Sports

Futsal training with coach Dilraj from Auckland Futsal

Junior School WINTER SPORTS

Overall, it has been a very challenging winter sports season with lots of starting and stopping and waiting for information and decisions. The girls are very lucky to have access to such great facilities on-site at Dio; our pool, turf, courts and the School Hall. These facilities and our great team of senior student and external coaches enabled the girls to re-engage whenever it was safe to do so. It was with renewed gratitude that we witnessed our girls playing sport with such joy and enthusiasm.

Mercury hockey team with coaches Hannah Bell and Estie Hamilton

Late in Term 3 the Government eased the restrictions imposed during the second lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic so the Junior hockey season was able to restart. The girls made the most of this and participated with great enthusiasm. The hockey season was extended to make up for lost time and our girls continued to field teams during the September school holidays. We managed to capture some fun moments at training with our senior student coaches and the juniors. All in all, a great finish to a challenging season.

The Auckland netball season did not fare quite so well, as the restrictions in gathering sizes meant that it was too challenging to hold competition leagues. Our girls played in just two league games. The Years 5 and 6 girls played at the St John’s Netball Centre and the Years 3 and 4 girls played at Windmill Park in Mt Eden. We did manage to continue our trainings at school as soon as it was considered safe to do so and the girls were able to fully participate in this.

The Epsom Flippa Ball League managed to deliver a couple of games in Term 3 and our girls were able to do some training at the Dio pool. It was a joy to see their enthusiasm and energy levels at training. Our senior coaches reported that the girls were bubbling over with excitement at being able to train together once more. The Auckland futsal competition restarted in Term 3 and our girls jumped back into training and league games as soon as they could. This code continues to be extremely popular – they seem to love the Auckland futsal coaches and the fun, relaxed vibe that this code brings.

Our Years 3-6 rhythmic gymnastics girls got underway in Term 3, undeterred by not being able to attend school-based training sessions. Instead, we hosted an online training programme using Zoom meetings. Each girl had their own apparatus to use at home including balls and hoops so they could practise and follow our coach during online sessions. They are working towards a competition in November.

1st XI team Bella Armstrong, Lucy Bannatyne, Mimi Bond, Lily Bond, Clementine Buchanan, Georgia Charvill, Eve Finlayson, Jasmine Ha, Holly Hilton-Jones, Arabella Loveridge, Lottie Mandeno, Lucy Pettit, Mackenzie Robertson, Katie Ryan, Jess Wech, Olivia Pearce and Shreeya Daji.

HOLIDAY HOCKEY

In the second week of the school holidays, the Dio 1st and 2nd XI were fortunate enough to be able to enter the Upper North Island Hockey Festival, hosted by North Harbour. This tournament was able to go ahead following the cancellation due to

COVID-19 of the Secondary Schools’ Tournament

Week, usually held in August. Schools from Auckland,

North Harbour and Whangarei participated.

The 1st XI played consistently good hockey all week and gave themselves a great chance to be in the final. They didn’t lose a game until the semi-finals, where they were unlucky to lose in a penalty shoot-out. They played a strong Westlake team, and won the game for third place 2-1.

This was the final farewell game for our Year 13 leavers Lucy Bannatyne, Arabella Loveridge, Bella Armstrong, Georgia Charvill and Mimi Bond. Thank you, girls, for your contribution to Dio hockey.

The Dio 2nd XI got through to the finals and won the silver medal. They had two close struggles with Westlake Girls’ 2nd XI during the tournament, and lost 1-0 to them in the final after a late Westlake goal.

2nd XI team Felicity Bannatyne, Hannah Bell, Tiffany Charvill, Alexandra Fletcher, Anais Hamilton, Estie Hamilton, Isabelle Head, Maddie Kelso-Heap, Suzannah Kennelly, Casey Lam, Nikita Parag, Sofia Phillimore, Zara Preece-Twose, Sophie Ryan, Lucy Shennan, Victoria Wright.

Smooth sailing

Although 2020 has proved to be difficult for most sports to get up and running, our Diocesan sailors have managed to compete and had some awesome results.

Year 10’s Lizzie Shapland certainly hasn’t let COVID-19 ruin her plans. In July, Lizzie and her crew mate Lucy (from Rangitoto College) won the Youth Female division at the 29er Nationals. Lizzie and Lucy were competing against women in the Youth class who are up to 19 years old, making this feat even more impressive. The girls also placed second female team overall, second to Alex Maloney and Molly Meech who are current Olympic champions and full-time sailors. This was an outstanding result for the girls. Moving forward, Lizzie will be competing at the National Youth trials, which acts as a qualifier for the World Youth Championships in 2021. Good luck Lizzie!

Further to Lizzie’s success, Dio has more sailing news to celebrate. Current Year 13 student and code captain Zoe Dawson, alongside Dio Old Girl Charlotte Porter, have been selected to represent New Zealand in the Youth America’s Cup Team. Initially the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron received 88 applications for the team and after a series of fitness testing and interviews this number was reduced to the final team. The event will take place in Auckland next year and we can’t wait to see both girls in action!

KATIE CRAWFORD

WINTER YOUTH OLYMPICS LAUSANNE 2020

2020 wasn’t all doom and gloom for our top Dio athletes. What seems like a lifetime ago, in January, Dio’s own Katie Crawford represented New Zealand at the Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland. This was truly an incredible achievement. Two days before she was due to compete, Katie suffered a fall that required seven stitches in her upper right arm. But that didn’t stop her. Katie competed in the slalom events and finished with 30th and 31st placings.

Katie discovered skiing at a young age, following in her sister’s footsteps. She often spends months at a time in Queenstown training hard whilst juggling her schoolwork – and she does an exceptional job!

We are very proud of Katie and after many years of commitment to Dio wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours – on and off the snow.

Q&A WITH Ella Russ

Ella is the 2020 football code captain and has played a very important part in the 1st XI football team throughout her time at Diocesan. She consistently leads by example, while showcasing her speed, skill and technique on the football field. Ella is currently involved in the Future Ferns Domestic Programme and continues to train and play at the most elite level in Auckland. Ella’s most recent national team accomplishments include being selected for the New

Zealand U-17 Women’s Football team to qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World

Cup. After an automatic qualification process, New Zealand will attend the

FIFIA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India in 2021. Ella continues to stay involved in the New Zealand U-17 Women’s World

Cup set-up, and is ready to make her mark on the world stage.

How did you get into sport?

My family has always been really sporty, so I think that I was brought up with it. My older brother played football, so I was signed up to play when I was about five years old. Being in the Dio Junior School, I was also really lucky to have the opportunity to try out lots of different sports over the years. I had a lot of energy when I was younger, so I think that played a factor too!

What other sports do you play besides football?

I’ve been involved in athletics, tennis, futsal, water polo, cross country, triathlon, orienteering, cycling and netball over my years at Dio. I love running and I still play futsal, however football is my main focus now!

What or who has been your greatest influence?

Someone I’ve always looked up to in football has been Rosie White, who plays for the Football Ferns and also went to Dio.

What are the positives that you get out of sport?

I love everything about playing sport. I’ve met some of my closest friends from other schools and different places around New Zealand, which I’m so grateful for.

Playing sport has taught me a lot about hard work and working in teams, and in recent years has also been great for relieving stress.

What is your biggest achievement/proudest moment?

Playing in China with the New Zealand U-17 team in 2019 was an amazing experience. Scoring in our first game against Chile was unreal and the atmosphere in the stadium was something that I’ve always wanted to be a part of.

How do you balance sport with your other commitments?

This is definitely still a work in progress for me, as balancing training with school is always quite challenging. But I try to get work done when I can and the occasional late night or early morning seems to work! Planning out my week to see when I’ll have some time to study has also been something that I’ve found really helpful.

What has 2020 been like for you?

This year has definitely been a bit different, as it has been for everyone! But I’ve been lucky enough to continue playing sport in some capacity. We had a very short club season but it was great to get a few weeks of games in, as well as a couple of school games.

What are your goals for the future?

In the future I’m looking at studying and playing football overseas, which is a really exciting opportunity. After university I definitely want to continue playing football and my dream would be to play for the Football Ferns.

Finally, what is your greatest memory of Dio football?

There have been many great times over the years, but the 2015 AIMS Games definitely stands out. We made the top 8 and had such a great team culture with Shivy and Gerald Anthony as our coaches. 2019 Winter Tournament Week, playing with the 1st XI, was also a highlight – it was great seeing the progress we had made as a team, getting our highest placing in many years.