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Issue 54 – October 2015 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
The Year 11 student was selected to
represent New Zealand as part of
the U17 Born 99 Girls Waterpolo
team for the 2015 Trans-Tasman Challenge
in Brisbane.
The seven day competition put her skills
in the water to the test against experienced
players from the Australian State teams.
The young New Zealand players did not
disappoint with Avia’s team beating Victoria
9 – 5 in her final game and coming fifth
place in the competition.
“I really enjoyed the experience. My
Waterpolo skills improved significantly and
I met lots of new people from New Zealand
and Australia,” Avia comments.
She admitted a few nerves before the
Avia Murray made her first New Zealand representative team
this year playing the sport she loves.
A Force In
The Water
The Year 9 student joined the
Wellington region 2002 girls,
who flew to Sydney to play in a
tournament against the Australian State
Football teams.
“I was so excited to be going,” Molly says.
“I was already part of the Western/Kapiti
Rep side, but being selected to go to Sydney
was a bonus.”
The competition was the first time Molly
had represented a sport overseas.
“The coaching was accelerated before we
went so this built upon our existing skills.”
The team stayed in a brand new,
purposeful built Football Stadium for the
week long tournament and placed fourth
overall out of 16 teams.
As a representative for the Western/
Kapiti team in the FTC, Molly has played
Talented footballer Molly Newton Smith was selected by
the Wellington Federation Talent Centre (FTC) to represent
Wellington against Australia this year.
Head In The Game
competition but was certainly up for the
challenge.
“It was something I have always wanted
to do and was a great opportunity for me.”
Avia was pleasantly surprised to find
out she was chosen for the New Zealand
representative team.
“The trials were harder than I imagined
and I was not expecting to get into the
team as the level of talent in Auckland was
incredible,” Avia explains.
Before the event she was training almost
everyday for two to three hours.
“I particularly worked on the speed of
my swimming as all the girls were very fast.”
She started playing Waterpolo five years
ago after watching her older brother playing
in tournaments throughout the year. She
also plays for Wests Football Club, which is
where she was selected to be part of the Ole
Football Academy Elite Player Programme.
“We were coached by full time
professional coaches from America four
days a week,” Molly explains.
A true Football fanatic, Molly has been
playing the game since she was nine.
“I wanted to do something different so
I signed up for a local team training session
in Plimmerton, near where we used to live. I
got into it and found I was really enjoying it.”
Not one to slow down, Molly is also a
Cross Country and Triathlon competitor
during the summer months.
She has competed in national
competitions, including the Sovereign Tri
Series and National School Championships.
the game.
“I enjoy the adrenaline rush you get from
playing Waterpolo and the social aspect of
the game.”
She is unsure of what the future will hold
for Waterpolo but says she is taking every
opportunity as it comes.
Molly has her sights set on earning a
sports scholarship in the future, possibly to
an American University.