Waipā more active than other districts
No stranger to sporting prowess, Cambridge’s activity levels outshine all other towns, bringing Waipā to the top of the regional Sport Waikato leader board.
That’s the word from Sport Waikato, which presented the district’s annual report to Waipā District Council’s Strategic Planning & Policy Committee last Tuesday. Matthew Cooper, chief executive of Sport Waikato, said the “home of champions” was ahead of the rest.
“The Waikato region has a physical activity level of 54 per cent for adults, but Waipā is stronger at 62 percent for adults. This is inflated a little bit because of high activity in Cambridge, but you are higher as a district compared to the region,” Cooper said.
Changing demands with new emerging sports have prompted Sport Waikato to change its approach to focus on meeting demand for critical age groups, in an endeavour to foster a lifelong love of movement, Cooper said.
“We are our most active at age 12. You can see straight away from 12 to 17, there’s a 57 per cent drop and it never comes back. That’s quite a concern for us.”
“We need to focus less on delivering programmes at grassroots level, and focus more on the importance of exercise - physical education as opposed to physical activity.”
To achieve this, Sport Waikato will refine its focus for Moving Waikato 2025, the current strategy, towards facility support planning, creating quality experiences for teenagers, supporting coach development, strategic leadership and providing insights to help sport providers in their delivery of a range of programmes.
Lacrosse is one such emerging sport in the district, with rising stars Te Awamutu College and Cambridge High School taking out the championship titles in the Premier Boys and Girls Divisions at the Waikato Lacrosse High School League in September.
Waipā Mayor Jim Mylchreest said Waipā topping the regional leader board in sport is no surprise, and is a result of hard work and good planning.
“Sport Waikato’s report confirms what we already know, that our people place a lot of importance on being active and well. For me, it boils down to having the right combination of facilities and support in place.”
“Planning our towns to encourage activity and movement is one way Council contributes to the overall higher activity levels. Ensuring there are connected walkways and cycleways, sports fields, parks and reserves, at the most basic level, helps to foster improved health and wellbeing for our communities.”
“Couple these with the right coaches, leadership and support and you’ve got a winning combination.”
Cambridge has two major Olympic training grounds, Lake Karāpiro and the Avantidrome, within minutes of the town, and a number of Olympic champion residents.
Mylchreest said he looked forward to see Sport Waikato’s new approach in action.
