Ally Hislop gets a huge kick out of seeing school students from across Hawke’s Bay improve their communication and leadership skills as part of her new role as Sport Performance and Programmes Lead Coach.

Ally was promoted into the role in August and has been working with students onsite as well as out in the community, including fortnightly visits to Wairoa College as part of delivering the Wairoa Young Achievers Trust (WYAT) Wairoa College Aspiring Leadership Programme.

“It’s fantastic that we can expose rangatahi to world class facilities in Hastings. It’s a once in a lifetime experience for many and they get a real buzz out of using the wide range of facilities and equipment we have on offer."

A recent visit by year 7 and 8 students as part of the Wairoa College Aspiring Leadership Programme saw them stay overnight in the new 72 bed hostel, learn water safety in New Zealand’s newest aquatic centre, as well as rub shoulders and ask for autographs with high performance athletes – the CD Men’s Cricket team – The Stags.

“At their age (11-13 years) we don’t really push athlete development but they do get to see that there is a pathway as well as share the same facilities with high performance athletes, which they thought was pretty cool. They even surprised the Stags by asking for their autographs. More importantly, what the programme teaches them is resilience and how to communicate effectively."

Ally says the last few months have been busy and back to normal after the impact of COVID19, working with 10 schools delivering Education Outside the Classroom programmes to the likes of Maraenui Bilingual School, Waipawa Primary School and Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Ara Hou.

Across all programmes Ally estimates over 400 students have had a positive experience with HBCFCT.

2022 is drawing to an end but Ally and Joe Payton are well prepared for continuing to deliver Education Outside of the Classroom, the Sport and Life Academy, the Wairoa Aspiring Leaders Programme which may be extended to year 9 students, among other opportunities that will come along in 2023.

Article added: Friday 25 November 2022