Nor'West News: September 18, 2018

12 Tuesday September 18 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
SPORTS
ack to inspire
• By Jacob Page
RHYTHMIC GYMNAST
Ashleigh O’Neill is back
competing to try and inspire the
juniors she coaches.
The Olympia Gymsports competitor
and coach will compete
at the national championships
in Tauranga from October 2 to
7 after four years away from the
competition floor.
The 21-year-old will compete
for Canterbury in the hoop, ball,
ribbon and club events and hopes
to medal in all three.
But she said her main goal was
to inspire her own athletes, all
aged between six and 16.
“I always enjoyed coaching
because I’ve been an athlete for
a long time but I wanted to show
my girls that I know what they’re
going through,” she said.
“I’ve been coaching during my
time away but being around it so
much made me miss it so I find
the motivation to balance both
training to compete and coaching.
“I train by myself in the morning
then do my work and coaching
in the afternoon and I try to
get to the gym five days a week
as well.
“It all works out about 80 percent
of the time,” she said.
O’Neill has represented New
Zealand multiple times in
TALENT: Rhythmic gymnast
Ashleigh O’Neill is back
competing.
the Pacific Rim Gymnastics
Championships, was the
national rope champion and was
undefeated in the Australian
national championships.
She currently holds South
Island, Otago and North Shore
titles, which she won since returning
to competition in July.
O’Neill took up the sport when
she was seven-years-old and her
local swimming pool was being
renovated.
“We were at King’s Swim
School and they had renovations
being done so Mum enrolled me
at Olympia and I just took to it.”
O’Neill said she wanted to
encourage more gymnasts to
stay in the sport as coaches and
she hoped to set an example that
other young girls could follow
into the future.
Wilson eyes scholarship
• By Matt Salmons
JOSHUA WILSON has got
American college scholarships in
sight every time he pitches.
The 17-year-old St Bede’s
College student will travel to
the United States next month to
compete with the New Zealand
under-18 baseball squad at the
Arizona Fall Classic Showcase.
The Southern Astros and
Canterbury pitcher said his
selection for the team was based
off his performance during the
nationals held in Orewa in April.
When Southern Astros coach
Nathan McDonald approached
him to say he had a spot on the
national team, Joshua said he was
“keen as.”
“It’s incredible, it was a pretty
big surprise to be honest,” he
said. To keep his skills sharp
during the off season, Joshua
had been regularly training
with McDonald. The first of
two training camps he will be
attending with the New Zealand
team starts in two weeks. As the
only player in the side from the
South Island, Joshua will have
to travel to Auckland for both
camps.
Canterbury Baseball president
Brian Hemera said Joshua had
risen rapidly in the sport after
first walking out onto a diamond
only two years ago.
“He’s very keen on baseball
and working bloody hard,” Mr
Hemera said.
He said the trip would be an
DETERMINED: 17-year-old Joshua Wilson has his sights on a
scholarship for baseball at college in the United States.
opportunity for Joshua and his
teammates to get noticed by
college and professional scouts,
who use the showcase as a
chance to see new talent.
“A scholarship into a university
there is a very good step in the
right direction. You get that and
the world’s your oyster,” Mr
Hemera said.
“The next Steven Adams
might be playing baseball, not
basketball.”
Joshua said the chance at a US
college scholarship was the main
NOR’WEST NEWS
reason he wanted to go.
But he said he did not have a
preference for which college he
could attend.
“I just want to play baseball
and get a good education. The
Los Angeles or San Francisco
ones would be good as it’s
warmer there so they play for
longer,” Joshua said.
He said he was feeling
confident about how the New
Zealander team would go over
their 11 games during the 14 day
showcase.