Record breakers Matthew Keys, Aria Whiteman and Jarrod Yee
Three records broken during Kuranui’s Inter-house Athletics Day
Perfect summer conditions made for record breaking results at this year’s inter-house athletics at Kuranui College.
A sunny 30℃ heat, encouraged students to get involved in both track and field events, including sprints, long distance, long jump, high jump, discus, javelin, shot put and Kuranui’s infamous Tug of War house competition.
New Year 9 student, Aria Whiteman, broke Jolie Workman’s 1995 record for U14 girls high jump with a jump of 1.36m. Matthews Keys, a Year 10 student, also broke a record for high jump this time for U16 boys, with a jump of 1.75m that smashed the record previously held by Darcy Maher since 2010. Year 12 student, Jarrod Yee, broke the triple jump record held by Hayden Spierling from 1997 with a jump of 12.20m.
Whiteman represents Wairarapa in competitive athletics and her aim was to break the record, but she didn’t really mind if that wasn’t the final result. Although the 12-year old isn’t new to the sport, Kuranui College’s athletics day wasn’t like anything she had experienced before. “It was fun and had lots of things, so everyone can get involved,” said Whiteman. “It was really good to see everyone supporting each other.”
Aria Whiteman
Matthew Keys
This could be seen with crowds of students supporting their peers on the sidelines for all events, especially the highly competitive House relays. The Tug of War and the annual staff and student dance off during the lunch break also added to the experience for new students.
Taraua House contesting the tug of War. Photo credit: Peter O'Driscoll
The Tug of War is always a hotly contested event that pitches members of each of the four houses, Ruamāhanga, Tararua, Aorangi, and Wairarapa against each other. Students battled it out with brute strength and teamwork to see who would gain the infamous house title, but it was Ruamāhanga who came out victorious without even losing a single round. Could this be the start of a winning streak for the blue house?
Jarrod Yee
Staff cheat during the staff vs student relays
Javelin proved a popular field event. Pictured is Noah Ingham. Photo credit: Peter O'Driscoll
House leaders leading the jump jam. Photo credit: Peter O'Driscoll
Written by Year 13 student Emma Rose. Article added: Wednesday 03 March 2021