 |
 |
In this Issue Games Partners
Games Supporters
Feel free to forward this email to friend. |
|
|
Thursday 12 April, 2007 Don't miss the closing festivities It's almost time to swap your sports shoes for party shoes and celebrate the end of another successful Uni Games. The closing festivities begin at 6pm tomorrow night - that's Friday night for those of you who are having trouble keeping track of the days - and feature Jordan Luck from the Exponents. The official Games Presentation Ceremony begins at 9pm so don't forget to get to the Common Room early to nab the perfect viewing spot from which to watch your team take home the University Shield. Ultimate introduces new handicap 
A unique handicap system seems to have been introduced into Ultimate this year by the mad-cap guys at Massey University. If the sport wasn't already challenging enough with its aerial passing and endless running around, the team decided to make it that little bit tougher by taping water bottles to their hands so they could only play one-handed. The jury is out on whether this technique will catch on but it certainly made for an interesting specatcle and ensured a drink was never far from hand. Check out more photos on the USNZ's website. 
Canterbury dominated the Uni Games surfing event, winning the overall competition and every category contested yesterday at Gore Bay. Lack of swell forced competition manager Liam O’Brien to move the challenge from Taylors Mistake to Gore Bay, an hour and a half’s drive from Christchurch. Canterbury’s overall points were 141, with Victoria taking out second with 30 points, followed closely by AUT on 29. Canterbury’s surfers dominated every category. Sophia Moore was a class above the rest as she took out the shortboard and longboard titles. Moore has been a top Canterbury surfer since she moved down from Muriwai to attend Canterbury to study Geography and Law. She won the Roxy Women’s open and longboard division at the Canterbury Champs held in February, and is making her mark on the national scene. Team-mate Robbie Peck took out the men’s shortboard competition by only .2 of a point from Shaun Radley, also from Canterbury. Radley got his own back by winning the longboard category. Peck, originally from Gisborne has been the President of the Canterbury University Board riders Association since he began studying engineering at Canterbury. The surfers had to contend with small 1-2 foot waves, but Liam O’Brien said it was nice clean offshore surf and stayed for the entire day so they could wrap up the competition in one day. A group of the surfers will head out to Gore Bay again today and possibly tomorrow to have an “expression session”, where surfers go out and pull as many tricks as they can, all for a bit of fun. 
It was a volleyball invasion from over the ditch as the Queensland Men's team dominated the early matches of the Uni Games tournament. The cancellation of the Northern Australian University Games led to the Queensland University of Technology sending 35 competitors to Christchurch. The QUT volleyball team has been playing club volleyball together on a social basis for four years and won all its games in the tournament so far. This could change tonight, however, as they line up to play a tournament team of the best of the rest in an exhibition match. The Queensland volleyballers have made the most of their trip to New Zealand with a tour of the upper South Island prior to the games. For many of the team this is their first trip across the ditch. Tight security for Shield appearance 
Gallant attempts to steal the coveted Uni Shield were thwarted when it made a “guest appearance’’ at the Ilam playing fields. Heavily guarded after been kept under lock and key for most of the Games, the Shield enjoyed the dizzying heights of celebrity status as impressionable students pawed and cuddled up to it, begging for photos. The unannounced outing follows the Shield yesterday hitting the hot spots of Christchurch, to the delight of blue rinse patrons at a suburban bakery, who earlier that morning had watched the Shield being feted on television's Breakfast Show. NewZ understands the bakery visit was prompted by an urging for more hot cross buns but the Shield refused to defend itself when questioned. Canterbury to meet Lincoln in hockey final 
Canterbury captain, Liz Perry, who has been a member of the New Zealand Black Sticks Development Squad for the past three years, is predicting a tight and interesting game. Liz, who is studying anthropology and psychology, will be joined on the field by fellow Canterbury team-mate and Black Stick Bridget Kight. Canterbury beat Otago 2-1 in the semi-final to reach the final. Star player putting study first Victoria University’s water polo star is taking a break from the international scene this year to focus on her studies. 18-year-old Charlotte Wainwright’s best achievement to date is being selected for the New Zealand Under-20 women’s team, despite still being eligible for the under-18 age group at the time. To top that, she was named as Wellington’s ‘Player of the Year’ in 2006 and is described by her team mate Jessie Barwick as “our hero”. Charlotte says she loves water polo but it has been hard to keep up her grades in the past when busy with training and tournaments. She trains at least once a day when she has tournaments coming up, and also travels regularly for training camps or games. She knows she will need straight ‘A’s’ in her psychology degree to be accepted into post-graduate clinical psychology, so is “taking a year off” from her international commitments. Her love for water polo stems from the aggressive side of it. “I love being able to get into it!” she says. Debaters not short of a word or two The final round of debating heats saw Canterbury One take on Victoria Two - who are both coincidentally through to tomorrow’s finals. The Canterbury team, made up of Sarah Keast and Julia Whitehead, took the negative side today in supporting military tribunals for trying of terrorist suspects. They won the debate. For them that is seven wins out of eight, missing narrowly this morning against Otago on income tax. During the games Keast and Whitehead have landed themselves with seven negatives to work with and just one positive. The debates have been varied mostly covering the subjects of social and international topics. The most interesting one was an education debate – to compel schools to promote gay rights. Keast is from a Christian education background but in debating personal morals must be put aside. “It’s being able to leave your beliefs and your baggage at the door and just debate against something you believe in but do it just as well as if you were debating the other side.” A good debater, says Whitehead, believes what they are saying and the argument they are putting forward: “If you believe your points you can sell them.” According to the competitors the South Island universities have had the stronger teams this year, in a sport generally controlled by the Victoria teams. However, the scoreboard says that Victoria’s One and Two teams, Otago’s One and Canterbury’s One teams are through to tomorrows final. Canterbury knocked out of canoe polo tournament 
Two very different games took place in the semi finals of Canoe Polo today. Otago annihilated an inexperienced Canterbury B team, 11-0. Right from the whistle Otago showed its skill and aggression in attack, scoring its first goal in the opening minutes. This continued throughout the first half, Otago taking it 8-0. Canterbury B put in a valiant effort in the second half, using some fantastic defence, which only enabled Otago to score another three goals. It wasn’t, however, able to finish off any of its own attacks. Otago looked incredibly strong, and will face a jubilant Auckland side, which upset the hometown Canterbury A team. Auckland started the game strongly, with some fiery attacks against the tough Canterbury team. It controlled the first half, 3-0, and continued through to the second half. Canterbury came back charging late in the second half, but it didn’t have enough to bring down Auckland which went on to win 5-2. Canterbury captain Jamie Unsted, who plays in the national canoe polo league, says his team is disappointed with the result as they had lost to Auckland in similar circumstances last year. But they have enjoyed the tournament and are looking forward to celebrating with the other teams. One goal separates netball teams Defending champions AUT met their match in day two of the Uni Games netball competition, losing by just one goal to an in form Canterbury 1 team. Canterbury led the game up until the third quarter, when AUT dug it in deep to overtake with a 4 point lead. With not much time on the clock, Canterbury proved they were out to win – quick handling of the ball and bonus intercepts meant they were able to regain their lead. AUT’s call of injury with two minutes to go was not enough to stop Canterbury’s winning streak. The final whistle blew as AUT was about to put the shot up in an attempt to draw. Lincoln University 1 maintains their status as the team to beat. Their game against Canterbury 2 was comfortably won 101-14, as was their game against Victoria, 74-13. Canterbury to meet Auckland in league final 
After a gruelling two days of league, Canterbury A and Auckland will battle it out in the final at Rugby League Park tomorrow. Canterbury ended Lincoln’s fairytale run, beating the fellow mainlanders, 28-12 in the first semi-final. Lincoln put in a brave effort and coach Jamie Lester couldn’t be happier with his team this week. Lincoln’s team was comprised of mainly rugby players, with three league players from Waikato joining them to in order to make a team. “We thought we were going to come last. We were in the harder pool and only had 15 players, so we’ve done really well to come this far,” Lester says. Auckland went up against an extremely determined Otago side, which pushed them right to the final minutes, in a thrilling second semi-final. Auckland held most of the possession in the first half and most of the second half, but Otago proved dangerous when it had the ball, coming within four points to Auckland in the last ten minutes. Two crucial penalty kicks and a field goal in the dying minutes of the game meant Auckland had secured the win, 23-14. Auckland coach Malcolm Cherrie says the team was made up especially for the tournament, and the boys had adapted more as they played. Auckland played four games in three days, and Cherrie says it was evident today how tired they were. “This is what we came down here to do, so the boys will keep going no matter how tired they get.” Auckland will be the underdogs in tomorrows final against Canterbury, but Cherrie is "happy with that”. 
The shooting competition came to an end today, with some fantastic performances from members of the New Zealand Performance Squads. Adrian Black from Canterbury took out the mixed title, with an impressive score of 994/1000. He was followed closely by Sarah Blackmore from Canterbury, who came second with a score of 983/1000. Blackmore and Black are members of the junior and intermediate performance squad respectively. Otago’s Charlotte Till came through in third with a score of 980/1000. Competition manager Charles Nell says the men don’t worry when women beat them. “Women are often better shooters than men, so gender doesn’t really play a part.” After two full-on days at the range, the shooters have the final day off to enjoy watching the remaining sports Brothers to represent NZ in underwater hockey Auckland University’s successful underwater hockey brothers, Joel and Kyle Hattie, will be staying on in Christchurch after the University Games. The Hattie brothers will represent New Zealand together at the Southern Hemisphere Championships at QEII next week. Both have represented New Zealand before, but not for the same team at the same time. “We both made the colts team this year,” says 21-year-old Joel, who started playing eight years ago. “A bunch of my mates were playing so I thought I’d go along,” he says. He was selected for the New Zealand Under-19 team in 2005 which won the Southern Hemisphere Championships. His 18-year-old brother Kyle, who used to play water polo, got involved in underwater hockey four years ago. Following in his brother’s footsteps, Kyle made the New Zealand Under-19 team last year. He went to the World Junior Championships in England where the team won first place. Playing underwater hockey to an international standard requires at least 12 hours per week of training. Training includes both pool and gym work. The Auckland University team lost to Otago University 5-2 in the University Games final today, but Joel was selected for the tournament team. The Hattie brothers are now working towards the same goal – winning the world championships for the New Zealand Men’s team. They will have a four day rest period after University Games before their next tournament starts. 
More photos from the 2007 Uni Games can be found on University Sport New Zealand's website. Check out the photo gallery and see if you can spot yourself or your team mates in action. Check out all the Day's results on the University Sport website.
For the first time a full range of souvenir products is available for purchase during the Games. T-shirts ($25-30), long sleeve shirts ($35), tank tops ($25), polo shirts ($45), hooded sweatshirts ($55), shorts ($25), caps ($20) and beanies ($20) can be purchased around the venues during the week and at Uni Games Headquarters, UCSA building on Friday. Don't leave Christchurch without one - or three! Check out more details on the merchandise pages of the USNZ website For post orders email: dave@brandsinternational.co.nz. |
|
|
 |
|
| Having trouble reading this newsletter? Click here to see it in your browser. You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up from our web site. Click here to unsubscribe. |