Christchurch primary school pupils will be out in their playing fields taking part in the 2003 Rebel KiwiSport Challenge from next week. The first schools involved are Marshlands on Monday 11 August, Aranui and Thorrington on Tuesday, Burnham and Wainoni on Wednesday and Bamford and Greepark on Thursday.
Twenty-two schools are taking part in the popular annual Challenge, which this year runs through until 13 September.
KiwiSport Challenge is an initiative of Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC), formerly the Hillary Commission, and it is endorsed by Sport Canterbury.
Lincoln University students studying for the Bachelor of Recreation Management degree have regularly handled the organisation of the event as class assignment work and are involved again this year. Some 65 students are looking after different aspects of the Challenge from publicity and coaching to supervising events on the day.
The assignment work counts towards their second-year paper Recreation, Event and Programme Planning.
Up to 10,000 children have taken part in some years. The event is normally held over half a day, either the morning or afternoon, and sports involved include cricket, netball, volleyball, rugby league and tennis.
The Challenge features a number of sporting activities and everything is designed so that participation is the big thing, rather than ability or particular skills.
The children take part regardless of age or ability. Taking part is what it is all about, not winning or losing.
While taking part is the aim for the children, the schools have a chance to win something too, and the principal sponsor, Rebel Sport, provides sporting goods to the value of $2000 as the big prize to be divided among the winning schools.
Schools with the most spectators in relation to children taking part win a share of the sporting goods and there are two categories - one for schools with rolls over 150, and the other for schools with less than 150. The top three schools in each category receive a prize.
The emphasis on getting spectators along to the Challenges is a way of building up family and community involvement with the schools and the children's activities.
Last year's winning schools were Dunsandel (for roll under 150) and Hillview Christian (for roll over 150).
For further information contact
Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury
Tel: (03) 3252811 ext 8549.
Email: Ian Collins