Super Sixes: Nine sports and 700 kids – a recipe for success.

A flyover, Olympic-style parades and medals, and the signing of a fair play charter all added to the excitement of the inaugural Super Sixes, an event that has made the finals of this year’s sports awards.

The brand new event for Year Six students modelled on the Olympic Games, is a finalist in this year’s Hawke’s Bay Sports Awards, in the innovation category.

More than 700 students from 23 schools across Hawke’s Bay and beyond attended the event based at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park in Hastings in September, and predictions are that those numbers will rocket

Organised by Hastings District councillor and former Frimley School Principal Malcolm Dixon, the games were a “last hurrah” for primary school students, before they headed off to intermediate or secondary school.

Covering nine different sports, the event aimed to give competitors “a real sense of occasion”, said Mr Dixon. “We had exhibition matches, ‘real’ medals, a ‘parade of nations’, as well as a strong fair play ethos and precision organisation. It gives kids a sense of what being part of a major multi-sport event can be like.”

Adding to the atmosphere were a flyover of Tomahawk airplanes, guest appearances from HBRFU Magpies team members and NZ Olympic Committee ambassador Emily Naylor.

In their down time, students could enjoy some of Hastings favourite past-times, including rock climbing and canoe polo.

Much of the event’s success was down to the partnership between the Super Sixes Charitable Trust, chaired by Mr Dixon, and Hastings District Council, supported by sponsors who made the event possible.

“The event is poised to be a major player on the national primary school event calendar, exposing hundreds of students to different sporting experiences, developing the capacity of regional sports organisations and clubs . . . and bringing thousands of visitors - students, families and school staff - into Hawke’s Bay from out of the region,” said Mr Dixon.

Team managers surveyed after the event were very positive, and indicated they would definitely consider attending this year’s event, being held over three days from September 13.

This year more sports are being added, including ki-o-rahi (a traditional Maori ball game) and cyclo-cross (cross-country cycling).

The winners will be announced on May 21.

For more on the awards see: www.sporthb.net.nz/sports-awards/hawkes-bay-sports-awards-1

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