Team Kiwi

Associate Professor Steve Stannard

The Manawatu campus hosted the opening stage of the New Zealand Women’s Cycle Tour on Wednesday night.

Associate Professor Steve Stannard, head of the School of Sport and Exercise, welcomed the international field to the campus at a presentation event before the 7km time trial began.

The time trial was won by Kristin Armstrong of the United States.

This year, the tour features a number of Massey University student-athletes, including Linda Villumsen, Emily Collins, Emma Crum and Rachel Southee.

The tour includes the national teams from New Zealand, the United States, Italy, Japan and a host of other professional riders.

Massey University Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey will present the winner’s jersey at the finish line in Palmerston North’s square on Sunday.

Virginia Thompson.

Group photo of the Manawatu-Wellington Blues recipients

Hamish Bond won the BNZ Manawatu-Wellington
Sportsman of the Year.

Ayla Dunlop-Barrett won the BNZ Manawatu-Wellington
Sportswoman of the Year.

Olympic rower Hamish Bond and surf life saver Ayla Dunlop-Barrett have been crowned the BNZ Manawatu-Wellington Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year by Massey University.

It is the second consecutive year Mr Bond has won the accolade and follows a two-year reign as National Blues Awards Sportsperson of the Year. A reigning world champion in the rowing pairs, he won gold medals in this year’s world cups in Hamburg and Lucerne and was first in the nationals.

Ms Dunlop-Barrett won gold in this year’s open women’s surf belt race in the Australian championships and the National SLS Championships. She also took out a host of places including securing New Zealand record in the obstacle relay in the World Rescue Championships in Egypt last year.

Both are studying a Bachelor of Business Studies and were selected from 59 Blues award recipients representing 20 different sports. Blues recipients are recognised for their performance in representing New Zealand in their chosen sport while successfully progressing in their academic studies.

Dunedin-born Mr Bond and his rowing partner Eric Murray, a fellow Bachelor of Business studies student, have been undefeated for three years as they head to the London Olympics 2012. Despite a packed schedule involving training in Cambridge and competing here and overseas, he is now close to completing his degree and has achieved Dean’s List status for top grades.

Ms Dunlop-Barrett, of Taranaki, was unable to attend the presentation due to sporting commitments.

The presentation was made in the Awapuni Function Centre in Palmerston North.

Paul Henare, former Tall Blacks and NZ Breakers’ basketball player was guest speaker at the dinner and spoke about the team’s experiences winning the NBL Championship.

Earlier this year, Massey was the first New Zealand university to sign up to the Athlete Friendly Tertiary Network set up by the New Zealand Academy of Sport to support New Zealand’s high performance athletes to combine their sporting and academic aspirations.

2011 Massey University Blues awarded - Manawatu
Adrian Blincoe (Athletics)
Scott Burch (Athletics)
Andy Kruy (Athletics)
Ryan Tinkle (Athletics)
Zachary Topping (Athletics)
Kelly O’Donnell (Barefoot Waterskiing)
Tim Cleaver (Basketball)
Logan Funnell (Basketball)
Bridgette Lawn (Basketball)
Angus Donaldson (Boxing)
Erin Bolton (Canoe Polo)
Julie Bolton (Canoe Polo)
Carl Duncan (Canoe Polo)
Olivia Spencer-Bower (Canoe Polo)
Louise Jull (Canoe Slalom)
Aaron Osborne (Canoe Slalom)
Kate Broadmore (Cricket)
Rachel Candy (Cricket)
Dane Cleaver (Cricket)
Tarun Nethula (Cricket)
Dean Robinson (Cricket)
Peter Latham (Cycling)
Rachel Southee (Cycling)
Sophie O’Brien (Handball)
Jake Blanks (Hockey)
Elizabeth Horne (Hockey)
Nick Wilson (Hockey)
Jason Anderson (Kayak)
Sasha Smith (Mountain Bike)
Jodi Beaumont (Netball)
Amber Bellringer (Netball)
Whitney Cassidy (Netball)
Freyja Phillips (Rollerskating)
Genevieve Armstrong (Rowing)
Harriet Austin (Rowing)
Genevieve Behrent (Rowing)
Hamish Bond (Rowing)
Anna Reymer (Rowing)
John Storey (Rowing)
Francie Turner (Rowing)
Storm Uru (Rowing)
Simon Watson (Rowing)
Nick Annear (Rugby)
Mitchell Crosswell (Rugby)
Nick Crosswell (Rugby)
Callum Gibbins (Rugby)
Sarah Goss (Rugby)
David Hall (Rugby)
Kasiano Lealamanua (Rugby)
Deacon Manu (Rugby)
Hamish Northcott (Rugby)
Joseph Watts (Squash)
Ayla Dunlop-Barrett (Surf Life Saving)
Natalie Paterson (Table Tennis)
Kane Baigent (Taekwon-do)
Michael Davis (Taekwon-do)
Estelle Speirs (Taekwon-do)
Hamish Hammond (Triathlon)
William O’Connor (Triathlon)

L to R (back row): Rick Child (on behalf of Simon Child, Hockey), Nielsen Varoy (Swimming), Matthew Stanley (Swimming), Ashleigh Grant (Waterpolo), Lucie Tait-Jamieson (Alpine Skiing), Sarah Cowley (Athletics), Scott Bicknell (Canoe Sprint & Surf Life Saving), Bradley Schmulian (Cricket), Edward Rawles (Triathlon)
L to R (front row): Travis Larsen (Rugby), Kristina Watson (Water Polo), Amaka Gessler (Swimming), Moss Burmester (Swimming), Lisa Carrington (Canoe Sprint), Avalon Biddle (Motor Racing), Kelly Pelham (Sport Aerobics), Rebecca Watkin, (Karate) Emma Crumm (Cycling),

Extramural Students’ Society Sportsperson of the Year Award Amaka Gessler
and BNZ Albany campus Sportswoman of the Year Lisa Carrington with their awards.

BNZ Albany campus Sportsman of the Year Simon Child

Olympics-bound canoe sprinter Lisa Carrington and Black Sticks hockey star Simon Child were last night crowned the BNZ Albany campus Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year.

Swimmer Amaka Gessler received the Extramural Students’ Society Sportsperson of the Year Award at a celebration dinner in the Sir Neil Waters lecture theatre.

The Massey University students were selected from 33 Blues Award recipients representing 20 different sports. Blues recipients are recognised for their performance in representing New Zealand in their chosen sport while successfully progressing in their academic studies.

Ms Carrington, (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki), who is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Arts in Māori studies and politics, recently won a gold meal in the women’s K1 200m and qualified for the London Olympics next year. She also won gold in the same event at the 2011 World Cup in Germany, and a gold medal at the 2011 National and Oceania Combined Championships in the women’s K1 500m and women’s K4 200m.

It is the second year in a row Ms Carrington has won the award and she congratulated all the nominees saying it was “awesome” to hear all their achievements over the past year.

Mr Child, a third year Bachelor of Business Studies student, was a key player in the Black Sticks team, which won bronze at the Commonwealth Games last year. He could not attend as he is currently preparing for a match against Australia in the Oceania Cup when he will receive his 150th cap. His father, Rick, accepted the award on his behalf. He said his son would be in position next year where he had managed to complete a degree while playing hockey at top-level tournaments around the world.

“That is due to what happens here and what Massey puts in, it’s just great,” said Mr Child. “Simon will be absolutely delighted to win this award.”

Double Commonweath Games medallist Ms Gessler, who is in her third year of a Bachelor of Science, received her extramural award for achieving outstanding results in her studies whilst competing on the world stage. A member of the New Zealand swimming team, she won a silver in the 200m freestyle relay and bronze in the 100m relay in Delhi last year.

Speaking about her award she said: “I really wasn’t expecting to win this because there are so many amazing athletes here at Massey it is tough competition.”

Paul Henare, former Tall Blacks and NZ Breakers’ basketball player was guest speaker at the dinner and spoke about his experiences as a young athlete at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Earlier this year, Massey was the first New Zealand university to sign up to the Athlete Friendly Tertiary Network set up by the New Zealand Academy of Sport to support New Zealand’s high performance athletes to combine their sporting and academic aspirations.


Albany campus Blues Awards recipients were:

 Swimmers Amaka Gessler, Matthew Stanley, Adam McDonald, Kurt Bassett, Nielsen Varoy, Glenn Snyders, Natasha Hind, and basketballer Marco Alexander.

Natalie Paterson in action at the World University Games.

Assistant Vice-Chancellor Stuart Morriss
congratulates Natalie Paterson.

The trip of a lifetime was how student-athlete Natalie Paterson described her time at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China.

The games are held every four years and are the second largest global multisport event after the Olympics. For many sports, the games are of a comparable or higher standard than the Commonwealth Games.

Ms Paterson, who played table tennis, spoke about her experience at a function at Massey’s Manawatu campus today.

She said the size of the city and the event itself was immense, with the bus ride to the opening ceremony particularly exhilarating. “As soon as we were out of the village, there were swarms of people waiting, waiving and smiling on the streets just to get a glimpse of the athletes!”

Ms Paterson competed in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles at the tournament, and a large crowd watched her first match against a Chinese opponent on the main table.

She won her first round matches in both mixed doubles and women’s doubles in table tennis, and also won one of her pool matches in the singles.

Ms Paterson is a member of the Massey University Academy of Sport. The University’s Elite world Sports Travel Award helped fund her trip to the games.

In all, the New Zealand team won 12 medals. Nine Massey athletes won medals either individually or as part of a swimming relay team.

Assistant Vice-Chancellor Stuart Morriss congratulated Ms Paterson and the rest of the team for their efforts, “These outstanding results highlight how special each of you are, not only as athletes representing your country and university, but as students, balancing a full academic programme alongside your sporting careers.”

Manawatu campus registrar Dr Sandi Shillington said the team members had represented the University well. “All twelve athletes have represented their country and their university with success and on behalf of Massey I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the way in which you have represented us.”

A function will be held at the Albany campus next week to honour the Auckland-based members of the team.

Storm Uru

Glenn Snyders

Team Massey rider Hannah Appleton.

Lisa Carrington with the cup for Albany sportswoman of the year.

Natalie Paterson holds a Massey University flag featuring messages of support from University staff members.

Glenn Snyders

Twelve Massey students are part of a 62-strong New Zealand team who will compete at the World University Games later this month in athletics, men’s basketball, swimming and table tennis.

The World University Games will be held this year in China from August 12-23. Also known as the Universiade, the games are held every four years and are the second largest global high performance multi-sports event after the Olympics.

Massey’s contingent includes New Zealand Breakers championship team member Josh Bloxham who will be part of the basketball team.

Josh is heading to the games on a high from his recent achievement with the New Zealand Breakers team that won their first NBL championship title in April. Josh is in his first year of a Bachelor of Business studies at Massey University. On court with him will be fellow Massey student Marco Alexander

North shore swimmers make up a large proportion of Massey’s contingent with eight athletes set to compete. Four members of the team have just finished competing at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai and will now leave and head to Shenzhen for the University Games.
 
Amaka Gessler and Natasha Hind were part of the New Zealand women's freestyle relay team that broke the national record twice to take a giant step towards the London Olympics at the world swimming championships in Shanghai.
 
The women's quartet of Lauren Boyle, Penny Marshall, Amaka and Natasha finished eighth in the final in one minute 56.55 seconds. Making the final earned them an invitation for next year's Olympics with a second qualifying time required at the trials in March to secure a berth for London.
 
Another Massey student, Dehli Commonwealth games finalist Glenn Snyders, completed an excellent world championship, where he was 10th fastest in semifinals of the 200m breaststroke.

The team also includes Manawatu’s Natalie Paterson who has been selected for table tennis. She is now enrolled in her first year of a Bachelor of Education at the University’s College of Education, and is a member of the University’s Academy of Sport.

Natalie was ranked number one for the under-18 girls individual competition last year, and this year has stepped up to the senior division, placing first in the open women’s doubles at the North Island championships. She also came away as the runner up in the under-21 mixed doubles and 3rd in the under-21 women’s doubles at the Australian senior open championships.
 
She will be representing Massey University and New Zealand in the singles, doubles and as part of a four-person team in table tennis.

The team includes Rotorua’s Sarah Cowley, who has been selected as a member of the athletics team. This will be Sarah’s second visit to the games having placed 12th in the Long Jump in 2005. This year she will compete in the heptathlon.

New Zealand cricket representative Jacob Oram with Dr Gary Hermansson.

Dr Gary Hermansson

Leading sport psychologist Gary Hermansson says the All Blacks need to put their ultimate goal out of their minds if they are to succeed in the upcoming rugby World Cup.

Dr Hermansson was an academic staff member at Massey for many years and now provides sport psychology support to the University’s Academy of Sport athletes. An event was held at the Manawatu campus last week to celebrate the launch of Dr Hermansson’s new book Going Mental in Sport: Excelling Through Mind-Management.

In it, Dr Hermansson at one point uses the All Blacks as a case study to show the impacts of anxiety. He says throughout their history the All Blacks have excelled in beating bigger nations in test series and New Zealand’s identity has built on that.

“But the advent of the Rugby World Cup and professional rugby has altered that,” he says. “The opposition has caught up. Time and again we see the team play with exuberance in pool play then tighten up when the knockout phase arrives.”

Dr Hermansson says the All Blacks, like other New Zealand national team typically become preoccupied with the result – the need to win.

“One of the fundamentals of sport psychology is to control the controllables. Every athlete can parrot that expression, but not everyone can do it. Their thinking patterns go from what to do right now, in the game, to the result. It heightens anxiety and leads to players tensing up. The mind and body are not aligned.”

Dr Hermansson says playing at home should make things much easier for the team. “They will be directly and comprehensively supported by the nation and won’t get that strange disconnect that touring teams often get,” he says.

Going Mental in Sport: Excelling Through Mind-Management provides high-performance athletes and coaches with the skills they need to prepare for and perform at the highest level. It includes chapters on managing conscious and subconscious thinking, core mental strength and managing the moment.

Dr Hermansson has provided psychological support to the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games teams, and the New Zealand cricket and equestrian teams.

Former All Black Scott Robertson.

Former All Black Scott Robertson told Academy of Sport members teamwork is the key to success, at an event honouring this year’s academy cohort.

At the presentation evening were 42 student-athletes acknowledged, from 19 sports including cycling, rugby, triathlon and tae kwon do.

Mr Robertson, who had a 10-year career in New Zealand before moving to France and Japan, spoke about the team culture at the heart of the Crusaders Super Rugby franchise, with which he won multiple titles.

“Players are chosen for the team on their character first, and their skill second,” he said. “Every year the team has an induction that lays out the dedication required from the players, what standards they have to live up to, and the history of the region.”

Assistant Vice-Chancellor Stuart Morris told the students that Massey provided them with the facilities and support to achieve both their sporting and academic aspirations.

“Each athlete within the academy programme receives access to a sports psychologist, nutritionist, strength and physical conditioning coaches, gym membership and academic support and assistance,” he said. “This package, we believe, is what you as students deserve and your credentials speak for what we want to achieve with the programme.”

Massey was proud to have recently been announced as the first university to sign up to the Athlete Friendly Tertiary Network agreement, an initiative of the New Zealand Academy of Sport that provides guidelines for tertiary providers to assist student-athletes as they compete and study, Mr Morris said.

This year the University is the chosen tertiary provider for 119 of the 373 Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarships, which are awarded to high-performance athletes to assist them to compete internationally and continue their studies.

2011 Academy of Sport Athletes

Scott Burch (Athletics)
Andy Kruy (Athletics)
Zachary Topping (Athletics)
Kelly O’Donnell (Barefoot Waterskiing)
Logan Funnell (Basketball)
Ryan Funnell (Basketball)
Angus Donaldson (Boxing)
Jason Anderson (Canoe Racing
Erin Bolton (Canoe Polo
Julie Bolton (Canoe Polo
Meghann Corbett (Canoe Polo)
Carl Duncan (Canoe Polo)
Malcolm Gibson (Canoe Slalom)
Louise Jull (Canoe Slalom)
Aaron Osborne (Canoe Slalom)
Kelly Travers (Canoe Slalom)
Kate Broadmore (Cricket)
Dane Cleaver (Cricket
Hannah Appleton (Equestrian)
Mitchell Cronin (Hockey)
Nathan Holt (Hockey)
Elizabeth Horne (Hockey)
Sasha Smith (Mountain Biking)
Jodi Beaumont (Netball)
Amber Bellringer (Netball)
Whitney Cassidy (Netball)
Emma Peterson (Road Cycling)
Rachel Southee (Road Cycling)
Hamish Northcott (Rugby)
Sarah Goss (Rugby)
Harriet Miller-Brown (Snowsports)
Danielle Fourie (Squash)
Thomas Nash (Squash)
Joseph Watts (Squash)
Natalie Paterson (Table Tennis)
Kane Baigent (Taekwon-do)
Michael Davis (Taekwon-do)
Umakaihau Goodyer (Taekwon-do)
Estelle Speirs (Taekwon-do)
Hamish Hammond (Triathlon)
William O’Connor (Triathlon)
Joseph Kayes (Waterpolo)

Watch the video of the network launch.

Amber Bellringer on court and at Massey’s Wellington campus.

This is a caption

Sharpshooter Amber Bellringer is used to juggling things in life. The third-year bachelor of health sciences student is also goal attack for the Pulse in the trans-Tasman ANZ Netball Championship.

Last weekend her perseverance paid off, as she helped the Pulse to its first win of the season against Canterbury’s Tactix in Palmerston North.

Ms Bellringer, 20, a member of the University’s Academy of Sport, says keeping up with her studies while living her sporting dream is a challenge.

“Last year I was away with the New Zealand under-21 side and missed three weeks of semester,” she says. “But the academy staff helped out in organising my schedule and getting me back on track academically, which was great.”

The academy offers sporting and academic support to students, focusing on the holistic development of each member by providing key support services that cater to their needs. Ms Bellringer says that support has been pivotal. “In my first year at Massey, especially, I really benefited from the physical conditioning help, but for my whole three years here at Massey the help I’ve been given in structuring my studies to fit in with my playing schedule has meant that I haven’t missed out on anything.” Ms Bellringer was based at the Manawatu campus for the first two years of her degree and will return there from Wellington once the ANZ Championship finishes.

Once her degree is completed, she would like to return to the University next year to do a postgraduate diploma in teaching. “Since I was very young my family always told me I would be a teacher, but it wasn’t until recently I decided for myself that was what I wanted to do. Also, that career path will hopefully allow me to continue to play netball for as long as I can.”

Like any young New Zealand netballer, she would like to play for the national side, the Silver Ferns. “I’m quite impatient and want everything to happen right now, but I’ve learned that it’s best to take one step at a time, so for now I’m focused on playing well for the Pulse and building on last year’s New Zealand under-21 selection.”

The next step, of course, is this weekend’s Pulse match against the New South Wales Swifts in Wellington. Previously a goal shoot, Ms Bellringer says she has been enjoying her move to goal attack with the Wellington-based team this year. “I used to play basketball, so I obviously like to run around a lot,” she says. “So goal attack probably suits me better.”

Storm Uru won the bronze medal in the men’s lightweight double scull.

Kayla Sharland, captain of the silver medal winning women's Black Sticks.

Some of our other medal winners

Amaka Gessler and Glenn Snyders

Hayley Palmer and Natasha Hind

Penelope Marshall

 

Twenty-seven of the 37 Massey students who took part in the Commonwealth Games will return with medals from 14 events – a medal haul that exceeds most participating countries including Cyprus, Jamaica and Northern Ireland.

The students competed in seven sporting codes – athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, hockey, netball and swimming.

The sole gold medal winner was Anna Scarlett, a member of the Silver Ferns netball team, whose victory last night on the final day of competition added to the seven silver and five bronze medals won by the University's student athletes.

The men’s hockey team, with Andy Hayward, Simon Child, Arun Panchia and Nick Wilson, last night won the bronze medal match against England.

High performance co-ordinator Kelly Rofe says it was a great night of sport. “This is a brilliant way for our New Zealand and Massey University athletes to cap off a very successful Commonwealth Games,” she says. “Of the 37 Massey University athletes competing at games, 27 will be bringing home a medal, some more than one – an outstanding achievement!”

Other winners were track cyclists Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster (silver medal for the men’s team sprint), and road cyclists Linda Villumsen (silver medal in the women’s time trial), Jo Kiesanowski (silver in the women’s scratch race), Simon van Velthooven (bronze in the men's keiran), Sam Webster (bronze in the men's sprint) and Lauren Ellis (silver in the points race).

In the pool, Hayley Palmer won bronze in the women’s 50m freestyle, Glenn Snyders won silver in the men’s 50m breaststroke, and Hayley Palmer, Natasha Hind, Penelope Marshall, and Amaka Gessler won bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Ms Hind, Ms Marshall and Ms Gessler also won silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Stuart Farquhar won silver in the javelin event, while the silver medal-winning women’s hockey team featured nine Massey students – Emily Naylor, Kayla Sharland, Krystal Forgesson, Katie Glynn, Stacey Carr, Elizabeth Gunson, Beth Jurgeleit, Sam Harrison and Gemma Flynn.

A full medals tally can be found here

Ant Pedersen’s Fujitsu Falcon.

Ant Pedersen

 

As a youngster Ant Pedersen would watch Australia's great race at Bathurst on television each year. This year he will be one of the drivers who lines up for the Bathurst 1000 at the famous Mount Panorama circuit in New South Wales.
 
He says he can’t wait to get the weekend underway. “It seems so unreal to think I'm racing at Bathurst,” Mr Pedersen says. “As a kid growing up I used to watch the race on television and now I'm in it. I've dreamed of driving in this race so understandably I'm very excited."  

Mr Pedersen grew up in Rotorua but is currently studying accountancy at the Manawatu campus. He has been a member of the University’s Academy of Sport for four years.

He has made a rapid rise in motorsport to make it to the start-line of this iconic event. A former karting champion, he shone in the MINI Challenge and Porsche GT3 Cup classes in New Zealand before receiving an opportunity to race in the early rounds of the V8 Development Series in Australia this season. The 22-year-old impressed in his very first outing, securing a podium at the tricky Adelaide Street circuit, before going on to score a second placing in a later race at Queensland Raceway.
 
As a result of those performances Mr Pedersen and young Australian Damian Assaillit received a wildcard entry to the two long distance races in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship – the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and this weekend’s race at Bathurst.
 
The duo, the youngest driver pairing in the endurance races, brought the Fujitsu Falcon, one of the oldest cars in the race, to the finish in the gruelling Phillip Island event. They will again share the driving duties at Bathurst.
 
"The goal will be the same as at Phillip Island – to try as hard as we can to stay on the lead lap and finish the race,” he says. “If we do that it will be a good result for us. I've never raced around Bathurst before so I will use the first session or two to find my way around and then press on from there. The goal for me will again be to gain experience and quality miles in these cars and around Bathurst."
 
Practice begins tomorrow with three sessions, followed by qualifying on Friday, with another practice session and the top-ten shootout on Saturday. Sunday is race day, with the cars set to begin the tough 1000km race at 10.30am Australian local time.