Koru Games

It was the first time we have ventured north for the games and a lot of fun was had... but you can read  for yourself about each team from the students voices...

Badminton by Levi: The Koru Games badminton team went to Christchurch on September 11 and came back to Dunedin on September the 14th. While we were up there we played around 10 games over those days.  In the team there was Levi, Benji, Alex and Ethan. When we were there we stayed at Tasman Holiday Park and we had a lot of fun there. At the holiday park there was a giant inflatable cushion that we all went on and had fun. When we were up there we played at the Selwyn sports center and we played 3 games a day and we won all of our games by a lot and we had no struggle until the final when Ethan played the number one from the previous second place teams best player and it went to 3 sets and then it was a close game and he pulled it back for us and we won the finals and we got gold and got the trophy for the school, and it was very fun for us all.

Basketball Girls by Libby: The Koru games was a highlight for the girls basketball team. We had 4-5 games a day and they were 12 minute games. When we played our first game it was a bit rocky because we were getting used to playing 3v3 but as the tournament went on we kept on improving and we ended up coming in 5th place. Our favourite part of Koru Games was experiencing and playing all different teams from around the South Island. We enjoyed koru games so much and we are all so glad we got the opportunity to go to Koru games.

Basketball Boys by Myles: The Koru basketball boys went up to Christchurch on September 11th/14th and played our first game on the 12th. We went very well winning all our games for that day. Our hardest game that day was against Hillview but still dominated against them winning by 10. The 13th was our worst day from going to 1st to 8th.  We won our first game but then we underestimated our opponents and lost by one in over time which was a big loss for our team.  It was the first time we lost at all that year. Our spirits were broken and we ended up losing all our games that day. Now the last day the quarters/semis and ultimately the final.  We were in the quarter-finals and we were playing the best team ranked one and it was really close but we lost by 2 so we had our last game for 5/6th and it wasn't really close we won by 8 and came back with 5th place in the bag.  For me it was a really fun experience and taught me what losing felt like and it hurt! I have some advice for next year's koru games basketball teams ‘try your hardest and don't let losing get in the way.’

Football Girls by Alice: The girls football team represented Balmacewen for koru games in Christchurch, along with many other teams. We did very well because we were undefeated, and won the tournament. On the first tournament day we won all three games. We had a slow start in the first game, as we were adjusting to the heat, but managed to score twice in the last 5 minutes. After the first game we had warmed up and managed to score around 14 goals in the next 2 games, and conceded no goals. On the second day we had a few harder games, but managed to get 3 wins and a draw, scoring 7 goals in the process having a successful day, only conceding once. On the last day we played four games, winning the first 2 games comfortably, scoring 8 goals over both games. Next we played in the semi finals against Casebrook Intermediate, we had a slow start to the game missing many chances in the first half, but then finally in the last 5 min we managed to score 2 stunning goals, which managed to get us through to the finals against Heaton Intermediate. The final was a tough and nerve racking game. At half time it was still 0-0, with neither team managing to put it in the back of the net. But then Heaton scored at the start of the second half, leaving the chances of us winning very low. But then in the final minute there was a handball outside the box, leaving us with one last chance to score, which of course we buried in the back of the net. Taking us to penalties, which was very nerve racking and we couldn't have done it without Giaan, our goalkeeper who only let in 4 goals over the whole tournament, not including penalties. Giaan made some great saves and stopped a lot of penalties. It went down to sudden death and Scarlett scored her penalty, which was a banger, top right leaving the goalkeeper in shock. Giaan made the final save and we had won! Overall the Balmacewen Girls football team played very well, taking the trophy home!

Football Boys by Liam & James.  One of our biggest highlights at Balmacewen Intermediate. Going from eating dinner at Cobb N’ Co, to winning the cup on the last day! I bet you would’ve wanted to be there, it was so much fun.

The service was ABSOLUTELY amazing! We stayed at Tasman Holiday Park, there were a bunch of activities to do. The rooms that we stayed in were like an actual house! It included a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and 2 bedrooms, which had a bunk bed in one of them. There was a pool, which had a waterslide that looped around and around! Of course, you couldn’t forget the playground, a huge chess board, swings, slides, monkey bars, and being topped off with a huge inflatable bouncy mat? Man you can’t deny that!

The food? One of the best parts of the whole trip. We walked across the street to Cobb N’ Co for dinner on the first night. Although the variety of foods on the menu was small, they were still yummy! We would pack our lunches with a bunch of delicious foods at the start of the day, including cookies, chocolate milk, yoghurt, fruit, and a delicious chicken roll which included, cheese, carrot, an egg based mix with mayo in it, and my least favourite food, slices of tomatoes.

The dinner we had for the next 2 nights was the best! The 2nd night we had roast chicken with potatoes, beans, and carrots. Yum! On the last night we had a choice between lasagna and butter chicken, you cannot go wrong with lasagna, one of my favourite foods!

Lastly, the whole reason why we drove up to Christchurch, the sport. I was representing Balmacewen Intermediate at the Koru Games by playing football. The football matches we had went over the course of 3 days, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The first day, we played 4 matches. The first game we drew 1-1, second game we won 1-0, the third game we won 3-0, and the last game we drew 0-0, pretty solid start! On the second day we played 5 games, that was tiring!. And finally on the final day we played 3 games against Cashmere, Kaiapoi and Lincoln. After all this we played the most intense match. The Final. This game would decide everything and we were ready. WE WON. The final score was 3-1 and Balmacewen were crowned champions of the Koru Games. It was the best thing I had ever experienced. It felt so great to win the competition as a team and to make the school proud.

We are very thankful to all the teachers and staff for making this event possible and especially Mrs Ebrahim with all the work and funding and everything she did was just amazing to have happened. We want to thank Mr Scott for coaching us and driving us up there. Without you we wouldn't have a team and you were half the reason we actually won the cup. We really enjoyed this experience and travelling for football and playing against other schools was really really great. And obviously winning the cup was the best part. Working as a team was interesting having ups and downs but we managed to win the cup It was incredible.

Hockey by Mackenzie: The hockey team did exceptionally well at the tournament.  Displaying the Balmac way in all games everyone exhibited good sportsmanship at the start and end of each game, and we showed respect to the referees and to all the other players

Some games only had a few points different and others were pretty straightforward wins to us

Overall we placed first in our division and our coach was given a shout-out as the bestest and fairest coach.    And I like to say we all enjoyed the whole experience of the tournament

Netball by Isla: Agitated, scared, carsick. Excited, upbeat, jubilant. All in one. I was delighted to have such a cool experience away from home with a team full of new people I was keen to play with. My positive team mates truly made the experience better, and of course with Mrs Southby striving and encouraging us to be our best. As the first day of games arrived, and as I was standing behind the transverse line waiting for the buzzer to go, I had shivers running down my spine and butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't help but wait for the finish result, either putting us up a place or moving us down. The result came out and we tied 11 all. Although I was bummed we didn't win, I was excited to eat my delicious morning tea, which the New World had provided. As the days went on I was wishing I could stay longer. The vibes and the energy at koru games was unmatched. The last day, leaving day. We had quarter finals, semi finals and finals. We were playing for 5th and 6th. Although we had a balanced amount of winning, tying and losing games, we ended up 6th overall. Out of 48 teams I'd say this place was pretty decent. I was proud of how we all played, communicated, and worked together as it was a new team collaboration

Table tennis by Zac: We had an amazing table tennis journey our group was a great bunch.  On to the group games we were in pool A played four games and won 3-0 in a clean sweep. In the quarter finals we won 2 games and lost 1 fairly easily. Semi finals it was closer and came down to the last set and we just scraped through. 1:40 pm on the Thursday we played the finals! It was a great battle of table tennis but received the silver medal.  Overall I found it really fun.

Touch by Tyler: The Koru Games touch team went to Christchurch on September 11th and came back on the 15th of September. After stopping in at Cobb and Co for dinner, we left with full stomachs, ready to get a good night's rest at our accommodation, (Christchurch Tasman Holiday Park.) A bright and early start led us to the opening ceremony. Representatives from the Selwyn Sports Trust gave us a warm welcome to the Koru Games, informing us on rules, expectations, and the values of Koru Game participants. After the ceremony we headed to our venue, out at the fields at Rolleston Rugby Forester Park Grounds. With blue skies, shining sun, and little to no wind we take on our first games of the tournament. We arrived at the holiday park, thrilled, as we had a clean sweep for our first games going undefeated. While day two was no different, with great weather, and fantastic lunches supplied by New World Mosgiel, that fueled us up with enough energy to have yet another clean sweep. This, setting us up for a position in the semi finals on Thursday. Sore bodies, and tired faces, motivated by the goal of bringing home the title of Koru Games touch champions. We played our hearts out in the semi final securing us a chance in the final. We played at the top of our game against a very stubborn opposition, and tested our team work and resilience. But after out matching their skill, we won, heading back home as the 2023 Koru Games Champs.

Volleyball by Levi: Over the course of 5 days Villi, Tolise Louisa, Sanjok and I played Volleyball every day at Lincoln University. We had 3-4 games a day against a range of different schools across the South IsIand such as St Annes, Lemonwood Grove, Ladbrooks, and West Milton. We had about a 60% success rate and we even made up our own chant at the start of each game. We had a blast. Our team played really well together and we enjoyed every games no matter the outcome. Ms Ebrahim was a big help to us when we lost or when we had a bad game.

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The week was a huge success and made even more successful by the amazing support of Mosgiel New World who organised our amazing dinners and lunches from New World Northwood.  A big thank you to Greg Boock and his team at Northwood New World, Jane and her team at Tasman Holiday Park Accommodation, Selwyn Sports Trust for hosting the games. 

We also were supported by grants from Bendigo Valley Sports and Charity Foundation & Pub Charity which allowed us to keep the costs down to the students. 

A huge thanks to Mrs Ebrahim who oversaw the mammoth task of organisation, to the teachers and parents who drove the vans and coached the teams, and all the Balmacewen Intermediate staff who supported the whole venture from start to finish who did a mountain of little jobs that led to the overall success of the trip.