Sports, It can be the bane of your existence or the force that fuels your day, a component of life that not only provides the medical benefits of increased heart and lung function, decreased chance of cancer and lowered blood pressure, but also acts as a mental asset that constructs supportive networks by uniting people to achieve a common objective, a value that is becoming increasingly necessary in today's generation of couch-potatoes. Here to introduce their contributions to the world of Sport are 2017's Burnside Sport's leaders, Luke Brierley and Melissa Bayley.
Melissa Bayley
For those who don't know you, please introduce yourself:
I'm an outdoor maniac obsessed with the environment and keeping it from being destroyed by humans. I love adventure from tramping to kayaking and sailing a fourteen-sail ship. I have played football since I was a waddler and have ran since I could feel the freedom it brings. I used to live in Wanaka, so I'm guessing the natural beauty and mountains must have had something to do with my love for nature and my passions for skiing and water sports.
What initiated your love of sports as a kid and what does it mean to you?
Sport has always been a way for me to express myself. As a headstrong tomboy all I wanted to do was to be outside doing physical stuff like running, football, skiing and swimming. My love of sport came naturally from participating in so much at a young age with masses of support and enthusiasm towards my input from my family and coaches. The main factor is that I love the community that sports creates, the family outside of your own, the teammates that have your back in the toughest spots of the game. The way people can connect and have a good time by simply kicking a ball around is so special.
Do you believe that sport and physical education are underrated here at Burnside?
I think Burnside does an amazing job with most of its sports, like the volleyball teams which are so well-trained and successful. The diversity of sport that is on offer here is so vast that you can get involved in pretty much anything you can think of. Since it's such a big school there are so many opportunities and there is bound to be students like you who also want to get involved, which is an awesome way to make like-minded friends.
Why do you think Sport is important within modern education?
Sport is a way in which people can maintain a healthy body and improve strength and endurance in all sorts of different ways. It provides youth with a balanced life for fitness and mental purposes. The mental strength gained from sport by striving towards goals has benefits for all aspects of life, contributing to a successful academic life and teaches you that with hard work and dedication you can achieve the best. Sport is also a way to learn how to work with others and how to figure out a game plan around each other's strengths and weaknesses which applies all the time in the workplace and other environments.
You are renowned for your athletic skills and talent at long-distance running, what do you believe makes for a great athlete?
I'm really neither of the above, but I love participating in both! A great athlete to me is someone who pushes their boundaries and is dedicated to a goal of improvement. The personal growth that they achieve is what makes them great to me. They don't have to be the best, they just have to give all of their effort into trying to get better at what they love. Hard work pays off.
Correct me if I'm wrong but you were elected as head girl of South Division last year and are someone who is universally liked within the senior division, what is your secret for staying calm, optimistic and achieving your goals?
A bit of an overstatement here, but we'll roll with it! Every day I try to be appreciative of having been born into a place where I can be as active as I want as a woman and to have all of these possibilities that being a kiwi opens. We live in such a crazy world and to think that so much of how we lead our lives depends on where we are born, we need to really make the most of the opportunities available and to fight to make these kiwi conditions a reality for all. I wouldn't say I'm calm exactly, but I believe it's important to surround yourself with people that pump you up with oxygen and who are there to keep your waters steady, and I have amazing friends who do that. You are as optimistic as you choose to be, your life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to what happens to you, so I choose to react as positively and constructively as I can. Achieving my goals really just flows from the two, a good support network and how I react to new tasks to be done.
What are some overlooked sports that you wish to target and advertise to students?
The Sports Council is going to be running fortnightly games at lunch times this year, we are going to incorporate a huge variety of sports into these from water bombing competitions to Dodgeball, so everyone will have to keep an eye out for what they can try out at these lunch times.
How do you plan to benefit the sporting performance of Burnside and advertise it's importance within your role as sports leader?
The sports council is looking to get as many people as possible participating in sports through our fortnightly games, as well as making sure that people know what sports are available to sign up for and how to do so. We hope to make a positive community through fun participation in these games to get a range of people from all year levels involved and to create a buzzing school atmosphere.
If you could leave us with one inspirational nugget of wisdom what would it be?
Don't watch from the sidelines, jump into the game and give your best efforts to become an elite athlete of life!
Luke Brierley
For those who don't know you, please introduce yourself
Hi, I'm Luke and I'm Burnside High School's Male Sports Leader for 2017. This year I've been fortunate enough to lead the Sports Council, along with Female leader Melissa Bayley and eight others, to form a strong, cooperative team. I'm year 13 this year and have spent my last three and a half years in West Division. I arrived at Burnside High midway through year 9 after spending fourteen years of my life in the small town of Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands.
What initiated your love of sport as a kid and what does it mean to you?
I always loved playing sport as a kid and got involved in as much as I could, over the last ten or so years I've played many sports at various levels, which include: Rugby, Swimming, Badminton, Table Tennis, Athletics, Football and Tennis. When I arrived at Burnside High I got into Volleyball straight away and played in the junior teams in years 9 and 10. I also played in the Junior Football team and the Inter-schools tennis competition. In my senior years I mainly focused on Tennis and Football, but also picked up refereeing. Now I am focusing on Football refereeing, and my goal is to ref in the Mainland Premier League. I am also part of the Burnside Senior Tennis Team and the BHS Korfball Team. Although I haven't specialized in one specific sport during my years at Burnside, I have tried to get involved in as many sports as I can and just gave them a go, I think this is really important for the junior students, because it opens up so many doors, gives you a chance to explore your strengths and weaknesses and make a whole lot of new mates....these are the reasons why sport is so important to me and the reason I got involved.
Do you believe that sport and physical education are underrated here at Burnside?
No, not at all, Burnside has a huge amount of sports available to students of all ages and abilities. Along with hard working staff, coaches and management, there is so much support and guidance for students to get involved. In almost every sport Burnside participated in, we always achieve well, this is a reflection of huge student commitment, hard work and the added benefit of dedicated coaches and staff who are passionate about Sport, striving to achieve the best results for Burnside High.
Has having a twin brother (Adam Brierley) changed your experience of school or influenced your passion and success at sport?
My twin brother Adam and I have always participated in sport together and have always been interested in similar sports. This was hugely beneficial, because not only did I have a mate to team up and train with, but I also had a fierce sibling rivalry which always had me working twice as hard, because I have always wanted the upper band and bragging rights over my brother. We're pretty competitive people and have always had a competitive rivalry.
Last year you went on the year 12 trip to India for 4 weeks, has that experience changed your perspective on the quality of New Zealand education and sports resources?
India was a pretty incredible experience where I learned a lot about leadership, organisation and working in a team, all within a different environment. The huge magnitude of people really opened my eyes to how lucky we are here in New Zealand, with the quality of our homes and school systems. We were fortunate enough to visit a school in rural Haripad in the Southern State of Kerala. The facilities at the school were pretty rough, with only 2 classrooms, a long drop toilet and minimal cooking facilities to hour 80 students and staff! However, they were all so grateful for what they had and were incredibly welcoming by allowing us to visit their school and help them. During the visit ,we played heaps of classic New Zealand games and had a chance to play football on a small dirt field they had made themselves. It was an unbelievable trip and something I'll never forget.
What are some overlooked sports that you wish to target and advertise to students?
Korfball! It's a Dutch game which is a combination of Netball and Basketball, and is the only game played competitively where males and females play together on the court. It's a relatively new game at Burnside which is played on Friday after school at Bishopale YMCA, there's two teams competing for Burnside and includes students from year 9 through to year 13!
How do you plan to benefit the sporting performance of Burnside and advertise it's importance within your role as sports leader?
I'm a pretty approachable guy and am well known within the Sports facilities at Burnside. Although I bring athletic skills to the table, it's more the team environment we have that will really set us Sports leaders apart. We have an incredible Sports Council team this year and without this team I would not be able to benefit the Burnside's sporting community alone! We are looking at organizing some awesome events this year and hope to get every year group involved and participating in sport.
If you could leave us with one inspirational nugget of wisdom, what would it be?
I think my main advice for people looking at joining a sport, is just to do it! Just get involved in as much as you can! There are so many extra-curricular activities available at Burnside and so many opportunities to get out of the classroom, compete against other schools and enjoy your school life with those around you. I've done as much as I can, and not it's your turn! All the best, I hope you all have an awesome 2017!
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