Media Release
School Sport NT team off to Pacific School Games
Friday 11 November 2005
Some 45 teachers and volunteer team officials and about 190 Territory school students will travel to Melbourne to participate in the Pacific School Games at the end of the month.
The students, ranging from 10-19 years, will join about 3000 other students from 25 Pacific-rim nations and teams from all Australian states and Territories.
The NT Pacific School Games Team General Manager Helen Taylor said four sporting competitions would be conducted - diving, swimming, track and field and basketball, with the latter three inclusive of able-bodied participants as well as students with a disability.
“Basketball has been included in the program for the first time,” Mrs Taylor said.
“We’re sending about 50 players, and as you can imagine, they’re all very excited.
“Some of the icons of Australian basketball – players such as Lauren Jackson, Andrew Gaze, Michelle Timms and Tina McKenzie – are games ambassadors, so there is a chance that our kids may get to meet them.”
Mrs Taylor said the School Sport NT team included a spread of urban, regional and remote students.
Two of the track hopefuls Sammy Mupirritjngu and Sonia Gurrpulan hail from Donydji homeland in Arnhem Land about 200km west of Nhulunbuy.
Both will compete in the javelin and long jump – and both attribute their athletic prowess to skills developed in the course of traditional Indigenous activities.
“Sammy learnt his javelin skills by throwing the spear to catch food for his family and Sonia learnt hers while hunting for bush tucker,” Mrs Taylor said.
Athletics events will be staged at Olympic Park, and the other three disciplines will be contested at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.