Year 12 student Ollie Brind is heavily involved with PNBHS Water Polo. We caught up with Ollie to find out a little bit more about his aims for 2016 and about Water Polo as a sport at PNBHS.
How did you become involved Water Polo?
I got involved with Water Polo through my older brother. He played when he was at Boys' High. Mr Ross let me join in one of the games for the Under 16 team when I was 10 years old. I played horribly but really enjoyed it and played when I got here. I like it because it’s a very demanding sport and it allows you to let loose some anger.
What teams have you been in prior to 2016 and what tournaments have you attended and where?
I have been in the: Under 14's, Year 9 and 10 Secondary School team, Under 16's and Premier A teams. I have attended tournaments in Wellington, Auckland, Rotorua, Tauranga and Linton Army Camp. These Tournaments were Under 14 Nationals, Year 9 and 10 Secondary Schools, Under 16 Nationals and a Invitational Tournament at Linton.
What teams do you hope to make in 2016 and where will they play tournaments?
I hope to make the Premier A team and the Under 18 team after a disappointing season last year with a number of ear infections. We play in Auckland for the Pan-Pacific Champs and North Island Secondary Schools, Wellington for National Secondary Schools and our Thursday night League.
Describe the commitment that is required to play Water Polo and your biggest challenges in playing Water Polo?
Water Polo is a huge commitment with upwards of 5 trainings a week and two games. The games we play are on Tuesday nights against an Old Boy team and Thursday nights against Wellington teams in Lower Hutt. There are trainings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday before school and after school on Monday and Friday. There are also leg set lunch times which is designed to develop our body control.
Mr Ross sets aside a extremely large amount of time for water polo for the school and New Zealand. This means that Mr Ross spends a lot of time away from his young family. This year Mr Ross is trying to have five different teams which will compete in ten different tournaments throughout the year.
Some challenges for me this year would be to get swim fit and getting into a reasonable sleeping pattern so I able to keep healthy. Also I will need to learn what foods to eat and not to eat. The biggest challenge for me this year will be trying to get into the team. That is because first the first time in PNBHS water polo history we have wider training squad. This mean that my spot is not guaranteed in the team. With there being two other hole sets - the position I play - I am going to have to work harder and play better than them just to make the team.
