Kelly Schischka: AIMS Games tournament director says more than 400 schools are ready to compete

More than 25,000 visitors from around Australasia are headed to Tauranga for the AIMS games this weekend.

Around 14,000 kids from across the continent will be competing in 27 different sports.

AIMS Games tournament director Kelly Schischka told Heather duPlessis-Allan that there are 431 schools being represented, including new competitors from Fiji and the Cook Islands. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, more than twenty five thousand visitors from around Australasia
are descending on totaling of this weekend. For the Games Games,
fourteen thousand intermediate age kids from around the continent will
be complete, competing in twenty seven different sports. Kelly Shishka
is the director of the zespri Ames Games and with
us Hello Kelly, Hello, are you tonight? I'm very well,

(00:21):
thank you. Kicks off tomorrow a way, So is it
already mental?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
It is organized chaos, I think is the best way
to describe it. But calm before the storm.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
What kind of events are we talking about here?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah? So all sporting events are so twenty seven sporting
codes at the zespri Ams Games this year. So everything
from you know, traditional sports that you'd expect netball and
basketball through to orienteering and surfing and almost everything in between.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Fantastic And from how far afield are people coming?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
This year? We have four hundred and thirty one schools
represented at the zespri Ames Games from all across New
Zealand and we have some schools that we're welcoming from
the Cook Islands m Fiji this year as well, which
is very exciting.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Do we not have the Australians competing.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
No Australians this year, so hopefully the New Zealand's New
Zealanders can take out most of the golds.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well yeah, why not? Why did the Australians not come
over this year?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
We haven't had Australia come over in a number of years,
so yeah, it's primarily New Zealand schools without Pacific Island
friends as well.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
What happened, Kelly, Why aren't Australia competing anymore? I'm desperate
to know now.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Oh I'm not sure it was before my time because.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
They don't have their butts whip. I don't enjoy that.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah, look but that sounds about right to me. Let's
go with that.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, I like that story. How much is totung A
loving it?

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Toto It loves it? Totong It is an incredible host city.
We're so lucky to have the community behind us. There's
so much buy in with the experience games. They love
showing off the city and being great hosts. They really
do roll out the recup but for our visit is
so yeah, we're very excited to be welcoming everyone tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Brilliant stuff, Kelly, beast of luck with it Kelly Shishka,
the Ames Games tournament director.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
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