The AIMS Games International Sporting Championships held in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty played host to 21 sporting codes with 303 New Zealand schools competing and over 10,000 Year 7 & 8 students participating.
The 2017 AIMS games saw 7 students from Sancta Maria College compete in various disciplines across multiple days. The limited representation from the school did not seem to bother our competitors as there were some incredible efforts which saw some significant placings and record breaking performances. The report on the amazing performance of our three swimmers has already been on the News Centre.
Xavier Saunders competed in Cross-country and BMX. He found himself riding amongst national and world ranked BMX riders, which he really enjoyed. Xavier had a full on week with racing and also taking up coaching lessons from a New Zealand BMX rider. Xavier embraced the culture of the games and has come away inspired by the experience of mixing with top ranked BMX riders and meeting a NZ BMX representative.
Laurence Stewart competed in table tennis. Laurence was able to qualify in the top tier after winning 2 of 3 matches in pool play. However, after a hard fought knock out match was unable to progress any further. A valiant effort from a very talented table tennis player. This experience has had a positive effect on Laurence and he cannot wait to compete and represent Sancta Maria College at next year’s AIMS games.
Finlay McKechnie competed in golf. Finlay was fortunate enough to play alongside golfers from around the country, this experience allowed Finlay to create new relationships with people who share the same interest which he found to be a highlight of his AIMS journey. A lovely touch, Jan Higgins, Finlay’s very first golf coach when he was just 5 years old, came all the way to watch Finlay play his last round at Mt Maunganui. She hasn’t seen him since he was about 8 years of age. Finlay played some awesome golf and ended the games in 10th place overall, out of 52 competitors from all over New Zealand.
Luka Ropers competed in yachting. Luka’s campaign was off to a flying start, finishing his first two races in the top 5, which meant he qualified for the golden fleet on finals day. With challenging conditions Luka had a few capsizes and also had a retirement, which was unfortunate. However, the experience for Luka was amazing and he enjoyed every moment. That was not the most significant part of his journey. Luka admitted an error to the judging team which meant he could not compete in one of the races. They did not see it but were so impressed with his honesty that they awarded him a Fair Play Medal. He was very delighted with that.
