Term 2 has provided lots of opportunities for our TPS athletes to represent our kura in the traditional winter sports arenas. We have had 12 teams playing weekly in the local netball, hockey and basketball leagues, plus students competing in various inter-school competitions.
Cross Country
The key focus within school in Term 2 is cross country running, and after many afternoons of running around the school grounds, the annual TPS Cross Country took place at Memorial Park back in week 3. This is always a highlight of the school sports calendar, as the whole school is in attendance to witness some exciting finishes as runners fight for their final placing, or simply show relief to just complete the course, and it is always pleasing to see the encouragement and support shown amongst peers.
The top runners from our event went on to compete at the South Cluster Cross Country at Waipuna Park. Below are those who finished in the top seven places, and as you can see, we were particularly dominant in the Year 4 Boys race.
Year 4 Girls: Harper Pomare-Tahana 7th
Year 4 Boys: Jethro Gosling 2nd, Rustin Harington 5th, Mason Clarke 6th, Cian White 7th
Year 6 Girls: Ava Soffe 2nd, Libby Moores 6th, Erin Moores 7th
Year 6 Boys: Beau Gosling 1st, Andre Swager 3rd
These runners then continued on to the very competitive WBOP Cross Country event on the same gruelling track at Waipuna Park. Whakamihi to the following boys who placed in the top 15 places, granting them a spot in the pinnacle of the cross country season, the BOP Cross Country Championships.
Year 4 Boys: Jethro Gosling 7th
Year 6 Boys: Beau Gosling 4th , Andre Swager 5th
The BOP event took place yesterday, and the boys completed the day with some amazing results.
Beau Gosling 2nd 10 year old boys
Andre Swager 7th 9 year old boys
Jethro Gosling 9th 9 year old boys
Inter-School Sports Events
One of the more fun events on the sporting calendar is the Inter-School Amazing Race. This year our team of six students had fun racing around Memorial Park searching for clues and completing tasks. Ka pai team for finishing in 4th place!
The second event we attended was the Primary Schools Football Festival. This provided a great opportunity for some of our regular footballers, but also those new to the game, to enjoy a day playing slightly modified games of football.
During the term, both the TPS Swish, our Year 3 & 4 basketball team, and the TPS Warriors, one of our Year 5 & 6 basketball teams, participated in the Tauranga City Basketball World Cup Tournaments. Both teams had similar outcomes; a couple of convincing wins mixed with losses by 1-2 baskets in their pool matches. Both teams finished 3rd in their pool, putting them into the second part of the draw for playoffs. The TPS Warriors finished 9th and the TPS Swish 10th overall. Ka mahi!
The final inter-school tournament for Term 2 was the Primary School Tackle 5's Rugby Tournament, a modified game that highlights skill, speed and fitness. In only its second year, the tournament was quickly expanded to include girls rugby teams. The highlight of the day was definitely our ring-in coaches, Chiefs players Aiden Ross and Naitoa Ah Kuoi, and equally pleasing, watching our players demonstrate some dynamic attacking plays, with clever offloads and lightning speed to the try line. Congratulations to our girls team who qualified to compete in the Chiefs Region Tackle 5's Rugby Tournament. This is taking place today, and they will play against teams from as far away as Waikato, King Country and Counties! Good Luck!
TPS Sporting Super Stars
Ka pai te mahi to Ava W, Lydia B and Ramsay B for competing in the Tauranga Open Cross Country Championships recently. Lydia finished 12th, Ava 13th and Ramsay 30th!
Please know that I am happy to share photos or news of any team or individual sporting successes with our school community.
TPS Sports Team Photos
Miki from Drops Photography will be taking photos of our sports teams again in 2024. You will see Miki at school sports events, and weekly competition games. Any enquiries please contact Miki on dropsphotography@gmail.com
I am located in the sports office in the Tech Building during the hours below, otherwise an email is a reliable source of contact.
Monday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Tuesday and Wednesday 11:30am - 3:00pm
Thursday 9:00am - 3:00pm
Nga mihi
Jo Taele
sport@tauranga.school.nz
