North Canterbury News: January 18, 2024

26 The
SPORT
North Canterbury News, January 18, 2024
Aloneinthe ocean waiting for the waves
Alone in the ocean on asurf board, all
you are thinking about is where’s the
next wave coming from, and am Iokay.
This temporary separation from all of
life’s other worries is the perfect
catalyst for change and improvement of
mental health, say exponents of the
national Surfing for Farming
programme.
Heidi and Nukuroa Tirikatene­Nash,
of Gore Bay Surf Coaching NZ, are
veteran surfers, running their small
business for more than 25 years at Gore
Bay.
Post­earthquake, they started working
with mental health agencies to help
improve the lot of people stressed about
their circumstances.
‘‘We started to hold coaching courses
for people suffering from high levels of
stress and anxiety,they were soon very
popular,’’ says Heidi.
‘‘Then four years ago we were
introduced to those involved in the
Surfing for Farming programme up in
Gisborne and things clicked. We soon
started offering Wednesday evening
sessions at Gore Bay for farmersfrom all
around the North Canterburydistrict.’’
This summer the couple havebeen
busy at each of the two sessions they
have held so far. Over 35 participants
have turned up at both sessions to learn
how to surf, learn about water safety or
just experience the ocean.
‘‘Since we started the programme
here we are now seeing
intergenerational farming families
coming down to try their hand at surfing.
‘‘One young daughter convincedher
father it would be good for him to go for
asurf to try to help him and he has
proved very adept at it,’’ saysHeidi.
‘‘The younger farmers areabit gung
ho,but the older ones come to learn
something completely differentthat’s
disconnected from the realitiesoftheir
daily lives.’’
Nukuroa says surfingisgreat for
mental health and wellbeing.
‘‘Your are out there on your own,
operating in an environment where you
arenot totally in control of everything
around you, but you soon relax and go
with the flow.‘‘
He says the mental health benefits of
relaxing in the ocean and clearing your
mind cannot be understated.
‘‘It’s about gettingthem off the farm
and focusing on something completely
different for acouple of hours.’’
The couple will continue the
programme supportedbyfarmers’
groups, each Wednesdayevening from
5.30pm until the end of March.
Agood day to surf ... Despite the sea
being abit fresh, it was agood night to learn
how tosurf at Gore Bay for farmers as part
of the national Surfing for Farming
programme.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Filmfundraiser
NC SPORTS RESULTS
Kaiapoi’s Cure Boating Club is holding a
film evening fundraiser at Rangiora
Town Hall Cinemas.
Tickets are selling fast to director
George Clooney’s film The Boys in the
Boat,which is set in the Great
Depression, and about members of the
University of Washington'srowing team
competing at the 1936 Olympics in
Berlin.
The film eveningisonSunday,
January 21. Raffles will be sold and
drinks will be available at the theatre
before the film starts at 5.30pm.
The club’s vice­president, Peter
Midgley, says the film eveningisbeing
held to raise fundsfor anew mural to be
installed on the river side of the club
house.
The club has been collaborating with
the Waimakariri PublicArts Trust on the
mural project and it is hoped the
artwork will enhance the river setting,
help showcase the building and attract
new members to the club.
It is abusy time for the club which is in
the middle of the rowing season, and
preparing to take competitors to the 2024
New Zealand RowingChampionships ,
at Lake Karapiro, near Cambridge, from
Cure fundraiser ... The Cure Boating Club
aims toraisefunds with afilm evening to
enhance its new building on the banks of the
Kaiapoi River with amural.
PHOTO: FILE
February 13 to 17.
Tickets to The Boys in the Boat film
evening fundraisercan be brought at the
Visit Waimakariri website events guide,
or from the club at curerowing.co.nz.
RangioraBridge Club
Holiday Pairs:North/South: Denise Frater/Anne Dorrans 1, Sarah Waldron/Pauline
Miller 2, Rose Fahey/Beverley Brain 3.East/West: Rosemary Smart/Robin Denley 1,
Faye Priest/Margaret Barson 2, Tom Rose/Rona Maslowski 3.
New Year Pairs: N/S: Jenny Story/Tony Biddington 1, Shirley Symns/Sue McIlroy 2,
Warwick Wyatt/Norm Shipley 3. E/W: Judith Driver/Heather Waldron 1, Marion
Lomax/Liz Partridge 2, Lynne Stephenson/Lorraine Tullett 3.
SummerPairs:N/S: Liz Duke/Barry Smart 1, Sue Solomons/Craig Shannahan 2, Jim
Knight/KenFox 3. E/W: Jannene Cumming/Jan Roose 1,Christine Miller/Alison
MacDonald 2, Joyce Gray/Robyn Dawson 3.
Waimakariri Gorge Golf
Summer Golf, hidden holes: 18 holes: KBush 72, MRobertson 72, SFarrar 71, R
Pilbrow 69, J Pottinger67. Nearest to Pin for 2: No. 4–MTeAwa; Nearest to Pin for
2–No17–JPottinger. Longest Putt –No15­MRobertson.
MostNettEagles –LScott.
Pegasus Lake comes to life
Vintagecars and yachts attracted abig
crowd at Pegasus Town Lake early in the
new year.
The Waiora Links Community Trust
(WLCT) facilitated acombined picnic day
with the Vintage Car Club (VCC) and
Pegasus Radio Sailing Club.
The public who joined the picnic
enjoyed the sailing, including three foiling
yachts, and getting up close to about 80
vintage cars.
The sailing club had four of its Pegasus
880 yachts on hand to allow the public to
have ahands­on experience of sailing a
radio­controlled yacht.
This kept past commodore Paul Johnson
extremely busy for the four hours the event
ran. The Pegasus Woodend Menz Shed was
also on site offering arange of their
products for sale.
PROUDLYSUPPORTINGLOCAL SPORT
RANGIORA