Park Press

Quality instead of quantity!

We need to keep an eye on the quality of the petanque players LPHS is producing – and follow their journeys onto bigger stages! Not only do we have players at school who play a formidable game and often win the local competitions but we have ex-students competing on the international stage.

It is a fun sport and easily accessible, played at the Petanque terrains in Mornington and the organising club is so welcoming that I was even allowed to play. 

Hopefully we can introduce some more players in term 4 to this beautiful and very technical sport.

On the 20th of February, a group of eight keen mountain bikers headed up to Queenstown for three days of racing for the South Island secondary schools mountain bike champs 2024.

The first day was a slow start for the team, with only one rider competing in the cross country. Aedan Lehr placed 11th in his category after 4 laps of a 4 km course.

Day two dawned bright, with the beautiful views of coronet peak shrouded in mist. All eight Logan park riders headed up for their early morning downhill practice. After warming up, it was a quick transition into Seeding and then Finals. The first Logan Park rider to drop was Ty Murphy, setting a good time of 4:48.

Progressing through the age groups, Keanu Topping finished with 4:04, Olly Jane, 3:55, Manu Buddingh, 3:42, Liam Dick 3:59, and Aedan, 3:41. After a long day of racing everyone was relieved to get off the mountain and rest for a big enduro race the next day.

After a quick race briefing it was straight into it, with all under 16,17 and under 20 Logan Park riders heading down Dirt Serpent for their first stage, while Ty Murphy (under 15) headed down Rude Rock. With a couple decent climbs across the 4 stage enduro course, everyone was super excited to ride some of the best tracks Coronet Peak had to offer!

Ty set a time of 23:36 across all four stages, with Keanu not far in front with 21:48. 

Reg Billot set a good time of 23.12, Manu with a 19:51, Liam, 20:49, and Aedan, 18:58. 

Happy and satisfied with a good 3 days racing everyone settled in for the long drive home.

This was such an awesome event! 

I am thrilled to share the incredible journey of our Senior A Girls Volleyball Team with you all!

Our talented team has been on an exhilarating ride, competing in the Monday Night Volleyball competition, Otago Seeding Tournament, Otago Championships, Mainlands, and SISS Satellites Volleyball tournament. They’ve shown immense dedication and passion for the sport, and their achievements have left us all beaming with pride!

It all started at the Otago Seeding Tournament, where our team secured a fantastic 5th place. This early success motivated them to strive for even greater heights. And they did just that at the Mainlands tournament, where they played their hearts out and secured a remarkable 3rd place. The energy and enthusiasm were infectious, and our girls carried that momentum into the SISS Satellites Volleyball tournament, where they once again claimed 3rd place, showcasing their talent and determination.

What makes our team truly special is not just their skill on the court but also their teamwork and positive attitude. They’ve inspired us all with their hard work and dedication, and they’ve shown that with passion and perseverance, anything is possible.

A big shoutout to our coaches, supporters, and everyone who has cheered for our Senior A Girls Volleyball Team throughout this journey.

In March this year, the Senior A Boys Volleyball Team played in the Otago Champs in Dunedin and in the Satellite Tournament in Christchurch.

During the Otago champs some of our players were away on Year 13 camp which meant that some members of the B team had to step up and fill their positions. They did a fantastic job, and this was a great opportunity for a number of younger players to develop. 

The final game played at Otago Champs was a super exciting game against Trinity College with one of the sets going to 30-28, in a huge comeback, after being down by close to 10 points. The Senior A Boys won this game, 3-1, and ended up finishing 7th place overall, which was an improvement from 2023. 

The Satellite tournament up in Christchurch had a lot of ups and downs with our first game ending in a brutal loss for our team. All the other following games went much better after we had properly woken up and were in the right head space. Although we lost some games early on, we played well, won some sets, had some fantastic rallies, and most sets we only lost by close margins. 

The first game that we won was against Hagley collage with 3 sets to 1 the win. This win was good for our momentum as the next game we played was a 3 to 0 set win. 

The Satellite tournament was the last tournament that our year 13 players Arlo Bickerstaff, Oscar Lambeth, Quinn Byers and Alex Brown could play so taking a couple wins home was really good. We finished 9th overall in Division 1, out of 24 teams across two divisions. This is an improvement from 2023, and we are all excited about moving the years to come with new players coming into the team. 

Thanks to Ed Bickerstaff for coming away as the teams manager in Christchurch and to Nik Martin for being assistant coach throughout the 2024 season.

Christchurch roster:

Arlo bickerstaff, outside hitter yr13

Alex Brown, middle (captain) yr13

Quinn Byers, setter/opposite yr13

Finn Dixon-Stewart, middle (co captain) yr12

Matai Franzbowden, libero yr12

Oscar Lambeth, middle yr13

Will Mead, outside yr12

Otto (Cameron) Morrison, setter/opposite yr10

Leo Nichols, outside/opposite yr12

Alby Kaminszky outside/opposite yr11

Danielle Frost, coach

Ed Bickerstaff, manager

Extra players for Otago champs:

Emerson Davies, middle/opposite yr11

Thom Field, opposite yr12

Adi Khan, opposite/outside yr11

The past month has been fantastic for our school’s sporting talents, with numerous achievements and victories across various disciplines. From track and field to duathlon, orienteering to table tennis, and volleyball, our athletes have showcased outstanding dedication and skill, making our school proud on multiple fronts.

In the realm of athletics, several of our students soared to victory at the Otago Secondary School Athletics Championships. Fynn Jackson demonstrated remarkable prowess by securing top honors, while Amelia Kaloga, Moshe Kelly, and Luca McKenzie also excelled, each finishing within the top three in their respective events. Additionally, our relay teams exhibited great teamwork and speed, with Shay Sculpher, Keanu Topping, Ollie Warrington, and Taman Mladenov claiming an exhilarating second place in the U16 relay race. Meanwhile, Isabel Taylor, Lilah Langi-Scott, Amelia Smith, and Mikayla Secord exhibited grit and determination to clinch third place in the U14 girls’ relay.

Fynn Jackson continued to dominate. He competed in the South Island Secondary School Duathlon, clinching first place in the Senior Boys Individual Race, showcasing his versatility and endurance across multiple sports.

The success story continued in orienteering, with Odin Hyink and Geordie Stephenson leading the charge for the second year in a row. Odin secured first place in the Senior Boys category, closely followed by Geordie in second place. Logan Park emerged victorious, claiming the Senior Boys Champions Cup, a testament to the dedication and skill of our orienteering team. Logan Park has a regular group of students competing on Sunday afternoons in the Secondary School and Club league. This group outstandingly claimed the Teams Cup for best Secondary school team. Team members: Odin Hyink, Geordie Stephenson, Torin Stephens, Anika Leigh, Amiria Jameson, Otto Hale, Simon Macknight, Briar Henwood, Elise Hyink, James Sycamore, Henry Eyles, Cameron Russell and Oskar Weber.

Logan Park Table tennis stars, Lara Wallace and Annie Luong, represented Otago with pride as part of the winning team in the Junior Southern Shield Clash. Their emerging talent contributed to a memorable victory.

Not to be outdone, our volleyball teams also left their mark. The Senior A girls’ team performed admirably, finishing third in both the South Island Volleyball Championships and the Otago Volleyball Championships. Lily Abbott’s exceptional performance earned her a well-deserved place in the Otago Champs tournament team. Our Senior Boys competed in the South Island tournament also. They were selected for the 1st Division. More news via separate articles.

We also had a convincing win for Senior A boys in a Futsal exchange with Cromwell College. The boys had a slow start with Cromwell in front at half time. Logan Park fired up for the second half winning 6-2.

These achievements reflect not only the individual talents of our athletes but also the collective spirit and teamwork that define our school’s sporting culture. The commitment, hard work, and sportspersonship displayed by our students both on and off the field are a testament to their character and determination.

As we celebrate these outstanding achievements, let us also recognize the coaches, teachers, and supporters who have played pivotal roles in nurturing and guiding our athletes. Their dedication and encouragement have undoubtedly contributed to the success of our sporting endeavors.

Let’s continue to cheer on our athletes and support each other as we strive for excellence in sports. Congratulations to all our athletes on their remarkable achievements, and here’s to more victories as we head into the Winter sports season.