Roller Hockey New Zealand
Six Whanganui lads representing NZ in roller hockey and you can support them!
Mark Dawson
Roller hockey is a fast-paced, non-contact sport played on quad roller skates with hockey sticks, a round ball and goals rather like ice hockey goals.
And Whanganui is one of the strongholds of the game in this country — so much so that of the 11-man squad chosen to represent NZ at under-19 level, six of the players are local.
Whanganui High School students Robert Carter, Charlie Teager and Henry White — all aged 15 — and Connor Alderton, 17, along with Collegiate’s Mika Groves, 15, and 18-year-old Eruara Delamere-Heap, now at university in Auckland, are the six who have an exciting season ahead of them, including a trip to China for a world championship qualifying tournament.
It is the first time in 30 years that Roller Hockey New Zealand has fielded an under-19 team at a world qualifying event, so the boys will be making a little bit of history.
The Asian regionals will be held in Beidaihe, China, in October with qualification for the World Skate Games in Rome in 2024 on the line.
Before that the team heads to Macau next month for an invitational competition. This event will feature teams from Europe where the sport is particularly strong (there is a TV channel devoted to it), with Portugal and Spain being the leading nations.
The boys are all members of Whanganui’s national title-winning mixed boys and girls under-19 team which is based at The Rink in Hatrick Street West.
“Roller hockey is now more commonly referred to as rink hockey, and Whanganui is one of the strongest clubs in the country,” says Greg White, father of Henry. “The boys are excited and honoured to be chosen to represent New Zealand in the sport they love.”
Greg paid tribute to coach Dave Dench who guided the boys when they were starting out.
“It seems we just had an intake of good kids at one time and they have all followed through together. Dave gave so much time and energy to them when they were under-14s, and here they are now.”
At under-19, they are coached by former NZ international Carlin Barry and he has got them on a tough regime for the challenges ahead. The boys have three sessions a week on the rink and a stiff fitness training schedule in between.
And some have taken up part-time jobs as fundraising for the trips has become an important focus, with a cost of around $8000 each for the China event.
“As parents we are invested in our boys reaching for their dreams,” says Greg. “We are hoping the community will help us and support these young men on their path to China.”
Sharon Teager, proud mum of Charlie, is organising raffles — a Pak’n Save hamper is on offer — running public sessions at the skating rink, sausage sizzles, “and anything else I can think of”.
A raffle is also being held for businesses to get their branding on the New Zealand team kit for the China qualifier when the NZ men and women’s senior teams will be competing as well as the under-19s.
For a $250 ticket, first prize is branding on all team gear and media sites; second prize is branding on travel shirts and media sites; and third prize is branding on media sites. A number of Whanganui businesses are already in the draw — Stonewood Homes, Hell’s Pizza, Cohen’s Business Centre, NZL, GoFox Electrical, Chef’s Choice, Property Brokers, Buxton Gas & Plumbing and Xtreme Plastering & Painting.
Any business interested in a ticket should contact Sharon Teager by email — sharonteager@hotmail.co.uk — or phone 027 2051997.
Offers of sponsorship or donations for raffles can be made to Greg White on 027 2583487. Monetary donations can be made directly to the Whanganui club under-19s account 06-0793-0855390-01.
And to see the boys in action and enjoy some high-skills roller hockey, visit the Jubilee Stadium for a special Matariki tournament which runs from July 14-16.
Representing New Zealand in China — Mika Groves, Charlie Teager, Connor Alderton, Eruera Delamere-Heap, Robert Carter and Henry White
17/7/23