Fees deal supports sport

The region's top sports teams are coming together in the classroom and on the field as part of a push to keep our talented sportspeople.

The Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology has announced a new sponsorship agreement involving the Nelson Giants basketball team and the Tasman Rugby Union. The deal gives a total of $18,000 in student fees, $9000 for each sport, for the year.

Nelson Giants marketing and sponsorship manager James King, who graduated last year as part of the sponsorship programme from his time at the Makos academy, said it was an excellent sponsorship that benefited individual players and the region's sport.

"I know that from my personal experience, getting a degree in sport and recreation through NMIT and AUT gave me incredible motivation on the field," he said. "You go and study and come back to training with a fresh mind, rather than living and breathing your sport 24/7. It definitely adds something to your game."

Professional development manager for the Tasman Rugby Union Shaaron Adams said selection for the scholarship did not mean these players were necessarily automatic squad selections.

"That's done purely on game performance," she said.

"What these scholarships mean for us is that they help the players become a rounded person. We want our top-level rugby players to be good at rugby but also have maturity and skills and not have everything handed to them on a plate.

"If they were only focused on rugby, that's not the kind of person we want to encourage. It's the breadth and the maturity that comes from being successful in a couple of arenas, such as academically, where real strength comes from."

This year's scholarship recipients are Fico Finance Nelson Giants' Josh Bloxham, Sam Dempster and Bronson Beri and Tasman Rugby Union Academy players James Hadfield, Kim Bateman, Tom Marshall and Jerome Harimate.

Most of them will be studying applied fitness, although Bloxham will be studying towards a bachelor of commerce. He began his studies last year when he won a Prime Minister's Scholarship after making the under-19 Tall Blacks.

He said that while studying and playing required some time-management skills, it was good for his game.

"It can be a real positive, as it gets your head away from just the basketball and gives you a mental break, so when you get back into playing or training, you're refreshed," he said.

"I'm also pleased about getting the scholarship because the fact I was chosen shows they're interested in me, so that's another incentive to do well on the court. I think it's pretty cool that I get the chance to further my career in something other than basketball. The bottom line is, it means I'll stay in the region."

NMIT chief executive Tony Gray said the scholarship benefits could be seen across all sections of the community.

"To have these talented young people commit to study and strive for qualifications is a great example and motivation for so many young people who follow the sports. It shows them that there are huge opportunities right here in their home town. We're proud to be able to support these sports in this very tangible way, and to have players from these teams as part of the NMIT student body."

Tasman Rugby Union Academy player Tom Marshall received a scholarship last year and is looking forward to studying applied fitness year 2 this year.

"It will definitely be good having Giants player Bronson Beri in the classroom this year," he said. "You can take a lot of their skills and put it into our game and vice versa. Just seeing what different training principles they combine will be a big bonus for me.

"It's not easy doing the rugby and the academic side, especially as the season is full on right when it's exam time, but NMIT allows you a lot of flexibility to pick up papers or drop them in the short-term to help you get through."

King hoped the scholarships would see a new era of co-operation between basketball and rugby in the region.

"I think the more we can work together when we can to heighten the profile of both our sports, then the better it will be. We're the two big sporting entities in Nelson and we should be helping each other rather than staying separate.

"We recently did a combined speed training session and now we'll have players from both sports side by side in the classroom at NMIT. Just to build that relationship has to be great for our region."

- © Fairfax NZ News