In The News
A return back to Peter Snell's old school to look for a new champion became a reality last week. Stage 2 testing at Mount Albert Grammar (MAGS), a school with a strong tradition in the Talent Search Programme, was conducted to identify future sport stars. A well motivated and behaved group completed the testing with some fantastic results. Well done to all that took part and thank you to all of the staff that took part in collating the results.
Long Bay College held their first Stage 2 Testing at the school. With the inclusion of their junior sports academy class there was a wealth of talent on display across many sports. The teacher in charge of the academy Pete Williams and principal Russell Brooke were present during the testing and delighted to see the students engaging in this form of Talent ID.
There were some terriffic results at Howick College Stage 2 Talent Search Testing. The most exciting of which was the smashing of the girls Beep Test record. The record now stands at Level 13.7. Congratulations on some great work.
The Triathlon World Championships in Vancouver were thrown into turmoil this morning with high winds and cold temperatures forcing organizers to cancel the swim leg for most of the age group races, turning the event into a duathlon.
We were saddened by the news today the founder of the Peter Snell Institute of Sport and former mayor of Auckland, Colin Kay, passed away Wednesday night. His input and dedication to the Institute has been invaluable and his work has resulted the development and support of many athletes throughout the country. The Peter Snell Institute of Sport will post a formal tribute to Colin shortly. A service will be held at the Beit Olam Prayer House, Waikumete Cemetery, Great North Road, at 11am on Sunday June 8th. A memorial service for Colin will also be held, the date and location will be advised by way of public notice.
Rob Waddell and partner Nathan Cohen have won gold at the Rowing World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland. Nathan is one of the athletes that is set to receive one of the new Peter Snell Institute of Sport Athlete Awards.
With almost 50 students to test at Mount Roskill Grammar there was quite a lot of work to get through. With only the remainder of this school term left to test at Stage 2 Mount Roskill were keen to make sure that their students didn't miss out on any opportunities. A talented group of Year 9 and 10 students were selected to take part after a huge effort by staff at the school to document the results for over 600 students in the intial battery of tests. The end of this school term will see those successful move on to the next stage of sport specific development, training and testing.
Another round of Stage 2 testing saw the introduction of Tamaki College to the Talent Search Programme. After talking with the Head of Dept Jason Borland, was keen to give the students at the College the opportunity to have access to the programmes and subsequent opportunties.
Athletes perform well both at home and overseas. Nick Willis won the 800m in 1m 47.01s at the Len Paddock Invitational meeting on his home track at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor and Ryan Sissons rounded out his racing prior to the world triathlon championships in Vancouver next month with a win in the annual HEB cross country race in Pukekohe on Saturday. The 19 year old blitzed the field winning the 7500m senior event easing up in 25m 8s.
The Peter Snell Institute of Sport is once again proud to announce that three of the eight strong team named to go to the Olympics have been supported by the Institute. Congratulations to James Dolphin, Valerie Vili and Nick Willis and we look forward with anticipation to the possible inclusion of more of our athletes in the team to go to Beijing. Full media release from Athletics New Zealand attached.
After working through the many applications for athlete awards we are now in consultation with the various sports regarding final selections for the athlete awards. All of those that applied will be notified of final decisions by the end of April.
In our latest round of testing we were hosted by De La Salle College in their stunning new gym facility on campus. This purpose built centre was the perfect arena for our testing. These student, selected for the stage 2 process, responded extremely well to the demands of the battery of tests. We had some excellent scores including a new record on the rowing dyno. Well done to all involved including our guests from Tangaroa College. Thank you to all of those that took part and the staff that helped to facilitate it you were a credit to yourselves and your school.
The enthusiasm shown by both staff and students alike at Rosmini was commendable. Rosmini has had a history of involvement with The Peter Snell Institute of Sport with a number of their students going through to Stage 3 last year. One student recorded one of the top beep test scores ever in a terrific effort in the test. Congratulations to all involved and we hope to see more Rosmini students in the next stage of the programme.
Last week saw the continuation of the search for young sporting talent at Strathallan College. 31 selected athletes took part in the testing designed to help identify potential champions of the future. The work done by staff and continued involvement by the school is helping to provide opportunties in sport for these talented individuals. Next term those that met the qualifying standards will go on to be involved in rowing, cycling, athletics and triathlon programmes.
Last week saw the progression of some very talented Papakura students on to the second stage of the Talent Search testing programme. This is the third year of Papakura High Schools involvement and the first that saw the Peter Snell Institute of Sport testing station visit the school for a test session.
The youngest sailors ever to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games have been selected to compete at Beijing in August. As Peter Snell Institute of Sport Scholarship recipients, the seventeen-year-old pair Carl Evans and Peter Burling have proven themselves as New Zealand's top 470 performers, having impressed selectors with a string of top performances at all the recent major international events.
With the Talent Search Programme having a strong focus on Auckland in 2008 the Stage 1 testing has already started in many of the schools. There has been a huge level of interest in the programme again this year, and with over 20,000 secondary age children tested over the past 2 years we have been able to move the programme into its next stage of development. If you would like to get involved please contact the Institute by either phone or e-mail, admin@petersnellinstitute.org.nz
Emma Twigg was one of two Peter Snell Institute of Sport SCholarship recipients to prevail at the Halberg Awards. Emma won the Emerging talent of the year award. Emma won the world rowing U-23 single skull championships.The Westpac Halberg Awards, James Hay Theatre, Christchurch on Tuesday 19 February 2008.
Peter Latham, a Peter Snell Institute of Sport Scholarship recipient, has won the 2008 North Shore City Grand Prix with a push for the line two laps out. Having had a top three finish in 2007 his return to the podium in 2008 was nothing short of remarkable.
The North Shore City Grand Prix cycle race will again hit the streets of Takapuna, on Friday 8 February, 2008.. Takapuna’s Hurstmere Road, with its bars & restaurants, produces
a vibrant carnival atmosphere, enhancing competition tension and event
drama.
The public also get an opportunity to see some of the country’s most talented athletes in action up close. The current crop of Peter Snell Institute of Sport athletes are expected to attend including last years winner Josh England, Clinton Avery, Tim Gudsell, Paddy Walker and many more.