Olympic Touch For Junior Rockman Preparations

On hand to advise on technique for some of the throwing events for the April 21-22 event was Olympic double Gold Medallist and multi-World Champ Dame Valerie Adams.
On a Pacific tour in her role as Pacific Sports Ambassador for the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dame Valerie drew on her shotput skills to advise a group of primary students taking part in the ta tika pona niu (young coconut throwing), javelin and ola fua niu (coconut bowls).
Dame Valerie also hosted a sporting Question and Answer night during her stay, and was spotted trying her skills as a vaka paddler.
Open to 7-14-year-olds, the Junior Rockman will run over two days – 21 and 22 April – with day one involving a swim, followed by social events to give visiting participants and their families a chance to mix with locals and find out more about “what makes Niue tick.”  Day two will feature a cross-country run, land-based challenges and events, and some tabloid games with a special Niue flavor.
All events will be held in age categories based on the number of entrants, with results tallied accordingly, and the event will finish with a prize-giving.
Ends

Captions

1. Dame Val leads a group of budding sports stars in ta tika pona niu.
2. Dame Val with the budding stars
3. Need a new partner in the double skulls, Eric?  Dame Valerie might be keen… 

Niue snapshot

Niue is a large upraised coral atoll 2400km and a 3.5-hour flight north-east of NZ, in the centre of a triangle formed by Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. Located east of the international dateline, the island is serviced by Air NZ with two flights in and out a week for most of the year and has a host of natural attractions including some of the clearest ocean water in the world, providing spectacular snorkeling, diving and fishing, forest and scenic walks and many small coves providing safe swimming. The island has a resident Niuean population of around 1200 people and is a self-governing nation aligned closely with NZ, with its own Parliament and Premier.  To find out more about Niue please visit http://www.niueisland.com
Further information: Ron Murray, Senior Account Director – Wright Communications, Tel. (09) 366 2452; Mob. 027 807 7354; Email ron@wrightcommunications.co.nz
 
(Source: Press Release Prepared by  Wright Communications 12 April 2017)