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Year 7 Girls Orienteering team find success in first race together

 

The Year 7 Girls Orienteering Team made up of Alicia McGivern, Olivia King, Holly McCarthy, Amelia Davies, Leilani Davies and Isabella Ibbetson ventured to Lloyd Elsmore to compete in the South Eastern Zone Intermediate Orienteering Competition recently.

They were filled with uncertainty with only Alicia and Olivia having experience in the sport. But despite this uncertainty they still carried a strong belief that they could do well. This belief helped them to achieve a top spot, placing 2nd overall, and having two team members – Alicia and Leilani win their sections. To say that it was a successful day for the girls would be an understatement. The girls knew that it was all about having fun and doing their best but for the first timers they never imagined actually placing highly or winning.

Each of the girls competed in a course individually with six courses altogether and six different people in each team. The girls did an exceptional job and made Sancta Maria College very proud, continuing the great success that the College has had in the sport over the past two years.

When the team was asked how they felt about achieving something like this, Leilani Davies who took part in her very first orienteering competition said: “For me it was pretty cool to know that we qualified for the finals and for most of us this is our first time so I think that this is a big accomplishment for us all.”

The girls were up against 12 other schools from East Auckland including Somerville, Bucklands Beach Intermediate and Elim. Isabella said, “I thought it was going to be really hard for me, but once I started doing it and once I learnt how to read a map, it got easier.”

The girls thoroughly enjoyed competing in the event, growing together and building a strong relationship that they hope to maintain in other competitions as they would love to continue with the sport.

They competed in wet, chilly and muddy conditions but thrived on the challenge and it only made them want to do even better. The girls initially signed up for orienteering with encouragement from Alicia and the knowledge that orienteering was like a kids’ version of the Amazing Race. Although it didn’t turn out to be quite like that, the girls still had a great time and are glad that they signed up.

Their families were very proud of their achievements. Leilani spoke about the moment she learnt that she had won her section and that the team had secured 2nd place. She said she got a text message from Alicia the following night and ran downstairs to tell her Mum the amazing news. Her Mum was extremely proud and it was like the cherry on top to know that all the hard work put into the event had paid off.

Experiencing triumph at the South Eastern Zones has fuelled the girls to go even further and they definitely recommend that other kids try the sport as it is enjoyable, challenging and is a sport that not many people take part in, but they suggest that everyone tries something new.

In the words of the American television series – Agents of Shield, the girls definitely epitomized the quote: “A team that trusts is a team that triumphs” and we congratulate the girls on their awesome achievements.

Shontelle Matano

 

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