Gifted athlete Ruby Darwen will represent Golden Bay High School for the last time this weekend.
The Year 11 student is hoping for further jumps success at the national school championships before turning her attention to netball.
After finishing third in the junior triple jump and fourth in the long jump in Timaru 12 months ago, Ruby has stepped up to the senior ranks.
“It is a bit of a jump but I have competed against most of the girls previously. I have definitely got a lot faster on the runway this season,” enthuses the South Island age grade champion.
“I am going up there with an open mind. I don’t want to stress myself too much.”
Her coach Tony Aikenhead says the first goal is to qualify for the final and then anything can happen.
Ruby has enjoyed having a new training partner at the Saxton Athletics Track this season, 13-year-old national gymnastics champion Chloe Gordon who is already poised to follow in her footsteps.
Once her field commitments are completed, Ruby can look forward to a huge netball year.
The 1.83 defender is one of 15 Mainland girls named for a three-day South Island training camp in Ashburton in mid-January.
It is part of the Next-Generation national development camps involving 90 secondary school players across the country.
Ruby is then off to St Margaret’s College, in Christchurch, on a netball scholarship after being “spotted” by talent scouts while playing tournaments down south.
“It is very exciting. I always wanted to be a shooter as I used to hate goal keep as I was stuck in the circle and couldn’t do much. But then I got better and better as a defender. My long arms definitely help.”
The 16-year-old had thought about moving over the Takaka Hill at the start of this year but was “quite happy” to stay in Golden Bay.
Now she will be boarding at St Margaret’s and is looking forward to the opportunities the school provides.
There will be at least one familiar face in the netball ranks, Tatiana Makea from Nelson College for Girls.
And they won’t be competing for the same spot as Tatiana is a goal shoot.
As for track and field in Canterbury, Tony says Ruby will switch to jumps specialist Terry Lomax who played a big part in the development of 2024 Paris Olympic high jump champion Hamish Kerr.
