 |
Vicki Semple - NZCT AIMS Games |
More than 7300 middle school students representing 216 New Zealand schools and two Australian schools are set to compete in the annual 17-code, week-long NZCT AIMS Games international sporting championships in Tauranga this September.
The largest AIMS Games tournament staged since beginning 11 years ago, New Zealand Community Trust CEO Mike Knell says he appreciates the increase in numbers and positive impact of sport on young people.
'We know sport helps grow healthy communities and getting young people into sport is one of the best things we can do – that's why NZCT is a proud supporter of the 2014 AIMS Games.”
We wish the organisers, competitors, managers, coaches and their supporters all the very best as they build up to this year's championships.”
Hand in hand with growth has been the emergence of the AIMS Games as a pathway to sporting achievement and success. Competitors are inspired and motivated by past participants who've realised national and international representative aspirations.
Former competitors Paige Satchell and Sophie Stewart-Hobbs were selected in the New Zealand Young Football Ferns this year for the FIFA U17 Women's Football World Cup in Costa Rica.
We've compiled an AIMS Games historical record with Alumni on our website at www.nzaimsgames.co.nz.
Our aim is to keep competitors informed of the exciting happenings and successes of past AIMS Games competitors.
The competition begins with the Cross Country Championshipson September 7 at Waipuna Park in Welcome Bay. Olympic Games 5000 metre silver medallist Dick Quax, whose son has competed in the event, says he see the NZCT AIMS Games ':as a great opportunity for young sportsmen and sportswomen to meet other young people in an atmosphere of friendly rivalry”.
Each year we look forward to seeing stars of the future in action. Chelsey Edwards from St Joseph's Upper Hutt will be competing. Chelsey won seven individual and two relay titles at the New Zealand Junior Championships earlier this year.
She broke three Wellington records for her age group and came within two hundredths of a second of a national record in the 100m freestyle.
She'll look to follow in the footsteps of AIMS Games record holders Gabrielle Fa'amausilli and Bobbi Gichard.
At the New Zealand Open Swimming Championships in April both swimmers went under qualifying time for August's Pan Pacific Championships on the Gold Coast that comprises full strength teams from USA, Canada, Japan and Australia among others.
We're excited to follow the progress of AIMS Games athletes – past and present – as they move on to represent New Zealand at pinnacle events.