The Star: December 21, 2023

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Thursday December 21 2023 The Star 19
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Gale’s win ‘extra special’ ahead
of move across the Tasman
• By Diane Keenan
TEENAGE TENNIS sensation
Lucia Gale says her win in the
Canterbury Open is extra special
given she moves to Brisbane
next month to further her tennis
career.
Gale, 15, beat highly ranked
Louise Oxnevad 6-3 6-3 at the
weekend.
“It is one of the more significant
trophies I have won and
definitely more meaningful and
significant to win at home,” said
Gale, who chose to play at Wilding
Park instead of this week’s
International Tennis Federation
tournament in Papamoa.
Gale and her family, which
includes New Zealand under
12s champion Emme, 12, and
tennis-mad brother Samuel,
10, are moving across the
Tasman where they will play the
Australian circuit and be closer
to international competition.
Parents Sarah and Jamie say
it is hard to leave Christchurch
given their many supporters,
including coaches Stu Chalmers
and James Meredith, the
Cashmere Tennis Club and their
schools St Margaret’s College
and Prebbleton Primary.
“Staying together as a family
while the children pursue their
tennis dream internationally
is our priority. Brisbane
is definitely more feasible
financially than Auckland and
has the added benefit of an even
TEEN TRIUMPH: Lucia Gale beat Louise Oxnevad 6-3 6-3 to
win the Canterbury Open women’s singles.
larger pool of young players,”
said Sarah.
“We are now very familiar
with the Australian tennis
environment as the children
compete there regularly in July. ”
Lucia’s titles include Kiwi
indoors national singles and
doubles for both 14s and 16s, and
last year she won the 14s nationals
singles and doubles titles. She
was top seed in this month’s 16s
nationals, but had to withdraw
due to an abdominal strain,
while Emme won this year’s
Kiwi indoors tournament for her
age and the recent 12s national
championships where she was
also runner-up in the doubles.
Both have represented New
Zealand as juniors. Lucia spent
three months this year playing in
Korea and Kazakhstan for New
Zealand’s junior Billie Jean Cup,
and Spain.
“We missed her dreadfully. I
kept waiting for the call to say
she was homesick, but it never
came as she so enjoyed the experience,”
Sara said.
Emme played in Serbia, Montenegro
and Bulgaria on a Tennis
New Zealand organised trip.
Lucia has a big summer of
tennis ahead, playing in four
ITF tournaments – Christchurch,
Wellington, Auckland
and Brisbane – in January and
February, with a family camping
holiday to Kaiteriteri and a trip
to the Australian Tennis Open
squeezed in around the schedule.
She hopes to then play in Asia
and is seeking selection for New
Zealand’s junior Billie Jean Cup
team again.
Emme has qualified for the
Race to the ASB classic for the
country’s top juniors in Auckland
in early January.
They each train 10 to 15 hours
a week.
Longer term, both sisters want
to go to United States colleges
on tennis scholarships and then
progress to the professional tennis
circuit.
Emme also plays netball and
was playing touch rugby the
night before she knocked out
the top seed at this month’s
nationals. Lucia played hockey
until last year and Samuel loves
cricket and football.
Other Canterbury
Open winners
(Canterbury players
unless otherwise stated)
Men’s singles: Lucas
Evans beat Jamie
Garbett 6-3 6-3
Men’s doubles: Jamie
Garbett and Paddy Ou
(Otago) beat Alistair and
Lachlan Hunt (Southern
Districts) 7-6 6-4
Women’s doubles:
Abby Mason and Louise
Oxnevad beat Charlie
Byers (Otago) and Lucia
Gale 6-4 6-0.
Lucia with her sister Emme,
who is the New Zealand
under 12s champion.
Adventure park to host world MTB series
TOP TALENT: Mountain biker Sam Blenkinsop has signed
up for the March 2024 event. PHOTO: CRANKWORX
CHRISTCHURCH Adventure
Park is gearing up to host
mountain biking excellence
when the internationally
renowned Crankworx Summer
Series visits the city for the first
time in March.
While this is the first time
Christchurch will host the series,
it is the third time the event will
be held in New Zealand, following
previous trips to Queenstown
in the last two years.
Adventure Park general manager
Anne Newman said she
can’t wait to showcase the park to
an international audience.
“Crankworx is such a fun
and exciting event on the riding
calendar,” she said.
“This will not only inspire the
younger generation but provide
an unforgettable experience for
riders and spectators alike.”
NZ Major Events has
committed to hosting the
series yearly until 2027, with
Christchurch locked in for 2024.
Said ChristchurchNZ head
of major events Karena Finnie:
“We are looking forward
to Crankworx Summer
Series coming to Ōtautahi
Christchurch, we can’t wait for
both residents and visitors to
join us for a special weekend of
balance and play at Christchurch
Adventure Park.
“The exceptional quality of
the competition coupled with
Christchurch being a worldclass
mountain bike destination
makes this an event you don’t
want to miss.”
A new downhill mountain
biking track will be built for use
in the event, which will offer
riders the chance to race in a
Category 1 event sanctioned by
the Union Cycliste Internationale
– the governing body for
mountain biking.
Canterbury-based rider Sam
Blenkinsop has already signed up
for the event and will be joined
by a host of international stars
announced in January.
A permanent head-to-head
pump track has also been
commissioned in collaboration
with ChristchurchNZ which
Crankworx says reflects the
dedicated commitment to the
mountain bike community in
Canterbury.
UCI World Cup qualification
points will also be available to
riders aspiring to qualify to race
on the World Cup circuit.
Said event director Ariki
Tibble: “With a world-class
venue in the Christchurch
Adventure Park we believe we
have the recipe for an escalated
Crankworx experience for New
Zealanders in 2024.”
The Crankworx Summer Series
will be held from March 1-3.