The family that runs together. . .
There’s 1400 kids running, jumping, throwing, leaping and performing all sorts of other feats in the summertime heat at Hamilton’s Porritt Stadium – so there has to be a good chance there is some kind of future world champion among them.
But identifying just who are the stars of the coming years at the annual Colgate Games is a tricky task. Judging by the prowess, competitiveness and sheer intensity of the youngsters on the track and field yesterday they potentially all could be.
Some of them could be among the members of the extended Sinclair family from Tauwhare, who have 11 girls and boys aged between seven and 14 taking part in this year’s competition.
‘‘I have got five running,’’ says dad Craig Sinclair, who is keeping a watchful eye on events from his fold-out chair in the shade of a gazebo. ‘‘My sister has two who she brought over from Newcastle in Australia, and my other sister has brought four with her, up from Karori in Wellington.
But why is the family – mostly members of the Hamilton-based Hinemoa Athletics Club – so athletically inclined?
‘‘I’m a cricketer and I wanted to get my kids into playing cricket. We always used to play heaps of cricket. But it was always difficult getting them to matches if they are on at the same time at different places.
‘‘Athletics is a lot easier. Everything’s all happening at the same place, just like it is here today. It’s great to have all the kids doing something all together.’’
What Sinclair refers to proves to be a theoretical concept when it comes to corralling the children together for a photograph. There are so many of them taking part in so many events simultaneously, it quickly becomes apparent it is a mission of the impossible variety.
‘‘I have got two older kids who have been through [the games] already, and our baby who is still only five and is too young yet. But she will.’’
It is the last year of taking part for Ruby Sinclair, who is now 14 and has reached the upper age limit.
‘‘But I’m going to keep coming back, because I want to help dad with the younger kids. It is great that we are all here and we can all support each other. But we are all really competitive with each other too.’’
New Zealand’s junior athletics championships, the Colgate Games are staged at two main events in each island. There will be a second round in Dunedin from January 11 to 13.
This year, 88 clubs have enrolled teams for the North Island event – with Hamilton’s Fairfield Athletic Club signing up the most participants with 67 children competing.
Among the Fairfield contingent in recent years was Montessa Tairakena, now a star in her own right as a winger in the New Zealand Under 18 sevens team, and who was recently named the Secondary Schools Sportswoman of the Year.
‘‘Athletics is great because you make heaps of friends. You build a great bond with people if you see them weekend after weekend.’’ As well as helping the organisers of this year’s games, Tairakena is mentoring two younger nieces who are competing.
‘‘They are pretty good students. They can get a bit stroppy at times. But so was I.’’
The Colgate Games have been a rite of passage for young athletes for 41 years. Hamilton last hosted the event in 2006. There were 5532 individual event entries, with long jump proving the most popular, followed by the 100 metres.