StandTall Students Educated By The Best Sports Professionals

StandTall Students Educated By The Best Sports Professionals In New Zealand

Selected intermediate aged students from South Auckland’s StandTall Programme learnt from some of the nations top sports athletes and related professionals in a unique sports careers day on Friday.

32 pupils were given the exclusive opportunity to go behind-the-scenes into the SKYCITY Breakers training, interacting with champions Tom Abercrombie and Ruben Te Rangi about their success as professional basketball players. Abercrombie motivated the awestruck students with words of wisdom.

“From an early age I always dreamed of becoming a basketball player and worked hard to achieve that goal,” commented Abercrombie.

StandTall students come from 7 low-decile schools in Manurewa and Mangere and choose to take part in the challenging programme. Members work hard to be successful and break the poverty cycle, with their reward being motivational workshops like the sports careers day.

Te Rangi is a recently recruited SKYCITY Breakers player and was a member of the New Zealand 3on3 Youth World Championship winning team in 2011. Like many StandTall students, Te Rangi grew up in Manurewa.

“I think my Mum liked me playing basketball more than rugby. Winning the championship was my greatest achievement, there’s lots of opportunities playing basketball as a career,” says Te Rangi.

At the North Shore Event Centre, pupils learned basketball techniques such as scouting players from opposing teams. Students then travelled to the SKYCITY Breakers headquarters where they learned from other professionals involved in the sports industry.

Guest speakers included Rob Salthouse from Team New Zealand, Auckland Blues player management Ben Meyer, and personal trainer Donna Marie. After years of sailing international seas in the best teams, idolized Salthouse told students he became successful because he was always looking for opportunities at school.

Students proceeded to tour the exciting new high performance facility at the Millennium Sports and Health Centre in Albany, where the best athletes in the country train. Speakers from High Performance NZ and NZ Tennis shared their expert tips.

StandTall ambassador and TV personality Jo Holley also joined the workshop to support the students. Pupils returned to the North Shore Events Centre to enjoy seats at the captivating SKYCITY Breakers game, where they won against the Townsville Crocs.

Domino’s Pizza proudly sponsored the sports careers day with 30 delicious pizzas eaten for dinner. Murphy Buses ensured students traveled safely.

For more information visit www.choicefoundation.org.nz or www.facebook.com/ChoiceFoundationNZ.

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