Passion in action on the field at AIMS Games
The rain couldn’t dampen 12-year-old Brooklyn Ardison’s enthusiasm as she took to the field for Rip Rugby at the 22nd Zespri AIMS Games.
“Rugby is life!”
The Year 7 Fairfield Intermediate player was one of the 14,506 athletes competing across 27 sporting codes at the biggest AIMS Games edition yet.
Despite the cool condition, the young athlete was happy to get stuck into the action. For Brooklyn, rugby is more than just a sport. It is a chance to have fun, get active, and spend time with others.
“It’s a good way to get out of the house,” she said.
Rugby is clearly becoming a passion for the Year 7 student, who also plays touch and traditional rugby and says she would love to go pro with it in the future.
Her team has been training for around two months. Their preparation involved playing rip rugby games to practise their skills and get used to making quick decisions during matches.
She said she particularly enjoyed attacking and while she felt her team could have played better in the match, she was still enjoying the experience.
The busy tournament schedule meant an early start, with Brooklyn up at about 6am for the day’s games.
With the spitting rain, cool weather, and plenty of running, AIMS Games is putting young athletes to the test and Brooklyn is loving all of it.
