College Games, Hamilton

[vish]

Congratulations to the competitors, the support staff, coaches and managers, referees, ever cheerful scorebench ladies, the indispensable cups of tea makers, administrators, and convenor Phil Parry on an excellent competition held this past weekend. This competition only arrives every four years, and I would recommend that people who aren't playing come along to watch, support and participate as officials the next time it is held. I really enjoyed the spirit that the competition was held in, and the way the games were played. Well done to all involved. :thumbup:

[guest]

do u have the overall results!

[Ali M.]

Wellington won the open grade (yay!) with Horowhenua college coming 2nd.

Not sure about the rest of the results.

[rach]

Napier Girls won the girls, and Otaki a very close second...... nice work wellington - you guys were awesome!

[dice5k]

Open:
1-Wellington (6 schools combined)
2-Horowhenua Collage:D
3-Karamu
4-Otaki Collage

Girls:
1-Napier
2-Otaki
3-Horowhenua?:D

[guest]

lmao at six schools combined for wellington, well that explains alot, never knew wellington to be one of the secondary school powers thats all.

[Ali M.]

The wgtn wasn't really chosen as the top players from the 6 schools, it was more who wanted to play from the schools. The team also included 2 girls.

Rongotai college (wgtn) came 2nd in open grade this year at secondary schools nationals so I think you could say that Wellington was now "one of the secondary school powers".

[vish]

The intention of the College games, in case anyone has missed the point, is to promote friendship and participation in sports, so that New Zealand youth can be exposed to various activities, and so that they can be encouraged to aim for competitions like the Olympics.

There were a number of canoe polo teams at the Games who could not have competed, had the spirit of participation and friendship been abandoned in favour of straight competition and administrative politics. Thankfully, those players did attend the competition, everyone improved as the tournament progressed, and the game of canoe polo was well represented by high skill levels and a decent turnout.

The schools that can support their own players and provide teams for those players, should encourage their players and administrators to extend grace and good sportsmanship to struggling school players, who battle to field a team and often have to combine together to even play. Those players who lack school (and sometimes, parental) support have only their own enthusiasm and perseverance to account for their fine performances.

[Justin]

You must either think about this alot Vish, or just have nothing to do! I'm just still shocked that those horowhenua bums didn't win! Back in my day sonny jim Horowhenua never........ any way congratulations to wellington who did quite well by the sounds of it, hope ya have as stronger team as this year in the years to come.:cheers:

Yeah right!

[Guest]

Ali I would hardly consider one 2nd placing justification to say that they are a secondary school power, when they back that up next year and in more than one grade I will agree with you. Good luck with that.

[Paul]

Haha we love the niggle!

[rochellebuglass]

As an actual player in the event, I would like to agree with everything Vish said about the games...

You see, at the opening ceremony we were spoken to by a number of sporting figures; including Sir Murray Halberg and Theresa Griffin, a 16yr old swimmer with a mental disability, and the youngest member of the New Zealand Paralympic squad. At the games we even had an Athletes Code of Conduct and Athletes Oath read to us, that we were to follow just as Olympians do at the Olympics. In the Code of Conduct, the first paragraph reads:

In participating at Castle Trust New Zealand College Games I will strive to excel in the Olympic spirit of friendship, unity and fair play. - I dont see anything about being cocky and unfair, and bringing in un-wanted politics about Canoe Polo.

The Wellington team did really well at the Games and deserve their placing :gold: As Vish and Ali said, the Wellington team were a group of students wanting to play in the College Games, but unable to due to lack of support/participation at their schools. Therefore, they thought outside the square, and made a combined team. Is there a problem with that? :confused: No, didnt think so.

On a positive note, it was an awesome competition on all levels, and a big THANKS goes out to all those people that made it happen, including Vish who was there and did an wicked job as Head Ref - she kept the pool in order very nicely - Thank you! :thumbup:
I think that all the players, coaches, managers and support crews of the Canoe Polo teams did an awesome job at showcasing our sport to the number of spectators we had come along and watch.

P.S. I also think that Rongotai will be a team to look out for at this years S.S. Nats, as will Otaki College girls team (as we saw at C.G). The teams that were once the S.S. Canoe Polo "powers" are no longer.. The times are changing...

well thats my :twocents:

Rochelle.
Happy New Year y'all..

[base]

at the risk of draging this out,it should be pointed out that the wellington team comprised

2 u18 nz players
1 u21 womens player
4 u21 or u18 CD players
in fact only one girl player had not been a rep at higher levels

most other colleges made up their numbers with junior players

anyway,we did all have a vomiting great time and vish was superb

sorry roch but if the olympic charters rates this as "fair play" then I'm booking a family holiday at Pitcairn

yeah right

peter

[Spectator]

Sour grapes

[Pauldog]

Peter just quietly the Wellington team still smoked you as expected so whats the big deal? Maybe if they had lost a game or two then i think everyone would have an excuse to throw their toys and have a niggle but for now they were the best and they won fullstop, if there was an issue with the way they did it then it should have been delbt with before the tournment started, for now though Wellington were the best at college games and they won

Pauldog

[Smiles]

Thats completely right.
They were the best at "College" Games and they did beat every "College" team quite convincingly (except 'one' of the HB teams - I think Wellington struggled)
They were not, however, the best COLLEGE at "College" Games.

[Pauldog1]

Well yea obviously but they were never claiming to be a college so who cares!

[Emmi]

wasnt there at least one other team that wasnt a 'college' team? Why arent they getting picked on? If a team played in schools nats that was a made up team, then i can understand all the fuss, but whats the point in going to coll games just to play the same teams that you played at school nats? boring.
Anyway theres nothing that be done about it now, if people had a problem with it it should have been sorted out before the games.
Are any of the players actually annoyed with the wellington team? or is it just the coaches??

[Ali M.]

Good call Em

[vish]

Phil made it absolutely clear that combined teams were allowed. The organiser of the college games made it absolutely clear that he thought it was a brilliant idea. His comment was that there were colleges who didn't send teams, and that he would like to see those athletes attending when the message of the games was participation and friendship.

I am thoroughly embarassed at the way players have been told their competition was 'not fair' because they had an established school team when other athletes had to combine in order to play. As a referee, I consider the politics of how a team is chosen to be irrelevant. If you can field a really good team, or if you can't, once you get on that water, it is up to the people who blow the whistle to make sure your competiton is safe, good to watch, and fair. To say it is unsporting to enter a competition, when the convenor has specifically opened up the category for participation reasons, is wrong.

High school sports are unusual. A lot of girls drop out of sport at that age. People find other things to do. Families move, kids leave school, teachers make career decisions that mean they are no longer at the school to coordinate the program. What matters to me, is that people learn to adapt, and help the athletes to realise that a better team CAN always come along. There is no "secondary power". There's only sport, and the more that play it, the better.

The fact that combined teams can compete against established teams, says to me that the players can make a difference with personal training.

I've had HEAPS of time to think about this- when I was asked to lead the refereeing, when I was at the competition, during the refereeing meeting, after the competition. I'm disappointed in the unsporting behaviour exhibited by a minority on this forum. I think it's absolutely worth my time and effort to congratulate all the players involved, all the coaches, and to wish them luck for training and the next College Games, in four years time. For many, it only comes around once in their lifetime. May all players be fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend it.

[token one]

just to add my :twocents: , i think its embarssing for all the poeple out there who out of the whole tournament, the best thing they can find to talk about is how wellington had 6 schools combined. makes u think what drives SOME poeple's envolvement in canoepolo, its disappointing!So much for "building friendship and understanding amongest youth through sport", all anyone is talking about is, "it was an unfair competion because they combined schools", i was basically laughed off the pool at secondary school nationals last year, would anyone want to play a game were one team is getting absolutly slaughtered?!? AH... NO!?! i think poeple just need to build a bridge and get over it. it was over a month, in the past, no body gives a s**t anymore, or atleast im pretty sure nobody that actually played in the tournament does.

[phil p xxx]

:wavey: Hay good to see the college games caused a little bit of STIR
I was surprised to hear all the fuss about the combined teams taking part?
Surely we did not expect the teams to take part in a tournement and not collect a medal if they were lucky enough to win one??? it would be a great incentive to travel to hamilton, to win and return home with no medal.
The wellington open team won that grade by 1 goal? hardly a whitewash was it? remember we were showcasing our sport it was not nationals?
We got coverage on sky tv, photos on the net, some areas local news papers reported on the games and people asked about are sport and how it was played ALL GOOD STUFF FOR A MINORITY SPORT WHICH IS GROWING QUITE NICELY THANK YOU and things like the college games assist our sport to grow.
Peter Sharpe who is the nz school sports co ordinator spoke to me at the games and asked if we had any more teams taking part? I was able to say yes due to the fact that we had allowed teams or players to combine to make up competetive teams. he thought this was a greAt idea and said he knew of nz rep hockey players who could not take part in the games as a result of their shool teams being to weak to put up a good competative team. He said he would suggest that other sports do as we did to get the best players involved.
And lets face it isnt it better to get these good players taking part and I belive demonstrating skills they have learnt form their nz participation.

I would be very sad to see the combined teams not take part in 2008 and I don't think there would be people like myself that keen to get involved if this happened.
Hey well done all who played, reffereed, coached and assisted in any way, it was a great tournement.
luv phil xxx :wavey: :wavey:

[becks.c]

Well said Phil.

I'm looking forward to watching the games at 2005 Secondary Schools!!

I've been a spectator at several School national comps and in the last few years, have been hugely impressed by the overall improvement in the quality of play.

- Particularly in the Junior and Intermediate grades.

It's great to see the kids out there going for it with everything they have!

If some of those kids have had the opportunity to take part in national level development - all the better. But there are still certainly talented young players out there who haven't been involved in national level initiatives - perhaps we can work on this.
(I'm thinking particularly of the Snr mens final in 2004 - for a relatively inexperienced team, Rongatai played a fantastic game) - who was their coach??

[rach]

Rongatai's coach is Brook, he's also the new Sirens coach

[Emma J H]

the thing that cracks me up is the fact that you don't hear any of the players that played at CG bitching about combined teams, just the coaches! surely it would be the players that were 'effected' most by the combined teams playing? you don't hear them complaining.

[becks.c]

Good score Sirens!!!! I overheard some of the coaching a few times when I was reffing, and I was really impressed.

[Alan]

Will Rongatai have a team at schools nationals in senior grade this year?

[Alan]

I don't see this debate re college games as "bitching" It is important that these issues are thrashed out and good on those coaches/players who raised them. It is because these people are passionate about the sport that they are prepared to have their say on all sides of the issue. If we don't, and become compaisant, or worse happy for someone else to make all the decisions then the sport is at a dead end. I say raise the issues and be open to others ideas and values and at the end the people making the decisions will do so informed and open minded. Do not muddle complaining and bitching with constructive arguement and brainstorming (so long as that is what it is) This has been a good debate!!! Keep it up on all fronts. After following this debate I think the way to go is for combined teams of college attending students, and make combined teams an option for everyone, we already have an event for pure college teams and this is an opportuinty to get some variation in the competition. But be clear form that start that this is what it is, be wary of introducing variations on competition rules once preparation for a competition has started, this goes for all competitions. cheers Jenny

[tinkerbell]

I agree that these points do need to be discussed. As a member of the Wellington Team at the college games I was extremely glad the organizers allowed us to compete as a combined team, as otherwise Wellington would not have been able to field a team of any description.

The combined team aspect also opened the door to players who wouldn’t be strong enough for regional rep teams to compete in an organized competition and see what polo is like at a more advanced level and the more exposure given to more players the better for the sport.



The point that I think "token One" is trying to put out is that some people take the argument too far, and I personally was called a cheat and told that my team had cheated to compete at all in the college games by an official from another canoe polo team.



This is where passionate and constructive discussion becomes sad, desperate and unnecessary bitching. To have an official directly call a competitor a "Cheat" is definitely not in the spirit of the college games and should not be in the spirit of canoe polo as a whole.



On the combined teams front: Secondary Schools nationals is a designated single schools event, having more players compete at other competitions will be good for the sport and provide more experience for all players.


My:twocents:
David

[Kris]

It is really disappointing to hear that players were called cheats.


The entry rules were discussed at Schools Nationals in 2004 - where it was made clear that entries from combined teams would be accepted. Inareas where one or more schools would have difficulty fielding teams, these areas were encouraged to enter combined teams.

Schools nationals is a Championship event. For canoe polo, college games has multiple functions, many of which are outlined in preceding posts.

Cheers
Kris