Sports

Great New Zealand Olympians of the past

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New Zealand didn’t compete as a nation in its own right until 1920; in the previous Olympics we had competed as a conjoint team with Australia. In 1920 New Zealand’s first Olympic team took 9 weeks to get to Antwerp by ship. Every member of that team made it to the finals, and Violet Walrond, our first female Olympian, was with them. She was only 15 at the time, and only 14 when she qualified. Unfortunately, she stopped swimming at 18.

Our first gold medal was in boxing, and was won by Ted Morgan in 1928. Yvette Williams was the first New Zealand woman to win a gold medal in 1952, in long-jump. The next female Olympian to win Gold was Barbara Kendall, in 1992.  Barbara Kendall competed in five Olympic Games…that’s pretty impressive!

Perhaps the most famous historical Olympian is Peter Snell.  He first won gold in the 800m race in 1960, and won two more gold medals in 1964. But he’s not New Zealand’s most ‘successful’ Olympian: that’s Ian Ferguson, a canoeist, who has won 4 gold medals and one bronze across five Olympic games.

 

This is a great book that will tell you about some of out best Olympians.

Judo and Taekwondo at the Olympics

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http://www.wcl.govt.nz/easyfind/?hreciid=|library/m/wellington-carl|0000748833

Judo and Taekwondo are the  only two Asian Martial Arts that are accepted as Olympic sports.

Taekwondo became an Olympic sport in 2000. That’s quite late; early forms of Taekwondo began appearing  in Korea almost 2000 years ago. That makes it almost as old as the Olympic games themselves! Today, Taekwondo is practised in about 190 countries.  The country that has won the most medals in Taekwondo is South Korea, followed by China and then the United States. The three New Zealanders in Taekwondo are Logan Campbell, Vaughn Scott, and Robin Cheong.

Judo was started in Japan and became an Olympic sport in 1964, although it was demonstrated at the 1932 Olympics . Judo was created by Jigoro Kano, a Japanese educator. Visually impaired martial artists can also compete in Judo at the Paralympics. Japan has won the most medals in Judo, followed by France and then South Korea.  Moira de Villiers is the only New Zealand Judoka (someone who practices Judo) at this years Olympics.

Fencing at the Olympics

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Did you know that sword-fighting is an Olympic sport? At the Olympics it is called fencing. Fencers fight one-on-one indoors on what is called the Strip. The Strip is 14 metres long and 2 metres wide. Competitors have to stay within this boundary. A fencing challenge is called a bout. Fencers fight in bouts of 3, which last 3 minutes each.

Competitors fight with three different kinds of swords: foils, epees and sabres. Medals are given for the winners in each competition for each kind of sword. Each sword has its own rules, but generally a competitor scores one point each time they touch the other person with the tip of their sword. To win they must score 15 hits on their opponent, or the highest number of hits in a bout. Fencers dress all in white. So that the competitors do not get hurt for real they wear gloves, padded jackets and pants, and wire masks to protect their faces. Most importantly, the swords have blunt tips!

Sword-fighting is a very old sport. Many soldiers in ancient cultures fought with swords, including the Greeks and Romans. Fencing schools were founded in Medieval England, and the rules of fencing were set up by the end of the 1400s. The foil sword was invented in the 1600s, as well as the mesh face mask.

Fencing was first part of the Olympics in 1896, and has been included in every Olympic Games ever since. France, Italy and Hungary have had a strong tradition of fencing since the 1800s. They frequently win the individual men, women and team events, along with Germany and Russia.

You can learn all about what it is like to be a fencer in Fencing is For Me, and learn all about every single Olympic sport in the Macmillan encyclopedia of Olympic sports.

Cycling at the Olympics

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Cycling has been an Olympic sport since the very beginning of the modern Olympic Games. It made its first appearence at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens.

Bicylces had been around since the early 1800s, but they had only recently become popular. Can you imagine trying to race on the penny farthing? The bicycles at the first Olympics were much more like the bikes we ride today, with two wheels of the same size.

There was only one cycling event at the first modern Olympic Games: the men’s road race, which had only seven contestants. Five of them were from Greece!

Today there are 18 different events, with both men and women participating. In the men’s road race in 2012, there will be 145 contestants. That’s quite a step up from 1896! Probably the most famous New Zealand Olympic cyclist is Sarah Ulmer, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

 

New Zealand Women Olympic Gold Medalists

wcl staff

With the London 2012  Olympics happening now, we always hope that New Zealand can bring home a gold medal. According to Wikipedia, as of April 25,2012, New Zealand has so far won 55 Olympic gold medals! Six of the athletes who won the gold medals were women. They have been dubbed the golden girls and they are :

  • Yvette Williams– she is the first woman ever to win the gold medal for New Zealand. Her event was the Long Jump in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games.
  • Sarah Ulmer –was the first New Zealander to win an Olympic cycling gold. She also set world records at the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens.
  • Barbara Kendall – is a boardsailor. She won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics  in Barcelona. She also went on to win a silver medal in 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta, Georgia), and a bronze medal in 2000 in Sydney. She also finished 5th at the 2004 Games in Athens and sixth at the 2008 Games in China. She is the first, and as of 2008, only woman from New Zealand to compete at 5 Olympic Games!
  • Caroline Meyer (formerly known as Caroline Evers-Swindell)- her event is the double sculls along with her identical twin sister. She won with her sister,the double sculls gold medal in the 2004 Olympic games. At the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, she and her sister successfully defended their title and won gold medals in the women’s double sculls.
  • Georgina Earl (formerly known as Georgina Evers-Swindell) – She competed in the double sculls with her identical twin sister Caroline Meyer, and is a double Olympic gold medalist, having won at Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.
  • Valerie Kasanita Adams (formerly known as Valerie Vili)- she is a shot putter and is the reigning women’s Olympic champion and three-time World champion, two-time Commonwealth and World Indoor champion.

 The library has a book about these awesome women Olympic gold medalists Golden Girls: celebrating New Zealand’s six female gold medalists. It is a young adult and adult non fiction but you might like to try check it out.

New Non Fiction

Katie

Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Davidson

This is a nice simple biography on the life of Queen Elizabeth II. This is the book to read if you want information on the story of her life with phtographs that capture her childhood, as well as the grandeur and drama of her reign.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Olympics by Richard Platt, Illustarted by Manuela Cappon

A Fantastic book to read that retraces the history of the Olympics from the very beginning in Greece 776BCE to the present day in London 2012. Contains lotes of facts about athletes from ancient Greece, sporting triumphs, poliitcal protests and worl breaking records.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Look Closer Ocean by John Woodward, Illustarted by Gary Hanna

 

This book is a fantastic read that takes you on an extraordinary underwater adventure. Lots of amazing facts and information on colourful coral reef, great white sharks and much, much more.

 

 

 

 

 

For Boys Only by Marc Aronson.

Hey Boys! Are you ready for some serious fun? Then this is the book for you. You will find all the information you need from ancient wonders to extreme sports. From learning how to land an aeroplane in an emergency to finding buried treasure. You are sure to never grow bored from reading this book.

 

 

 

 

    

 

Where I live: Astonishing animals, Bizarre Behaviour by Karen McGhee

Ever wanted to know what kind of animals live permanently in the dark?, What are the advantages of living in a community?, Other than birds, which animals build elaborate nests? Then this is the book to read. Contains lots of incredible photographs and illustrations that capture the amazing range of animal shelters from a simple stack of twigs to extensive tunnel systems and sprawling nests.

 

 

 

 

   

Penguins by Penelope Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris

Dive into the amazing life of penguins. This books has information about every kind of penguin up close and how they survive natural and man-made dangers in thier ice home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Fox Tales : Four Fables from Aesop by Amy Lowry

Four wonderful fables from Aesop that have been woven together to make a single story in this beautifully illustarted picture book. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goldilocks on CCTV by John Agard and Satoshi Kitamura

If you a fan of fairy tales, then this is the book to read. This book has a collection of narrative poetry about your favorite fairy tale characters trying to live out their adventures in the mordern world. Stories include Sleeping Beauty trying to fetch a price on her nightdress, Rumplestiltskin finding his name sold to the paparazzi and a Giant finds his views have less impact in the days of Twitter. 

  

 

 

Olympic Traditions – The Torch

debbie 1 Comment

The Olympics start in 4 days!

What a privilage it must be to carry the Olympic Torch.  Besides the many athletes and celebrities who carry the torch many local people and those with a record of community service are selected to carry it.

It all begins at Olympia were the flame is kindled from the sun’s rays. This is then used to light the Olympic Torch. The design of the torch varies for each games but they usually have a metal bowl in which the flame burns, and this is attached to a metal handle that you hold at the other end. The Olympic rings and an olive wreath decorate the torch.

The torch begins it’s journey known as a relay by travelling through Greece and its islands. It will then make its journey to the continent of the host city where it will travel to all corners of the land, visiting cities, towns and areas of special significance.

Runners usually carry the torch for a distance of 1 kilometre and when it reaches the Olympic stadium it is used to light the Olympic cauldron which then burns throughout the games.

Try visiting the Olympic Torch Relay Route to see the where the torch is today.

Olympic Traditions – The Flame

debbie

Have you ever wondered why we have the Olympic Flame – what does it mean and how did it come about?

In Ancient Greece, the sun’s rays were used to create a sacred flame at the temple of the goddess Hera at Olympia. The Greeks believed that this altar in Olympia was the birthplace of fire. The flame symbolised purity and the struggle for perfection and victory and it burned throughout the ancient games.

The flame was re-introduced for the Modern Olympics in 1928 for the Games in Amsterdam and it has continued to be a special part of the ceremony ever since.

Several weeks before the Games begin they hold a special ceremony at Olympia.  Women dressed as priestesses in classical Greek robes,  used a concave, or curved mirror to concentrate the sun’s rays to make fire. When the flame starts the president for the Greek Olympic Committee lights the Olympic torch which then begins a long journey known as a torch relay arriving at its host city in time for the opening ceremony.

Today the flame represents peace and friendship throughout the world and the flame burns brightly above the main stadium throughout the games until it is extinguished at the closing ceremony.

Equestrian at the Olympics

debbie

Do you love horses? I do and I can’t wait to watch the equestrian events at the Olympics. My favourite is the eventing but equestrian also includes individual and team events in jumping, dressage and three day eventing. In all these disciplines both horse and rider have to display skill, speed and smooth movement. It takes many years of practice for horse and rider to become a great team.

Equestrian is one of the few sports where all events are open to both men and women and it is a unique sport at the Olympics because both rider and horse are considered a team, and both are declared medal winners.

New Zealands most successful equestrian is Mark Todd and he will be competing at the Olympics this year. Mark along with his horse Charisma  won back to back Olympic Gold medal in eventing in 1984 and 1988. He was also voted Rider of the Century by the International Equestrain Federation.

If you would like to learn more click on Equestrian events at the Olympics to get up to date details of all the events as well as other great information.

All About London

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London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. London is also the largest city in England. Many people from different cultures live in London, and more than 300 languages are spoken there.

London is a very old city. Nearly 2000 years ago the Roman army invaded Britain. They built a town on the River Thames called Londinium. By the Middle Ages, in the 14th century, London was one of the largest cities in the world! During the 18th century the number of people in London grew to more than 600,000, then in the 19th century London reached 3 million people! Today nearly 8 million people live in London.

 Fun Facts: London is so large it has about 85,000 streets and taxi drivers have to learn 320 different routes to navigate them; 7000 stray dogs live in London; the smallest house in London is only 1.06 metres wide; The British Library in London is the largest public library in the world and has over 150 million items! The first television set was sold in London in 1928. London has 17,000 bus stops for 7000 buses, which drive 700 bus routes; and, almost one quarter of Londoners are children and teenagers.

 London has had an eventful history: From Civil War in 1642, to the Great Plague in 1665, and the Great Fire of London in 1666. London was also home to the Globe Theatre in the sixteenth century, where Shakespeare’s plays were performed. In 1851 London hosted The Great Exhibition, which displayed the art and industry of the world. London also hosts the London Marathon every year, and the first one was held in 1981. Now, in 2012, London is hosting the Olympics Games. This is the third time that the city will have hosted the event! The first two times were 1908, and 1948. London is the only city in the United Kingdom to have hosted the Olympic Games, and the only city in the world to have hosted the Olympic Games 3 times. Did you know that London has had 2 other Olympic firsts? The first Paralympic Games were held in London in 1948, and the 1948 London Olympics were the first to be broadcast on television.