It's the 50th anniversary of Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships in Christchurch.
New Zealand Athletics Association President Tony Rogers told D’Arcy Waldegrave “It’s a stone’s throw from the original in Cuthbert’s Green.”
Rogers said “We've got 800 athletes – from 135 schools around the country.”
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News TALKS'B and.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's cross country first thing in the morning where you
not literally figuratively, although I expect our next guest is
all over at. Tony Rodgers joins us he Zeland Secondary
Schools Athletics Association President ahead of the second school's cross
country championships. Tony, welcome to the program. Fairly auspicious occasion.
You've you've got a celebration coming up today.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, we're back in christ Church today for the fiftieth
anniversary of the New Zealand Schools cross Country see you
a bit of a feat having that go for fifty
years and it's almost a stone throw away from where
the original one was at Cuthbert's Green, just down by
cal Stadium. But we're out at q E two Ascott
Park and the old grounds out behind the old stadium
(00:52):
for this year's edition. And yes, it's great to be
back in christ Church. Let's hope where the plays ball
for the rest of the weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
When you talk of cross country, I immediately go back
to healthy and days being covered in mud and waiting
and hating it. It is it similar in cross country.
Is it a fairly arduous course with a number of
different surfaces? Has it changed any Tony?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Oh, yes, it's a fairly technical course this year. It's
not over hilly, but with the with the rain that's
been about, it's going to get a bit messy by
the time the senior girls and boys run their races
early afternoon. But this morning it'll start off with the
junior girls at ten thirty. There'll be some live stream
of that for those folks at home that want to
watch it over over for Carda Mary and Yeah, it'll
(01:37):
be There'll be some really really good racing. There's a
lot of things up for grab for these young athletes
they get and get to the New Zealand teams and
I'll be looking to see the form of some of
the ethics that have just come back from the World
Schools cross Country in Kenya, which we took them away
to just over months ago.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Okay, so big, you've got a number of different classes.
How many athletes were talking here, Tony?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, we've got eight hundred athletes, which includes about just
over a dozen from a school out of Brisbane which
are coming as guests and they're from a thirty five
schools around the country. So that's a pretty good effort
to have an event that's still reaching those heights these
days in the school environment, especially with the cost of
getting kids around the country. But yeah, pretty even spread
of numbers from the Northern region, central region in the
(02:20):
South Island.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Where are they staying? Are you running a bullet system again?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Those are the old days gone, mate, You and I
are showing our age if we start talking about that. Yeah,
my first days of coming to Christet to run at
the school boy were definitely a billiting. But no, most
of the schools or the parent groups make their own arrangements.
These days, billeting seems to be a thing of the past,
but I'm sure a few of them do stay with
friends and family. But yeah, it's a good event. It's
(02:49):
a two day event most of the most of the school.
The first day is all about the athletes running for
their individual schools and for their individual placings across the
sixth grades. Starting with year nine is a year nine
race only, a junior which is under sixteen, and then
Seniors which is open for anyone under nineteen. And yeah's
(03:10):
some really good fields and the senior race has always
proved to be really, really tough because some of these
kids are trying to show their form and they're awares,
so to speak, to put on their resume so that
they can maybe attract a college from the US for
a scholarship. So I'm picking all I can tell by
the fields, it's going to be a really contest or
seeing your girls and seenior boys race with some strong contenders,
(03:31):
and those.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Those American colleges like punching their athletes today, they're pretty
keen eyes.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah. I did a study some years ago that said
that basically, if you can finish in the top six
of the New Zealand schools cross country and you can
run a little bit of track reasonably, okay, you can
earn yourself a scholarship, no trouble. So that's the way
it seems to have always trended for the last or
probably almost the last fifteen twenty years anyway. So and yeah,
that's where some of these athletes seemed up. But it's
(03:58):
good when they continue on then with their sport and
succeed like ones we've had recent days with Kimberly may
from Auckland and Maya Ramsden out of Wellington. Doing so
exceptionally well on the NCAA and hopefully make the Olympic teams.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
You Selling Secondary School Actic Association president Tony Rodgers joined,
just let's look to favoritism. Who do you like as
far as the individual athletes and both the men's and
women's at the top grade and school wise, who do
you think maybe will have a nose ahead? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Well, I don't like talking too much about the Young
year Nines because that's their first year and I don't
like to put my name on the block. And the
junior boys, the under sixteen I think as a pretty
clear favorite. And Sam Ruth out of tearing the boys,
he's got some pretty good jeans in his body with
his father Ben and mother Jess, both New zand Reps.
He's doing exceptionally well. With a young boy from Wellington
(04:50):
College Alex macbeth, will challenge him. And then the Westlake
boys are always very strong and they've had some good experience.
They came across some of them to Kenya with us
and they've got another trip planned and the young fellow
Duke cuts out of West late might bother them. And
the junior girls. There is a couple of young eighties
from Aukland, that twins Lisa and Sarah Hallier had an
only hanger and scarlet rob from Saint Cuts and they'll
(05:12):
probably be challenged by Madison Boss from Sacred Heart Girls
in Wellington or Juju Moore here who did exception well
in the under fifteens at the World Schools Cross Country.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
To the Victor the Spoils. Thank you so much Tony
Rogers for joining us have a wonderful weekend.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Thanks Darcy.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Waltergrave.
Listen live to News Talk SETV on Saturday mornings, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News TALKS'B and.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's cross country first thing in the morning where you
not literally figuratively, although I expect our next guest is
all over at. Tony Rodgers joins us he Zeland Secondary
Schools Athletics Association President ahead of the second school's cross
country championships. Tony, welcome to the program. Fairly auspicious occasion.
You've you've got a celebration coming up today.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, we're back in christ Church today for the fiftieth
anniversary of the New Zealand Schools cross Country see you
a bit of a feat having that go for fifty
years and it's almost a stone throw away from where
the original one was at Cuthbert's Green, just down by
cal Stadium. But we're out at q E two Ascott
Park and the old grounds out behind the old stadium
(00:52):
for this year's edition. And yes, it's great to be
back in christ Church. Let's hope where the plays ball
for the rest of the weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
When you talk of cross country, I immediately go back
to healthy and days being covered in mud and waiting
and hating it. It is it similar in cross country.
Is it a fairly arduous course with a number of
different surfaces? Has it changed any Tony?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Oh, yes, it's a fairly technical course this year. It's
not over hilly, but with the with the rain that's
been about, it's going to get a bit messy by
the time the senior girls and boys run their races
early afternoon. But this morning it'll start off with the
junior girls at ten thirty. There'll be some live stream
of that for those folks at home that want to
watch it over over for Carda Mary and Yeah, it'll
(01:37):
be There'll be some really really good racing. There's a
lot of things up for grab for these young athletes
they get and get to the New Zealand teams and
I'll be looking to see the form of some of
the ethics that have just come back from the World
Schools cross Country in Kenya, which we took them away
to just over months ago.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Okay, so big, you've got a number of different classes.
How many athletes were talking here, Tony?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, we've got eight hundred athletes, which includes about just
over a dozen from a school out of Brisbane which
are coming as guests and they're from a thirty five
schools around the country. So that's a pretty good effort
to have an event that's still reaching those heights these
days in the school environment, especially with the cost of
getting kids around the country. But yeah, pretty even spread
of numbers from the Northern region, central region in the
(02:20):
South Island.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Where are they staying? Are you running a bullet system again?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Those are the old days gone, mate, You and I
are showing our age if we start talking about that. Yeah,
my first days of coming to Christet to run at
the school boy were definitely a billiting. But no, most
of the schools or the parent groups make their own arrangements.
These days, billeting seems to be a thing of the past,
but I'm sure a few of them do stay with
friends and family. But yeah, it's a good event. It's
(02:49):
a two day event most of the most of the school.
The first day is all about the athletes running for
their individual schools and for their individual placings across the
sixth grades. Starting with year nine is a year nine
race only, a junior which is under sixteen, and then
Seniors which is open for anyone under nineteen. And yeah's
(03:10):
some really good fields and the senior race has always
proved to be really, really tough because some of these
kids are trying to show their form and they're awares,
so to speak, to put on their resume so that
they can maybe attract a college from the US for
a scholarship. So I'm picking all I can tell by
the fields, it's going to be a really contest or
seeing your girls and seenior boys race with some strong contenders,
(03:31):
and those.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Those American colleges like punching their athletes today, they're pretty
keen eyes.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah. I did a study some years ago that said
that basically, if you can finish in the top six
of the New Zealand schools cross country and you can
run a little bit of track reasonably, okay, you can
earn yourself a scholarship, no trouble. So that's the way
it seems to have always trended for the last or
probably almost the last fifteen twenty years anyway. So and yeah,
that's where some of these athletes seemed up. But it's
(03:58):
good when they continue on then with their sport and
succeed like ones we've had recent days with Kimberly may
from Auckland and Maya Ramsden out of Wellington. Doing so
exceptionally well on the NCAA and hopefully make the Olympic teams.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
You Selling Secondary School Actic Association president Tony Rodgers joined,
just let's look to favoritism. Who do you like as
far as the individual athletes and both the men's and
women's at the top grade and school wise, who do
you think maybe will have a nose ahead? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Well, I don't like talking too much about the Young
year Nines because that's their first year and I don't
like to put my name on the block. And the
junior boys, the under sixteen I think as a pretty
clear favorite. And Sam Ruth out of tearing the boys,
he's got some pretty good jeans in his body with
his father Ben and mother Jess, both New zand Reps.
He's doing exceptionally well. With a young boy from Wellington
(04:50):
College Alex macbeth, will challenge him. And then the Westlake
boys are always very strong and they've had some good experience.
They came across some of them to Kenya with us
and they've got another trip planned and the young fellow
Duke cuts out of West late might bother them. And
the junior girls. There is a couple of young eighties
from Aukland, that twins Lisa and Sarah Hallier had an
only hanger and scarlet rob from Saint Cuts and they'll
(05:12):
probably be challenged by Madison Boss from Sacred Heart Girls
in Wellington or Juju Moore here who did exception well
in the under fifteens at the World Schools Cross Country.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
To the Victor the Spoils. Thank you so much Tony
Rogers for joining us have a wonderful weekend.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Thanks Darcy.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Waltergrave.
Listen live to News Talk SETV on Saturday mornings, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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