With clear skies, eager students and house spirit all around, Sancta Maria’s 2021 Athletics Day was once again successful. Teachers, students and even parents came along to support, and participate in the various events of sprints, high jump, discus, shot put, long jump and house relays.
The day started off with house chants, which each house passionately roared out with excitement. First to march down to the tents was Kororareka (Red), who was definitely “Red Hot” and ready. Following them was Waitemata (Green) who was ready to “take the crown.” Next was Akaroa (Gold) who came and cheered as if they were the “mighty, mighty champions.” Last was Hokianga (Blue) who was ready to scare the other houses.
During the event, delicious food was sold outside A block grounds to help energise the students, including ice blocks which the Enviro Team provided to fundraise for the environment. Volunteers from the Senior Food Tech class assisted as they made food for all staff and helpers of the event.
The enjoyable day led to many students participating in both competitive and social events, including the Year 13s who dressed up in fun costumes representing their house colours. The students’ enthusiasm, endless encouragement for their peers and active participation definitely showed their strong desire to win. We even had some students who broke new records at Sancta Maria. Special mention to Jason-Rafael Raad who managed to set 4 new records for Sancta Maria College!
| New Records 2021 | Previous Record | |||||
| Year 8 Boys 100m | Jason-Rafael Raad | 12.09 | 2020 | Zephaniah Lototau | 13.28 | 2019 |
| Year 8 Boys 200m | Jason-Rafae l Raad |
26.04 | 2020 | Zephaniah Lototau | 27.64 | 2019 |
| Year 8 Boys 400m | Jason-Rafael Raad | 1:03.83 | 2020 | Antonie Smal | 1:12.43 | 2019 |
| U14 Boys 300m | Jason-Rafael Raad | 45.88 | 2021 | Lucas Cooper | 54.37 | 2020 |
| Year 8 Boys 800m | River Swaris | 2:45.87 | 2021 | Tyler Halliday | 2:51.00 | 2017 |
| Year 8 Girls 400m | Maia Tay-Morrison | 1:16.83 | 2021 | Layla Ngapaku | 1:17.24 | 2020 |
| U14 Girls 300m | Mia Makoare | 54.11 | 2021 | Jaime Currie | 56.38 | 2020 |
| U14 Boys Discus | John Whittaker | 27.09m | 2021 | Julian Raad | 26.70m | 2012 |
| Year 7 Boys High Jump | Kobe Tahitahi | 1.34m | 2021 | Caleb Stephens | 1.26m | 2017 |
| U19 Boys High Jump | Thomas Wahl | 1.75m | 2021 | James Inmathong | 1.71m | 2015 |
Lance Beltran, a house prefect of Akaroa said, “Athletics was a fun day where everyone could participate in the events for fun or competitively. Being my last year, along with the Year 13s, I found it cool that we were able to express ourselves through the costumes we wore.”
“It was a fun-packed and competitive day filled with engaging activities. We all loved it and it was great to see all the students participating. However, I would say that Akaroa should have been the clear winners. Akaroa for the win!” said Joseph George, a Year 12 student eager for his house to win.
As the day started to wind down, students and teachers tired from the long day in the sun, the houses grouped up and chose students to represent their house in some fun competitions. First an epic dance-battle filling the school with energy and excitement, then followed by a singing competition where students sang “I Want It That Way” leaving everyone with goosebumps. This was a perfect way to get everyone’s fuel up for the last event, house relays.
With the final event coming to a close, it was time for the big reveal. To no surprise, taking the crown was Kororareka which was trailed closely by Hokianga. Waitemata came through for third place and Akaroa followed.
A huge thank you goes out to all the teachers and staff for their hard work and time put into making this day possible. We would also like to thank all the students for their participation and enthusiasm which made the day memorable for all of us.
Now let’s make our predictions…who will win athletics day 2022?
Sharliz Ang and Harini Pushpakumar
