Sport by the River: Rowing & Tennis

Sport is popular with you humans! Look how many of you are exercising by following me along the Green Spine trail!

A big ‘wahoo’ to you, whether you’re walking or in a wheelchair, biking, skateboarding or riding scooters. (Or maybe you are making up a silly walk? Go ahead!)  

For me, your fan-trail guide Huanui, ‘sport’ involves competing with other birds to see how many mid-air loops and dives we can do. I’m an expert at airborne acrobatics! (Skite, skite! ) What sports do you enjoy?

Being active is great for health and wellbeing. Nationwide organisation Sports New Zealand says in any given week more than 70% of Kiwi adults and 90% of tamariki participate in play, active recreation and sport. 

The popularity of many sports – rugby, cricket, horse racing and netball – reflects New Zealand’s colonial heritage. As you may have already read on the heritage panel here, rowing and tennis had a huge following in colonial Christchurch, right at this spot. (Kiwis’ love of water sports continues, with our most decorated Olympian being Lisa Carrington, the ‘queen of the kayak sprint’).

You might find it interesting that rugby is not Kiwi’s most participatory sport – and neither is rowing. (You can do your own research about what is!) However, tennis remains the second most popular sport in the country. More than 300,000 of you humans play each year. 

Involvement in certain sports can change over time. Changes in social or cultural norms can play a part in this. Riding a bike, for instance, was not deemed a suitable activity for females until the suffrage (women’s vote) movement of the 1880s. Two influential Christchurch women – suffrage campaigner Kate Sheppard and dress reformer Alice Burn – advocated for greater freedoms for women. They were members of the Christchurch-based Atalanta Cycle Club, the first all-women cycling club in Australasia. Go gals! 

And off we go, to the next trail stop! See you there!

Links:

More about Avon Rowing Club

https://www.avonrowingclub.com/rowing-with-avon

Try Tennis! Local tennis clubs

https://www.tenniscanterbury.org/clubs

History of women’s cycling 

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/women-together/atalanta-cycling-club

Whānau Activities:

Hire a kayak and explore the awa

https://www.christchurchnz.info/activities/kayaking

Check out local sport and recreation listings

https://www.ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/whats-on

Sports Fun Trivia

https://www.funtrivia.com/en/Sports/New-Zealand-7886.html#google_vignette