Nic Thomassen. Photo supplied.Nic Thomassen has big plans for his life in education.

The former head boy at Ashburton College is now studying to be a teacher and wants eventually to help intellectually challenged students lead a full and happy school life.

The Advance Ashburton Community Foundation is helping him achieve that goal – Nic was recently awarded a $5000 scholarship from the foundation, one of 37 scholarships handed out last week with a combined $87,500.

Nic, 20, is heading back to the University of Canterbury soon to begin his third year studies towards a Bachelor of Teaching and Learning. He will take with him the Neil Sinclair Memorial Scholarship, the foundation’s most prestigious award.

Advance Ashburton was set up by Mr Sinclair in 2003; the foundation encourages people to donate, then invests the money and distributes the interest to people it hopes will make a difference in the district in the future.

The Sinclair scholarship is for overall excellence and awarded to an individual that stands out amongst their peers.

Nic will be familiar to Mid Canterbury’s basketball community, as a player and referee, as well as those who know him from school days. He wants to return to the district to teach and implement his plan to integrate students with an intellectual disadvantage, or learning challenges like dyslexia and ADHD, into classrooms.

He plans to use the scholarship money on research and hopes the programme he comes up with will be about inclusiveness, tolerance, kindness and empathy.

He said often students with intellectual challenges were bullied and he wanted to change that by working with all students before they hit Year 7.

“Students with behavioural issues also often come from difficult backgrounds themselves.”

Nic began thinking more about the issue while on placement last year with IDEA services in Christchurch.

He kept in touch after the placement and volunteered his time hanging out with students there.

© The Ashburton Courier - 6 February 2020

Maddi Lowry with her five medal haul from the Canterbury Track Cycling Championships. Photo supplied.Ashburton cyclist Maddi Lowry has bagged five medals at the Canterbury Track Cycling Championships to earn herself a place on the Canterbury team heading to the age-group track nationals in early March.

The 15-year-old, a student at Ashburton College, picked up four silvers and a bronze in Under 17 races at the three-day championships at the Denton Park velodrome, Christchurch.

The up and coming cyclist was just a hair’s breath away from gold in both the scratch and individual pursuit races and also picked up silver in the keirin and sprints, all 2000m races.

Her bronze was won in the 500m time trial.

“I’m on a high at the moment and proud of myself,” she said. “Cycling is a huge commitment and such a lot of hard work, but my training is paying off and I’m really enjoying it.”

Maddi also represented Canterbury last year at the track nationals in the U17 age group and will use that experience when she competes in the 500m time trial, 2000m individual pursuit, 5km scratch race, 7.5km points race, 7.5km madison and team pursuit and sprint events.

The track nationals run from March 5-8 and will be held in Cycling Southland Velodrome in Invercargill.

Maddi is just one of six girls chosen in the Canterbury U17 team and favours the longer distance events, where she can use her endurance and stamina.

She started competitive riding as a 10-year-old at Tinwald Cycling Club and has been hooked ever since.

“I had to leave the club and move to Canterbury Track Cycling a couple of years ago because there was nobody else from the Mid and South Canterbury area racing in my age group.”

Maddi said she enjoyed both the individual and team racing aspects of the sport.

“I just love competing. There is a great atmosphere in the velodrome and lots of good people involved.”

Her father Doug will act as one of the handlers for the Canterbury team and will help set up bikes and support riders at the track nationals.

Maddi’s training will now crank up a level or two as she gears up for the track season finale. She will travel to Christchurch five times a week for team and individual training sessions, sometimes training twice a day.

“I just really want to do the best I can at the nationals, both individually and in team events.

“My ambitions for the future are to represent New Zealand at the Oceania and Junior Worlds.”

By Mick Jensen © The Ashburton Courier - 6 February 2020

In the men's novice coxed four boat are Ashburton College rowers (from left) Tim Connelly-Whyte, Mitchell Taylor, Riley Harris, and Matthew Pearce. (Photo: Steve McArthur/Rowing Celebration)Ashburton rowers have performed well at the South Island Rowing Championships, with a big number making A and B finals.

Held at Lake Ruataniwha over the weekend, the local contingent included college, senior and masters rowers.

Ged Wall finished second in the A final of the boy’s U17 single sculls and Haxby Hefford claimed second and Jed McArthur seventh in the men’s club single sculls final.

The mixed masters coxed/coxless quad sculls boat of Michael Wall, Grant Elvines, Helen Hodge, Rose Kellet won their A final, while Helen Hodge went on to win the women’s masters single sculls title, although four of the five rowers in the final scratched the 1000m race.

Aidan Elvines and Emma Stagg, rowing with Wairau Rowing Club members Maddy Devery and Niamh Monk, took second place in the women’s U19 coxed quad sculls, and fifth in the women’s premier coxless quad sculls.

Charlotte Cox, Helen Hodge, Rose Kellet and Teresa Eden took second in the final of the women’s masters coxed/coxless quad sculls, with Kellet and Eden also claiming fourth in the women’s masters double sculls.

Also making A finals were Aidan Elvines and Emma Stagg (5th in the women’s senior double sculls) and Haxby Hefford, Jed McArthur, Michael Wall and Ged Wall (5th in the men’s club coxless quad sculls).

Matthew Pearce, Mitchell Taylor, Tim Connelly-Whyte, Zane Cameron and cox Harriet Leverton were 5th in the men’s novice coxed quad sculls and 7th in the men’s novice coxed four, with Riley Harris in for Zane Cameron and Jed Amos coxing the boat.

Megan Binnie and Ruby Leverton finished 7th in the women’s novice double sculls and Riley Harris, Henry Wallis, Parker Bradford, Charles Savage and cox Jed Amos claimed 8th spot in the men’s novice coxed quad sculls.

Megan Binnie, Ruby Leverton, Laura Jensen, Isabel Wall and cox Harriet Leverton also made the A final of the women’s novice coxed quad sculls, as did Tim Connelly-Whyte and Riley Harris in the men’s novice double sculls.

© The Ashburton Courier - 6 February 2020