Secret world of hardcourt bike polo
A Hamilton mother and son are preparing to say goodbye to a family member who has given them more than they could ever have hoped for.
Sonya Ewens and her 14-yearold son have had service dog Woogie for the past eight years, but the golden retriever/standard poodle cross has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and her life expectancy is four to 12 months.
The nine-year-old dog has been a huge help to the St John’s College student, who is autistic.
‘‘It’s tragic when any animal gets sick, but it’s a little bit more with her, because she’s my son’s service dog and she has had such a huge impact on him,’’ Ewens said.
‘‘She’s given him independence, confidence, friendship. When he’s upset, she lies with him. She’s given him time, patience – all the things we kind of take for granted.
‘‘The things most kids can get from family and friends, for a kid that doesn’t like to be touched in certain ways, like it’s got to be a firm touch and not soft touch, he gets that all from his dog.’’
Woogie was one of three dogs brought to New Zealand to help children with autism in 2008.
Her brother and sister are also working in Hamilton as service dogs with autistic children.
Ewens admits her son’s growth and development is in part due to the help that Woogie has given him.
‘‘He’s a beautiful young man now. You probably wouldn’t guess now [that he has autism] unless you spent time with us and saw his habits.
‘‘When we first got her, we couldn’t take him in public without two of us as he would freeze with fright or run into traffic. She gave him access to his community. She got people talking to him wherever he went, which is a part of bridging that gap that autism brings where they are quite isolated.
‘‘They don’t want to make eye contact, and they don’t want to talk to strangers, and because with these dogs, you can get down, pat them and talk to them. She opened up freedom to his community,’’ Ewens said.
Woogie was diagnosed with cancer earlier this month after she was found collapsed in a bedroom. She had an ultrasound and X-rays before being seen by a specialist in Auckland for a CT scan, where they found a lesion on her spleen and internal bleeding.
Chemotherapy might prolong Woogie’s life, but Ewens can’t afford it.
‘‘I can’t work as I am the sole career, so I have had to take out a loan to cover the cost, which is around $16,000 at the moment.’’
Anyone who would like to help with Woogie’s vet bills can visit a Givealittle page set up for her: givealittle.co.nz/cause/ giving4woogie Men with mallets gather in the dark, ready for a battle.
Astride their bikes, they fight for the top spot on the court.
Few know of the hardcourt bike polo teams that compete in the Waikato. It’s a relatively unknown sport.
Josh Joyce helped create the Hamilton and Cambridge teams about five years ago.
Hardcourt could become synonymous with hardcore.
‘‘I’ve seen a few good injuries,’’ Joyce said, ‘‘a few broken noses.
‘‘You’ll get into a spot where you’re trying to get the ball and mallets go up in the air and you don’t have enough time to get out of the way.
‘‘Or flying balls. You hit the ball a bit too hard and it hits someone in the head. A lot of the time people wear protective head gear just in case.
‘‘I’ve had a few big accidents – big cuts and grazes.’’
Hardcourt bike polo is a simple game that is played worldwide, yet it hasn’t managed to capture a large following in New Zealand.
It’s a variation of the original polo, with the horses replaced by bikes. Games last about 15 minutes or the first team to five goals wins.
‘‘The hardest part is bike control,’’ Joyce said. ‘‘A lot of it tends to be low speed.’’
The World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships were held in Timaru earlier this year.
Two hundred people from around the world were in town for all seven days of the championships.
Joyce and a few of the guys from the Cambridge team went down for it, although they didn’t do too well.
He hopes more people take up the sport and encourages others to pop down and try it.
‘‘At the moment, numbers are a bit low – seven to eight people. There’s a good solid six of us. We can usually get enough to play a complete game.
‘‘Make your way down, we’re happy enough to lend you a bike, lend you a mallet and get you out there. Get you on your feet. All skill levels we’re happy with. It’s a great sport. I feel it’s a great training sport as well, learning your bike control.’’
As the weather warms up, expect to see the players down at Lake Rotoroa in Hamilton on the old skate rink.
Missing woman
A woman who got on a bus in Wellington failed to arrive in Hamilton and police are asking for help to find her. The brother of Adele Townsend, 53, saw her off from Wellington on Saturday. But she did not arrive in Hamilton that evening, police said. Townsend is 150cm tall and has long brown hair. She had a large, blue and white material bag with her on the bus. If you have seen her, or you know where she is, police ask that you call the Hamilton Police Station immediately on 07 858 6200.
Soundsplash festival
New Zealand band SIX60 will be bringing their summer sound to Raglan’s 2017 Soundsplash Festival. The first lineup announcement for the two-day, three-stage, multi-genre event has been made. It will also feature Little Bushman, State of Mind, and Three Houses Down. Foreign talent will include: DJ Ed Solo from the United Kingdom, Hawaii’s Mike Love, Amsterdam’s My Baby and Sydney favourites Ocean Alley. Pacific Heights, Maala, Drax Project and Diaz Grimm will be joined by Yoko-Zuna & Third3ye, Dubsonic and Jamin-I. Soundsplash features on-site camping and an all-ages environment, and runs from January 20 to 22 at Wainui Reserve, Raglan.
Closed for good
BNZ branches will be shut on Wednesday while staff take on community projects. The bank sends its workers out volunteering each year as part of Closed for Good. Hamilton projects for 2016 include financial literacy workshops for primary school kids, Excel training, and painting.
Short story win
A Nga¯ti Maniapoto student has been recognised for an engaging yarn in te reo. Maimoa Toataua-Wallace, 17, was a finalist in the He Huatau Auaha Te Reo Ma¯ori Creative Writing Competition. Maimoa, who attends Nga Taiatea Wharekura in Hamilton, came third in the senior category with Te Aka Taiaha a Kura (Kura’s taiaha). The competition is run by Te Ipukarea: National Ma¯ori Language Institute at AUT.