Teens taking on the world
Five students from a Taranaki high school are representing New Zealand overseas – in five different codes.
The teenagers, who all attend New Plymouth’s Francis Douglas Memorial College, have either made, or are set make, their mark at international competitions for sevens, road cycling, canoe polo, inline hockey and football.
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens has been to Japan with the All Blacks Sevens Development team, Henri Lehrke is off to Tasmania for road cycling, Jadeim McGrory is heading to Australia for canoe polo, Dakota Rosser is off to Hawaii for inline hockey and Brandon Sumpter, 16, is currently in Barbados playing goalkeeper for that country’s under-17 team.
The high school’s director of sport and assistant principal, Nick Taylor, said the number of students and different sports was an achievement for the school – and the teenagers. ‘‘To have five in such a different array of sports is really neat.’’
Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens returned from Japan with the rest of the All Blacks Sevens Development team on Monday afternoon. The 17-year-old had been away to Australia with secondary school competitions but said this was another step above that – everyone was older than him. ‘‘It was good because they all sort of looked after me.’’
Lehrke, 16, is off to represent the country in road cycling in Tasmania at the Oceania Time Trial and Road Race Champs this month. He’s in the under19s men category.
Lehrke said he started getting some good results last year and went to Australia last year with Cycling New Zealand, so this was another big step.
Canoe polo player McGrory is off to compete in an Australian national competition and Oceania tournaments in April. He got into the sport six years ago. ‘‘Me and my grandad used to go on kayaking trips down rivers and stuff and he brought me along one night.’’
This will be the 17-year-old’s first international trip for the sport.
Despite only being 14 years old, Rosser has been overseas twice for inline hockey and is off to Hawaii next. In July he’s off to the AAU Junior Olympics with the New Zealand under14 team. He hopes to transfer to ice hockey and plans on ‘‘getting really big and going to America’’ in future.
Sumpter couldn’t be photographed – he’s too busy in Barbados, where he is set to spend a decent portion of the year.