The annual Selwyn Sports Trust (SST) Girls Multisport Festival was run today at Forster Park in Rolleston with over 900 year 5, 6, 7 & 8 tamariki participating over the morning and afternoon sessions.

“This event has a real focus on enjoyment and providing opportunities for all wāhine to take part.  Enjoyment means different things to each young person, from playing with their friends, to trying something new, to developing new skills, so we try to plan and deliver an event that meet as many of these needs as possible” Commented Karysa Wilkinson, SST Wāhine Activator

“We had some awesome sports involved today, so a massive thanks to Canterbury Cricket, Canterbury Softball, Ellesmere Rugby & Canterbury Rugby, Canterbury Volleyball and Canterbury Ultimate.  We also had an amazing LU intern run a fun game based football session. One of the biggest highlights was having our Tākaro activator come in and introduce the girls to some taonga tākaro with poi skills" added Wilkinson.

Connecting with traditional and non-traditional sport gives the young females to try these sports in a environment with their peers, which is sometimes not possible in a club setting.

The Festival operates on a 20 minute rotational basis, allowing each school group to try a different sport with there friends.  Schools travelled from as far as Windwhistle, Spingston, Springfield as well as a number of local schools from Rolleston.

Article added: Tuesday 12 September 2023