‘The Krakens’ poolside pride
The ball flies through the air, hits the side post, bounces straight into the back corner with a splash, and the crowd erupts.
Cambridge Middle School’s Water Polo team has scored a goal and a sense of pride and mana has just swept across the grandstands.
They call them ‘The Krakens’ and the support on the sidelines is loud and proud. That’s because this water polo team is the only one flying the flag for Waikato at this year’s Zespri AIMS Games.
“It feels like an honour to be good enough to go to AIMS,” team member Brody Charleston said.
For the Krakens, it’s more than just the results. The team takes pride in its strong ethos. “If you become a Kraken, you represent those who have been before you,” said coach Chris van der Aa.
“It’s great to win games. Winning is fun, but the biggest thing is that when you’re out of the pool, you look out for your teammates.”
The team has built a strong bond. Summing up their team in three words, the players said: “Competitive, efficient and hard-working”. Their strength also comes from consistency and trust. The team cheers each other on with every goal scored.
“We’ve been training and playing, most of us, since the start of the year,” team member Kayla McGovern said. “We’ve got to know each other and that helps a lot.”
The Krakens train twice a week in summer and once a week in winter. Most of the squad got into the sport through swimming or were encouraged by their family.
“My big brother said he wanted to start it and then my mum said I should do it too,” team member Jayden Morgan said.
Competing against some teams from Auckland is nothing new to the Cambridge team, which competes in the Atlantis Intermediate League., “It’s probably the best competition in the country,” coach Chris said.
Loud, proud and carrying those Kraken values with them, they’re making Cambridge and Waikato proud.
The Krakens team Ana Tamboer, Brody Charleston, Chloe Kim, Fletcher Clancy, Jayden Morgan, Kaede Aish-Brough, Kayla McGovern, Quinn McGovern and Rory McParland came 10th place in the Open Division.
The Zespri AIMS Games is Australasia’s largest junior sporting event with 423 intermediate and middle schools competing across 27 sports.
