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Our first ever newsletter!!! We love engaging with you all via Facebook and Instagram but thought a newsletter could be something fun to try! Our intention with this newsletter is to keep you updated with all things volleyball in Otago.  |
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VNZ Inter-Provincial Championship (IPC) 2024 Over King's Birthday weekend (31 May - 4 June), 48 athletes travelled to Wellington to compete in the annual VNZ Inter-Provincial Championship (IPC). The competition took place over three days at Ākau Tangi Sports Centre which we were lucky enough to be staying within walking distance from! Four teams represented Otago with the following coaching/management staff:
With approximately a month and a half for our teams to practice and gel together, everyone put in a mammoth effort to get to a level as a team, where Otago would be big competition on the National stage. Even with games starting as early as 8am and some not finishing until closer to 9pm, our Otago players still seemed to have room for more volleyball! This set us up in good stead for each following day. Our teams came out swinging and put 110% effort into every game, ultimately leading to the best all-around results Otago has ever achieved at IPC (results below).
In addition to the amazing team results, Max Shafer and Charlie Jackson from the U19 Boys team were selected for the U19 Boys Tournament Team (of which only 6 players were selected from the entire U19 Boys grade). Volleyball Otago could not be happier with the amazing results our teams earned at IPC. All players demonstrated great sportsmanship and were a pleasure to take away to Wellington. Of course, this trip would not have been possible without the help of so many. Firstly, a huge shout out to Vanessa Clark who organised all of the fundraising opportunities that were presented to the teams. Our players would not have funded as much as they did without her efforts to which we are massively thankful for. Secondly, our coaches and managers who dedicated their time to training and travelling as part of the Otago team. Your expertise in your fields was demonstrated through the best results our teams have gotten at IPC! Last but not least, we would like to thank our players' support networks of whānau, friends, and wider community. Without your encouragement and support, our players would not have been able to achieve what they did without you. So thank you everyone and congratulations to our teams who did so well at IPC. We're looking forward to beating these results next year ;) |
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Kiribati New Zealand National Council Independence Tournament From the 8th of July - 13th July 2024, the Kiribati New Zealand National Council held its annual Kainaomta (independence) celebration. The first 4 days were the annual sports competition (specifically volleyball and basketball) in Hamilton, with over 13 teams from across Aotearoa New Zealand. For volleyball, there were 4 categories: Men’s A, Men’s B, Open Women’s and Under 15; for basketball 3 categories: Open men’s, open women’s and under 15. The Otago Kiribati Sports and Wellness Club (OKSWC) had 1 men’s team and 1 women’s team attend the tournament, which comprised of mostly students and young adults. Our trip was self-funded this year, so we appreciated all the support we received including the Volleyball Otago uniforms and volleyballs we were able to borrow, and the home of a player and his whanau who generously offered to host us and our team. We are so grateful for the support of our family, friends and volleyball community. The level of skill and knowledge has grown for OKSWC with the men winning Div1 Men's Volleyball tournament in 2023. This year, both men’s and women’s came top 4 in the volleyball tournament. Great results! -Tam T |
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Personal Bio - Syreeta Norris Kia Ora! I’m Syreeta Norris. My journey began in Auckland, where I lived until 2012, before moving to Dunedin. I attended Avondale College and have been passionate about sports throughout my life. In 2024, I started working at Logan Park High School as a teacher and sports coordinator. My love for volleyball has been constant; I’ve played the sport all through school and had the honor of representing Auckland and Counties Manukau at various age levels. I was also a member of the Under 17s New Zealand team back in the day. My sports history is quite diverse. I’ve been a regional representative across multiple codes, including waterpolo, netball, volleyball, and rugby. I’ve had the privilege of representing Auckland, Auckland Waitakere, North, Counties, and Otago in age groups such as Under 15s, 17s, 19s, 23s, and NPC (National Provincial Competition) I enjoyed coaching the Under 19s Otago girls team - Marnie did the majority (if not all) of the technical coaching/planning and running of things, I was fortunate enough to be a part of that process throughout the season. It was my first experience in a coaching role, and I feel my contributions lay more in the relational side of things - reading and understanding relationships within the team on and off the court. My favourite part was seeing the potential combinations and matching that to the opposition's style of play to gain our best result. Absolute risk taker - and it paid off. Beating Hawkes Bay will forever be my highlight. Bonus of being a new coach too was getting to know the players in a different capacity while away in Wellington. I'm really enjoying being involved with Volleyball in Otago and can't wait to see how all of the school teams go in the term 4 weekly competition. -Syreeta N. |
So there's a snippet of what to expect from these newsletters! As this was our first one, if you have any ideas/suggestions/or stories you want to share, please flick us a message at operations@volleyball.otago.nz . xoxo - VO |
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