty Whalen Cup at this year’s Waitara junior basketball competition.
‘‘I like the challenges of the sports,’’ she said.
For Boston Ratahi – Jasmine’s rippa rugby and basketball teammate – he likes keeping fit.
The 11-year-old was also part of Huirangi School’s rugby league team, which claimed this year’s Tony Kemp Cup.
His overall sporting skill was recently recognised when he was awarded a trophy for the best allround junior basketball player from the Waitara competition.
Boston said when his name was called out during prizegiving he was ‘‘surprised’’ and ‘‘freaked out’’. He was told he won because of his passing, rebounding and shooting.
Jasmine chimed in that it was also because he didn’t ‘‘hog the ball and shared it around’’.
The school’s rippa rugby players got a taste of the star treatment when their flights, accommodation and food were paid for so they could attend the recent national championships.
One night during their stay, members of the All Blacks even helped dish up their dinner.
‘‘It was a pretty big deal for the kids here,’’ Williams said.
While the team had a ‘‘tough’’ time on the field, chalking up a lone win, Williams said the experience was valuable for other reasons.
‘‘There were some good lessons about perseverance and holding their heads up high,’’ he said.