Timpanogos players and coaches console each other after the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald
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Timpanogos players and coaches pose for a photo with the runner-up trophy after the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald
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Timpanogos junior Izzy Pierce battles for the ball during the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald
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Timpanogos senior Malia Jessop brings down the ball during the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald
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Timpanogos players console each other after the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Timpanogos players and coaches console each other after the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Timpanogos players and coaches pose for a photo with the runner-up trophy after the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Timpanogos junior Izzy Pierce battles for the ball during the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Timpanogos senior Malia Jessop brings down the ball during the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Timpanogos players console each other after the 4A championship game against Mountain Crest at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
The start to the 2024 4A state girls soccer championship turned out to be a dream scenario for one team and a complete nightmare for the other.
Unfortunately for No. 3-seed Timpanogos, it was top-seed Mountain Crest who took control.
The Mustangs scored two goals in the first three minutes to build a commanding lead, then held on to defeat the Timberwolves, 3-1.
“To me, this game came down to taking advantage of opportunities,” Timpanogos head coach Robyn Bretzing said. “In the first four minutes of the game, we couldn’t clear the ball. We would struggle getting out of the back, and they were hungry for a goal. They capitalized on the opportunities that that we gave them.”
After the disastrous start against a really good opponent, the Timberwolves had to make a choice: Would they just go through the motions or would they dig deep and try to battle back?
The answer was clear as Timpanogos fought for every ball and pushed for every opportunity.
“I think you take away the first four minutes of the game, it went back and forth from there,” Bretzing said. “We created the same opportunities that we gave them, but we didn’t get lucky. We didn’t put the ball in the back of the net.”
She said she was incredibly proud, though, of how her team responded to the adversity.
“After those two goals went in, I thought, oh no, it could become a disaster quickly,” Bretzing said. “But I thought the girls responded and said, ‘heck no, we’re going to step up.’ The rest of the half I thought we really stepped up and created our own opportunities.”
Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, Mountain Crest would tack on a third goal in the second half. Even then, Timpanogos kept attacking and eventually broke through on a shot from senior Haley Hutchins in the final minutes.
“I was proud of them for putting the ball in the back of the net,” Bretzing said. “At that point, you knew you probably weren’t going to win the game, but they were not going to go without scoring. I think I was really proud of them for finishing strong.”
In many ways, despite not being the outcome they wanted, the way the Timberwolves played in the championship was true to the character of this Timpanogos squad.
“This team has always been a super scrappy team,” Bretzing said. “I think they’ve battled against some really good teams in the playoffs. We had to fight and find a way to a win in the quarterfinals and in the semifinals. Today, I think that heart and that battle showed in that they didn’t quit.”
Getting back to the state finals was an accomplishment this Timpanogos team can always be proud of, according to Bretzing.
“I think they’ve exceeded my expectations because we knew that we had some holes to fill from last season’s team.” she said. “But I think the girls stepped into those positions and got us to where we are today in the finals. I’m really proud of this team.”
The Timberwolves will have more holes to fill because it has eight seniors graduating.
“I’ve had great leadership all year long,” Bretzing said. “They’ve been positive and show the girls an example of how to be good leaders. I think that’s what’s got us into the final game, that positive leadership and that encouragement of those young kids, getting them to step up every practice, in every game, to believe in themselves and let them know that they believed in them.”
But she also hopes the next group learned from this experience and comes back hungry for more.
“We’ve got a lot of younger talent,” Bretzing said. “We are really excited for the future of our program because we’ve got some really good players coming up.”
Eight teams will compete for the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship
NEW ORLEANS – October 25, 2024 – The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) reveals the eight schools that will compete for the title at the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship hosted by Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission from November 11-13 at Bossier Parish Community College.
Dillard University (La.), Fisk University (Tenn.), Oakwood University (Ala.), Philander Smith University (Ark.), Southern University at New Orleans (La.), Stillman College (Ala.), Talladega College (Ala.), and Tougaloo College (Miss.) have secured berths. The seeds will be revealed after conference play is completed on November 4.
Talladega (20-7, 13-1 HBCUAC), the defending regular season and tournament champion, is battling Fisk University – last season’s tournament runner-up – and Dillard – the 2023 regular season runner-up – for the 2024 regular season title and top seed. All three schools have one loss. Fisk avenged last season’s championship loss with a five-set victory on Sept. 21. Talladega swept Dillard on Sept. 28 in one of the HBCUAC Crossovers. Dillard swept Fisk on Oct. 18. Talladega hosts Fisk on October 25 with the winner likely clinching the first seed.
The Tornadoes have a deep roster as three players have won Attacker of the Week. Franchesca Rivas and defensive specialist Briyith Echeverri have been recognized as Player of the Week multiple times this season.
Fisk (22-14, 13-1 HBCUAC) also boasts a strong roster as they’ve won a majority of the HBCUAC Player of the Week awards. Trinity Britt has won eight of the 10 Setter of the Week awards and leads the conference in assists and assists per set and ranks eighth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 939 assists. Reagan Jones claimed five Attacker of the Week awards and ranks fifth in the NAIA with 401 kills. Nialah Gupton has claimed multiple Defender of the Week awards and leads the HBCUAC with 470 digs.
Dillard (13-7, 11-1 HBCUAC) has only been taken beyond three sets twice and has only dropped five sets in 12 conference matches. Trenity Pender claimed the most recent Defender of the Week award. The Bleu Devils have one of the most intimidating front rows in the conference. Gabrielle Washington leads the HBCUAC with 1.24 blocks per set. Nya St. Cyr and Cadence Thomas follow at 0.96 and 0.93 blocks per set, ranking in the top five of the conference.
Philander Smith (16-6, 8-4 HBCUAC) in its first season under head coach Mariah Yarbrough has been formidable, winning eight conference matches. All of their losses have been to the top three teams in the conference. Christlove Lature and Essence Wren won Defender and Setter of the Week for September 30-October 6. Lature ranks second in the conference with 4.33 digs per set and third with 325 total digs. Wren ranks second in the conference with 515 assists averaging 8.05 per set. Zarea Winn ranks third with 3.04 kills per set.
Oakwood (10-15, 8-7 HBCUAC) has made significant improvement after finishing seventh in the conference last season, currently ranked fifth. It went 3-2 in the HBCUAC Crossovers. Kamaria Murray earned Attacker of the Week for September 30-October 6. Cameryn Bucknor ranks fifth in the conference with 5.59 assists per set.
Stillman (8-17, 7-8 HBCUAC), who joined the conference this season after competing in the Southern States Athletic Conference the last two seasons, is making strides in its third season since the program was reinstated in 2022. It picked up its first seven victories since the return of the program. Emily Powell won Defender of the Week twice, she ranks fifth in the conference with 4.01 digs per set. Erin Nelson is fifth with 0.47 service aces per set and ranks in the top 15 with 3.43 assists per set.
Tougaloo (7-15, 5-6 HBCUAC) has shown improvement, besting last season’s overall and conference win total by two matches. LaShundria Chatman ranks fifth in the conference with 2.44 kills per set. Kaliyah Shavers is 10th with 2.18. Taylor Cousar is eighth in the conference with 4.59 assists per set. Ke’Ira Collier ranks sixth in the conference with 3.63 digs per set.
Southern University at New Orleans (4-15, 4-8 HBCUAC), in its second season since making its return in 2023, is much stronger. It won its first four matches since 2019. Armoni Harris was the Week 2 Defender of the Week and leads the HBCUAC with 4.44 digs per set. Taszia Adkinson ranks in the top 15 of the conference with 2.03 kills per set. The regular season and tournament champions will earn automatic bids to the 2024 NAIA National Volleyball Championship. The opening round will be November 23 at campus sites. The winners will advance to the National Championship Tournament December 4-10 at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Along with competing for the 2024 HBCUAC title, the schools will lead clinics for junior high and high school students at the BHP YMCA and the Lash Family YMCA in Shreveport on Sunday afternoon. The 2024 All-HBCUAC Awards will be presented during the Reception at Eleven Events LLC.
Fans can catch all the action on HBCU-Plus, which can be viewed online or the free app can be downloaded on mobile devices and Smart TVs. For more information on the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship visit Tournament Central.
-HBCUAC-
About HBCU Athletic Conference The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.
Eight teams will compete for the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship
NEW ORLEANS – October 25, 2024 – The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) reveals the eight schools that will compete for the title at the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship hosted by Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission from November 11-13 at Bossier Parish Community College.
Dillard University (La.), Fisk University (Tenn.), Oakwood University (Ala.), Philander Smith University (Ark.), Southern University at New Orleans (La.), Stillman College (Ala.), Talladega College (Ala.), and Tougaloo College (Miss.) have secured berths. The seeds will be revealed after conference play is completed on November 4.
Talladega (20-7, 13-1 HBCUAC), the defending regular season and tournament champion, is battling Fisk University – last season’s tournament runner-up – and Dillard – the 2023 regular season runner-up – for the 2024 regular season title and top seed. All three schools have one loss. Fisk avenged last season’s championship loss with a five-set victory on Sept. 21. Talladega swept Dillard on Sept. 28 in one of the HBCUAC Crossovers. Dillard swept Fisk on Oct. 18. Talladega hosts Fisk on October 25 with the winner likely clinching the first seed.
The Tornadoes have a deep roster as three players have won Attacker of the Week. Franchesca Rivas and defensive specialist Briyith Echeverri have been recognized as Player of the Week multiple times this season.
Fisk (22-14, 13-1 HBCUAC) also boasts a strong roster as they’ve won a majority of the HBCUAC Player of the Week awards. Trinity Britt has won eight of the 10 Setter of the Week awards and leads the conference in assists and assists per set and ranks eighth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 939 assists. Reagan Jones claimed five Attacker of the Week awards and ranks fifth in the NAIA with 401 kills. Nialah Gupton has claimed multiple Defender of the Week awards and leads the HBCUAC with 470 digs.
Dillard (13-7, 11-1 HBCUAC) has only been taken beyond three sets twice and has only dropped five sets in 12 conference matches. Trenity Pender claimed the most recent Defender of the Week award. The Bleu Devils have one of the most intimidating front rows in the conference. Gabrielle Washington leads the HBCUAC with 1.24 blocks per set. Nya St. Cyr and Cadence Thomas follow at 0.96 and 0.93 blocks per set, ranking in the top five of the conference.
Philander Smith (16-6, 8-4 HBCUAC) in its first season under head coach Mariah Yarbrough has been formidable, winning eight conference matches. All of their losses have been to the top three teams in the conference. Christlove Lature and Essence Wren won Defender and Setter of the Week for September 30-October 6. Lature ranks second in the conference with 4.33 digs per set and third with 325 total digs. Wren ranks second in the conference with 515 assists averaging 8.05 per set. Zarea Winn ranks third with 3.04 kills per set.
Oakwood (10-15, 8-7 HBCUAC) has made significant improvement after finishing seventh in the conference last season, currently ranked fifth. It went 3-2 in the HBCUAC Crossovers. Kamaria Murray earned Attacker of the Week for September 30-October 6. Cameryn Bucknor ranks fifth in the conference with 5.59 assists per set.
Stillman (8-17, 7-8 HBCUAC), who joined the conference this season after competing in the Southern States Athletic Conference the last two seasons, is making strides in its third season since the program was reinstated in 2022. It picked up its first seven victories since the return of the program. Emily Powell won Defender of the Week twice, she ranks fifth in the conference with 4.01 digs per set. Erin Nelson is fifth with 0.47 service aces per set and ranks in the top 15 with 3.43 assists per set.
Tougaloo (7-15, 5-6 HBCUAC) has shown improvement, besting last season’s overall and conference win total by two matches. LaShundria Chatman ranks fifth in the conference with 2.44 kills per set. Kaliyah Shavers is 10th with 2.18. Taylor Cousar is eighth in the conference with 4.59 assists per set. Ke’Ira Collier ranks sixth in the conference with 3.63 digs per set.
Southern University at New Orleans (4-15, 4-8 HBCUAC), in its second season since making its return in 2023, is much stronger. It won its first four matches since 2019. Armoni Harris was the Week 2 Defender of the Week and leads the HBCUAC with 4.44 digs per set. Taszia Adkinson ranks in the top 15 of the conference with 2.03 kills per set. The regular season and tournament champions will earn automatic bids to the 2024 NAIA National Volleyball Championship. The opening round will be November 23 at campus sites. The winners will advance to the National Championship Tournament December 4-10 at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Along with competing for the 2024 HBCUAC title, the schools will lead clinics for junior high and high school students at the BHP YMCA and the Lash Family YMCA in Shreveport on Sunday afternoon. The 2024 All-HBCUAC Awards will be presented during the Reception at Eleven Events LLC.
Fans can catch all the action on HBCU-Plus, which can be viewed online or the free app can be downloaded on mobile devices and Smart TVs. For more information on the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship visit Tournament Central.
-HBCUAC-
About HBCU Athletic Conference The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Score Atlanta) – After meeting for a total of exactly 50 matchups dating back to 1912, a 51st matchup is set for this Friday as the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes will travel to Cedartown to face the Bulldogs for a battle for the Class 4A-Region 7 championship.
The game will be broadcast live on the Peachtree Sports Network starting at 8 p.m., and will also stream live on the Atlanta News First app. From home, download the free ANF+ app anywhere you stream — FireTV, AppleTV, Roku and YouTubeTV — simply by searching for “Atlanta News First” on those platforms. If you are on the go, you can download Atlanta News First for free in the app store on your Apple or Android device. You can also watch live here on the WANF – Special Events channel.
This will be the first time since 2019 the two schools are squaring off against one another after being added back in the same region for the first time in five years. Cartersville came out on top in its last matchup against Cedartown, 24-2. The two schools lined up against each other the previous four years before GHSA realignment moved some teams around.
This year’s matchup between the Purple Hurricanes and the Bulldogs is the second time in the last seven years the two programs are meeting in the regular season undefeated. The last time, in 2017, saw both programs at 4-0 on the year with the top-recruit in the country in the Class of 2018, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, leading the way for Cartersville, taking down Cedartown 41-7.
Overall, Cedartown leads the overall series 25-22-3 for a total of 50 matchups between the two schools with the 51st being the highest-rated matchup since the schools began playing one another. Cartersville is ranked at No. 3 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution while Cedartown sits at No. 6 in their polls, making Friday night’s matchup one of the most intriguing in the state this weekend.
The four-time state champion Cartersville Purple Hurricanes are led by head coach Conor Foster who is currently in his sixth season with the program. This year marks the fourth season for the Purple Hurricanes that they have started 8-0 or better under Foster leading the program. The head coach holds 67 wins during his time at Cartersville with only seven losses during his tenure leading the program.
Cartersville currently holds the second-longest regular season win-streak, winning 22-games in a row during the regular season and having won 28 out of its last 30 games dating back to 2022.
The Cartersville offense has been scoring nearly 38 points per game this season, tied for the ninth-largest average in 4A and have a multitude of weapons around them to make one of the top offenses in the class.
The Purple Hurricanes are led by junior quarterback Nate Russell as he is in his second season with the keys to the Cartersville offense. Russell has been responsible for throwing over 1,300 yards on a 69% completion percentage, totaling 14 touchdowns and averaging 167 yards through the air a game. On the ground Russell has used his legs to keep defenses guessing. Russell has also accounted for five touchdowns on the ground as well. Along with Russell on the ground, starting running back, Baylon Long, has added six touchdowns on 59 carries to provide a steady option in the backfield.
“I think you see a guy this year who’s growing up, the game is starting to slow down for him,” said Foster. “I think his confidence level is high. You know in the past, if you missed a throw or two, you know he would get frustrated very easily and now I think the confidence level is the difference. He’s been in these situations. He’s learned how to respond appropriately and how to lead us and so we’re going to continue to lean on him, and that’s been good for his development.”
The weapons Russell possesses on the outside are dangerous and effective for the second-year starter. Wide receivers Jamauri Brice and Brady Marchese along with 4-star tight end Cole Crawford have provided exceptional options in the pass game for Russell and the Purple Hurricanes offense. Marchese leads the team in receiving with 606 yards through the air as he and Brice have combined for nine touchdowns on the season. Crawford has added six receptions and a touchdown of his own on the season as the tight end missed two games due to injury.
The defense for Cartersville is led by University of Cincinnati-commit, senior defensive back Jordyn Woods who has totaled 27 total tackles along with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble on the season. In the secondary, cornerback Kaden Baldwin has totaled a team-high four interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns.
Linebacker Kelson Mitchell leads the Cartersville defense with eight tackles for loss on the season while also accumulating a team-high 59 total tackles, leading the next highest tackler by 12 tackles. Linebackers Brayden Logan, Treshaun Winters and Reed Ezell have been integral to the Cartersville defense only allowing a total of six touchdowns on the season and less than four yards per rush.
They will have their hands full trying to stop an explosive Cedartown offense who is averaging the third most points in 4A by scoring close to 43 points per game throughout this season.
The hosts for Friday night’s clash, Cedartown, is led by Jamie Abrams as he is in his fifth season with the Bulldogs football program. This is the second time during Abrams’ tenure at Cedartown where the program has started 8-0 or better with the last being in 2022 where the Bulldogs made it to the state championship where they suffered a crushing loss to Benedictine, 14-13.
Cedartown has won 12 regular season games in a row, tying for the eighth-longest win-streak in Georgia high school football with programs such Savannah Christian and Starr’s Mill.
The Bulldogs offense is led by senior quarterback Isaiah Johnson, who has been playing clean and smart football throughout the first eight games this season, totaling 748 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air and 170 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Johnson was in a rare situation during the offense when he made the switch from one important position to another, going from linebacker to quarterback.
“I have no complaints about him whatsoever,” said Abrams. “It’s really an unselfish move for him and I know it’s not his no. 1 position, but he understands that it gives us the best chance to win, so he has embraced that since February and he came in everyday in the early mornings and never missed a day, now he can see the benefits from it.”
The Bulldogs have accumulated more than 2000 yards rushing on the ground with five players totaling over 170 yards rushing on the season and three with already over 300 yards on the ground. Seniors Juelz Davis and Michael Gibbons Jr. have totaled 680 total yards on the ground along with four touchdowns. Senior Clemson-commit, 4-star safety Tae Harris has been playing both ways for the Bulldogs and has been electric to say the least. Harris has 884 all-purpose yards on the Cedartown offense along with nine touchdowns, becoming a huge part of the Bulldogs attack.
On defense Gibbons leads the team in total tackles by a wide-margin, totaling 93 on the season, 24 higher than the next highest player. Senior defensive back Sam Smith leads the team with the most tackles for loss with 10.5 on the season. Gibbons and Smith average the most tackles on the team with Gibbons at close to 12 and Smith right under nine. The pair have also combined for 9.5 sacks on the season.
Harris plays as big of a role on defense as he does on the offensive side of the ball. The Clemson-commit averages just under eight tackles a game and has four tackles in the backfield for negative yardage, making an impact whenever he steps on the field.
Friday night’s matchup between Cartersville and Cedartown has much larger implications than a regular season game, but will most likely decide a Class 4A-Region 7 championship as only one team can walk away from tomorrow’s game remaining undefeated.
In a remarkable feat, Kenyan wine tasters have outperformed traditional wine powerhouses like England at the prestigious World Tasting Championship, often dubbed the “Wine Olympics.”
The event, held in France, sees competitors blind-taste a diverse array of unlabelled wines, guessing their region, vintage, and grape variety.
Representing Kenya this year was an all-female team: Janet Kangethe, Soraya Ladak, Kenyalyn Oddenyo, Joy Adero, and Victoria Mulu-Munywoki.
This marked Kenya’s third appearance in the competition, and the team had been diligently preparing through rigorous training sessions at The Wine Shop in Nairobi.
During these sessions, the team honed their skills by sampling tens of wines from different regions. In one of the sessions attended by Lifestyle, Joy described the wine: “I’m tasting high acidity, minerality, and a hint of barnyard—not the red wine kind, though.” Meanwhile, Soraya pinpointed notes of asparagus and unripe passion fruit, guessing a Bordeaux blend from 2022.
Such expertise helped Team Kenya finish just two spots behind France, showcasing their talent on the global stage.
Speaking to Lifestyle from France, the team could not hide their excitement on the ability to compete against established wine countries. South Africa, the other African representative in the competition, ranked 26th.
The team shared their journey on how their camaraderie blossomed through their shared passion for wine.
From left: Team Wine Kenya group members Janet Kange’the, Soraiya Ladak, Victoria Mulu-Munywoki, Joy Adero, and Kenyalyn Oddenyo pose for a photo during practice for the blind wine competition at the Wine Shop Kenya in Nairobi on September 21, 2024.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
Janet Kangethe: The newcomer
Janet Kangethe fell in love with wine in 2014. “Working in hospitality, you must go through wine training, and I enjoyed learning about wine,” she said. During the pandemic, Janet deepened her knowledge by reading about wine, leading her to South Africa’s vineyards to learn about winemaking. “When I came back, I did my first wine qualification, my WSET Level 2 [a wine and sprits certification].”
She joined Team Wine Kenya this year but had been attending training sessions since 2022. “My relationship with wine is like a beautiful love affair. It has elevated my career. I started as a restaurant hostess, and I’m now an award-winning restaurant manager,” Janet, a beverage manager at The Social House, said.
Training sessions were intense and demanding. “We’d taste six to seven wines a day, using all our senses to decipher each one’s origin, grape, and vintage. Our wine-tasting training started at 10am. Our coach, Victoria Munywoki always reminded us to read about wine,” Janet said.
They meticulously documented their tastings in notebooks, ensuring they remembered the nuances of each wine.
“I’d walk around with three different types of books; one to help me with my sensory notes to learn how to tell the wines through the senses. The other book helped me to distinguish the different types of grapes and learn how to differentiate wine grapes from the other kinds of grapes. I also have my WSET Level 3 book which helped me to identify the different regions where the wine is coming from.”
Maintaining a sensitive palate was crucial. Janet explained, “I avoid food or drinks before practice, even steering clear of perfume, as it can distort our sense of smell,” the 32-year-old said.
Soraiya Ladak: The returning competitor
Soraiya Ladak is a returning competitor, having joined the original team in 2022.
“I missed last year’s competition due to my pregnancy. The competition is challenging for me, but I like it because it helps me improve my wine-tasting skills. Even as a sommelier, every day is learning more about wine,” said the WSET Level 3 sommelier.
Her relationship with wine began after her first pregnancy. “Pregnancy heightened my senses. I would throw up and always feel nauseated and that didn’t go away even after I gave birth. So, when my baby got older and I took wine, everything was fine,” the mother of three said.
Soraiya Ladak, one of the directors at the Wine Shop Kenya in Nairobi, at the shop on September 21, 2024.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
For Soraya, training for the competition was not just about tasting wine; it required discipline and sacrifice, balancing family and career commitments.
“People assume we’re just drinking alcohol, but this is a craft. It’s not all fun. You don’t want to drink wine after these training sessions; you crave tea or coffee. There is also palate fatigue. We tasted over 200 different types of wines. You also have to maintain discipline, balancing this passion with family and career, but we believe in ourselves and want to put Kenya on the wine map.”
As one of the directors of The Wine Shop, Soraiya says that part of their role was to provide training wines for the competitors and a place to practice.
“We hosted the team, provided wine…This year we were fortunate to have Barton and Guestier provide us with the wines used for practice,” she said.
For those looking to make wine a career, Soraya says, “You have to remember at the end of the day, this is alcohol. It is a slippery slope, and I have seen many people fall victim to alcoholism. If it is your career, you need to respect the trade and do everything in moderation.”
To maintain her palate, Soraya avoids chilli. “Also, giving my palate a break is always very helpful. I give myself a break and only enjoy my wine during the weekend,” the 42-year-old said.
Kenyalyn Oddenyo: The chef-turned-sommelier
Kenyalyn Oddenyo, who is joining Team Wine Kenya for the first time this year, has grown up surrounded by wine. “My parents would host guests a lot when I was growing up. All the meals were accompanied by wine. Then I went to a culinary school in South Africa, where wine is a huge part of their culture. This is where I got to better understand wine,” the 28-year-old said.
Now, she is the group sommelier and retail manager at Wine Box in Nairobi.
“For me, wine means family, happiness, and love. It is a long-term investment,” she said.
Barton and Guestier Sparkling rose wine pictured at the Wine Shop Kenya in Nairobi on September 21, 2024.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
Joy Adero: The wine enthusiast turned professional
Joy Adero got into wine simply because of curiosity. “I identify as a wine enthusiast. It all started in 2012 when I would receive bottles of wine as gifts from friends, which sparked my curiosity. I began self-teaching, going to the internet and reading wine enthusiast and wine spectator magazines. It was a hobby until 2019 when I decided to take it up as a career. I undertook my WSET classes and topped my Level 1 and 2 classes. I saw this as a sign that I can take it up professionally.” Now, Joy is a wine writer and a sommelier.
Victoria Mulu-Munywoki: The coach, captain and mentor
Victoria Mulu-Munywoki wears many hats for Team Wine Kenya as a coach, captain, and mentor of Team Wine Kenya. She says the biggest drive for her was to provide mentorship and ensure that this hobby goes beyond a few sommeliers.
“I wanted for us to have a pipeline of expertise that lasted beyond me hence the difference in age in the competitors. We are trying to make this a generation thing. Every year, we try to have some new people joining the team,” the 47-year-old said.
Victoria Mulu-Munywoki holding a glass of wine during practice for the blind wine competition at the Wine Shop Kenya in Nairobi on September 21, 2024.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
Victoria said the most important qualification to be a competitor was a person’s attitude. “While the person needed to be at a certain level with their knowledge of wine, what mattered more was the ability to work well with a team. Everything we do is teamwork. Finally, I looked for a person who is willing to mentor others so that we can ensure that there is always Team Wine Kenya,” she says.
Last year, Team Wine Kenya was position 26, beating wine-rich countries such as Italy, Scotland, and Sweden, and Victoria was part of the team.
Only women have been competing in the wine competitions, are there plans to include men next year?
“There are plans to have men join us. Every year, we call out to men to join, but sometimes it is the ladies who are committed to getting through the training. Though this will be streamlined with the formation of the Sommelier Association of Kenya, for now, as an all-girls team, we have been working well, but we are open to having more men join us,” Victoria said.
Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference:
Game of the week
No. 10 Michigan (4-1, 2-0) at Washington (3-2, 1-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
It’s a rematch of last year’s national championship game that Michigan won 34-13, but a whole lot has changed in the nine months since.
Both head coaches are gone, as Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers while Alabama hired Kalen DeBoer away from Washington. The quarterbacks from that game have departed as well after Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. went eighth and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy went 10th in this year’s NFL draft.
The teams combined for three losses by the end of September. Last year, they both carried unbeaten records into the championship game.
Michigan lost 31-12 at home to No. 2 Texas but has won three straight since. Sherrone Moore’s Wolverines are relying on a Kalel Mullings-led rushing attack, as they totaled just 118 yards passing the last two weeks in victories over Southern California and Minnesota.
Washington has lost two of its last three games, including a 21-18 setback at Rutgers last week, as the Huskies endure growing pains under new coach Jedd Fisch.BetMGM Sportsbook still has the Huskies as 2 1/2-point favorites.
The undercard
Iowa (3-1, 1-0) at No. 3 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0).
The Hawkeyes have scored at least 31 points in three of its first four games under new coordinator Tim Lester, a big step forward for a team that exceeded 26 points just once last season and got shut out in its final two games. Ohio State allows the fewest points per game (6.8) of any Bowl Subdivision team. Iowa’s a 19 ½-point underdog, according to BetMGM, and will need another big performance from Kaleb Johnson, who ranks second in the nation in yards rushing (685) and is coming off a 206-yard performance against Minnesota.
Impact players
Penn State DE Abdul Carter had four tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble in No. 7 Penn State’s 21-7 triumph over No. 24 Illinois. He was the first Penn State player to have four tackles for loss in a game since 2018.
Indiana LB Aiden Fisher had 12 tackles in a 42-28 victory over Maryland. He has collected at least eight tackles in each of No. 23 Indiana’s first five games and has a Big Ten-leading 50 this season.
Oregon WR Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the sixth-ranked Ducks’ 34-13 victory at UCLA. After setting a school single-season record with 86 catches last year, Johnson already has 33 receptions through four games.
Inside the numbers
Wisconsin will try to beat Purdue for an 18th straight time on Saturday. Purdue’s last victory over Wisconsin came in 2003. … Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith has plenty of familiarity with Oregon – the Spartans’ opponent Friday – as a former Oregon State quarterback and coach. Smith went 2-4 against Oregon as Oregon State’s head coach and was 2-2 in his years as Oregon State’s quarterback. … Purdue QB Hudson Card has thrown as many touchdown passes to the opposing team (3) as to his own over the last three weeks. He has thrown a pick-6 in each of Purdue’s last three games. … Minnesota is allowing just 96.8 yards passing per game, the fewest of any FBS team.
Now don’t get upset
Indiana is 5-0 for only the third time in program history and the first time since 1967. The Hoosiers enter Saturday’s game at Northwestern as a 13 ½-point favorite, according to BetMGM. That number seems a bit large, considering the history of this series. Indiana has lost each of the last eight times it has visited Evanston and hasn’t won at Northwestern since 1993.
Wednesday was a great day to be part of Colonial Forge golf as the Eagles dominated the field, winning the Commonwealth District Championship at Augustine Golf Club in Stafford.
The par-71 course proved to be no problem for both Matt Hartley and Makayla Grubb, leading the field by shooting a 3-under 68 and 2-under 69, respectively.
Hartley earned Medalist honors with the low score for the district. Fellow Eagle Jacob Hartley rounded out a 1-2-3 finish for Colonial Forge with a 2-over 73 on the day.
As a team, the Eagles shot 19-over, finishing with a foursome score of 303. That mark was 19 strokes better than Riverbend, who finished in second shooting a 322, or 38-over, as a group. Will Wexler led the Bears, shooting a 3-over 74, good enough for fourth among individuals.
Mountain View and Stafford rounded out the top three in team competition, both shooting 62-over (346) on the day. Stafford’s Ariel Evans was fifth among individuals in the tournament, shooting a 5-over 76.
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Wednesday’s district tournament results meant that both Colonial Forge and Stafford automatically qualified for the Virginia High School League Region 5D tournament while Riverbend and Massaponax, who finished sixth among seven schools, qualified for the VHSL Region 6B tournament.
Both regional tournaments are set to take place next week, with the VHSL state championships held from Oct. 14-16.
Colonial Forge (303): Matt Hartley 68, Makayla Grubb 69, Jacob Hartley 73, William Calder 93.
Riverbend (322): Will Wexler 74, Dyllan Bell 80, Ben Neal 83, Matt Bell 85.
Mountain View (346): Caden Brown 82, Makenly Tidwell 86, Richie Frampton 89, John Gallagher 89.
Brooke Point (460): Colin Martin 104, Jordan Rendon 112, Lexi Halston 119, Lizzy Hastings 125.
GOLF
Tommy Stallings earns the individual Medalists Honors with a score of 71 to lead Culpeper in the 3B Sub-Regional quad-match at Greene Hills Golf Club.
Matthew Amos shot a 72 for the Blue Devils who fell short with a team score of 318 to the Goochland Bulldogs who shot a 314, led by Dawson Handy with a 75.
Caden Goerge shot a 74 for William Monroe who totaled 324, and Matthew Tran had a 81 for Maggie Walker who scored a 348 team total.
Culpeper will advance to the Region 3B finals on Tuesday at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club.
Culpeper (318): Tommy Stallings 71, Matthew Amos 72, Brett Richardson 86, Lucas Smith 89.
William Monroe (324): Caden Goerge 74, Carter Knick 82, Ainsley Ford 83, Landon Kullnat 85.
Maggie Walker (348): Matthew Tran 81, Anusha Rathi 83, ,Cal Vellozzi 92, Samuel Freeman 92.
FIELD HOCKEY
Chancellor 6, King George 0: Adelyn Watkins had a hand in all six of Chancellor’s goals as the visiting Chargers defeated the Foxes in a Battlefield District game.
Watkins scored three goals and had three assists as Chancellor improved to 6-0 in the district, and 6-1 overall. The Chargers also got goals from Hailey Waurio, Trinity Mason and Sofia Vivas. Ellen Gallagher assisted on three of the goals and Waurio had one assist.
Chancellor hosts Culpeper on Thursday in a battle of teams that are undefeated in the District. King George ( 0-6, 2-7) travels to James Monroe.
President Joe Biden welcomed the Gotham Football Club to the White House on Monday, the first National Women’s Soccer League championship team to have the distinction.
Biden reflected on the underdog story the team, which represents both New York and New Jersey, carried through its 2023 season. Gotham’s squad went from last in the league to defeating all its naysayers in a single year.
“You never gave up, and you kept the faith, as my mother would say,” Biden said. “You retool the roster, hired a new coach, something clicked. And after a tough season, you’re the final team to make the playoffs. The saying goes, winners simply win.”
He also noted that last year’s NSWL final set a league record with 25,011 fans attending the championship game at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
“I think it’s fair to say everyone — everyone — watches women’s sports,” Biden said.
Biden then welcomed to the stage former U.S. women’s national soccer team star Ali Krieger, who played with Gotham until her retirement last year. He noted that he was the vice president the last time he saw Krieger, who had been part of the 2015 Women’s World Cup championship team.
Krieger spoke on behalf of her teammates, who she said were “deeply honored” to be the first in the NWSL to be invited to the White House for such an achievement.
“Reflecting on my career, I recall times when women’s soccer lacked coverage and support,” Krieger said. “Our progress since those days has been remarkable, from our humble beginnings to becoming champions. Both Gotham and the NWSL have seen tremendous growth with more fans, greater engagement and increased recognition.”
The work, however, is far from over, Krieger added. Every time the players touch the field, Krieger said, they keep in mind the young girls who dream of a future in sports.
President Joe Biden is presented with a jersey from NJ/NY Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós and forward Midge Purce during a ceremony honoring their 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship in the East Room at the White House on Sept. 23, 2024.Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
Though Gotham FC is the first NSWL team to reach the White House, it is not the only women’s soccer team to be invited. Two other now-defunct leagues have been formed in the U.S. since 2000— the Women’s United Soccer Association and the Women’s Professional Soccer league.
Former President Barack Obama invited the Sky Blue FC with the WPS league to the White House in 2010, which was the New York and New Jersey team at the time. The league shut down two years later.
The NWSL has been praised for its investment in the sport, increasing viewership both in stadiums and through broadcast partnerships. In June, the NSWL reported that attendance was up 42 percent year-over-year by the league’s 12th season.
Its players’ union recently negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement that gave more control to athletes about where they play, eliminate the draft and give free agency to all players. The contract also doubles the league-minimum salary while expanding parental leave and child care benefits for players.
“This moment is not just about titles or trophies, it’s about paving the way for them being the first is historic, but it’s even more important that we ensure we are not the last,” Krieger said.
President Joe Biden welcomed the Gotham Football Club to the White House on Monday, the first National Women’s Soccer League championship team to have the distinction.
Biden reflected on the underdog story the team, which represents both New York and New Jersey, carried through its 2023 season. Gotham’s squad went from last in the league to defeating all its naysayers in a single year.
“You never gave up, and you kept the faith, as my mother would say,” Biden said. “You retool the roster, hired a new coach, something clicked. And after a tough season, you’re the final team to make the playoffs. The saying goes, winners simply win.”
He also noted that last year’s NSWL final set a league record with 25,011 fans attending the championship game at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
“I think it’s fair to say everyone — everyone — watches women’s sports,” Biden said.
Biden then welcomed to the stage former U.S. women’s national soccer team star Ali Krieger, who played with Gotham until her retirement last year. He noted that he was the vice president the last time he saw Krieger, who had been part of the 2015 Women’s World Cup championship team.
Krieger spoke on behalf of her teammates, who she said were “deeply honored” to be the first in the NWSL to be invited to the White House for such an achievement.
“Reflecting on my career, I recall times when women’s soccer lacked coverage and support,” Krieger said. “Our progress since those days has been remarkable, from our humble beginnings to becoming champions. Both Gotham and the NWSL have seen tremendous growth with more fans, greater engagement and increased recognition.”
The work, however, is far from over, Krieger added. Every time the players touch the field, Krieger said, they keep in mind the young girls who dream of a future in sports.
President Joe Biden is presented with a jersey from NJ/NY Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós and forward Midge Purce during a ceremony honoring their 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship in the East Room at the White House on Sept. 23, 2024.Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
Though Gotham FC is the first NSWL team to reach the White House, it is not the only women’s soccer team to be invited. Two other now-defunct leagues have been formed in the U.S. since 2000— the Women’s United Soccer Association and the Women’s Professional Soccer league.
Former President Barack Obama invited the Sky Blue FC with the WPS league to the White House in 2010, which was the New York and New Jersey team at the time. The league shut down two years later.
The NWSL has been praised for its investment in the sport, increasing viewership both in stadiums and through broadcast partnerships. In June, the NSWL reported that attendance was up 42 percent year-over-year by the league’s 12th season.
Its players’ union recently negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement that gave more control to athletes about where they play, eliminate the draft and give free agency to all players. The contract also doubles the league-minimum salary while expanding parental leave and child care benefits for players.
“This moment is not just about titles or trophies, it’s about paving the way for them being the first is historic, but it’s even more important that we ensure we are not the last,” Krieger said.
The death rattle was last week’s confirmation of an alliance between the South African and New Zealand national unions for reciprocal tours from 2026 onwards. It signalled the sad demise of a coalition designed to foster all of Southern Hemisphere rugby.
In that goal, Sanzar (an acronym for South Africa New Zealand Australia Rugby, later altered to Sanzaar to add Argentina) has failed miserably.
And now the two biggest boys are taking their ball and playing elsewhere, ending the Rugby Championship as a true rival to Europe’s Six Nations tournament and condemning Australia and Argentina (and Japan) to bleak commercial futures.
All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa’i following the defeat to the Springboks. Photo / Photosport
The annual Southern Hemisphere tournament is already truncated every four years due to the World Cup. Now it will be reduced further every second year to accommodate South Africa and New Zealand’s self-interest and greed.
There’s a certain irony in New Zealand and South Africa’s joint turning-of-the-back on Rugby Australia, given it was the prize of domination of the Australian pay-TV market that forced rugby to turn professional in 1995 following a monumental scrap between Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer.
“Sanzar”, then comprising the three founding unions, emerged from the chaos as the shiny new hope for international professional rugby, creating the annual Tri Nations test tournament and Super Rugby franchise competition as its prized jewels.
And, for a while there, it worked incredibly well. The Tri-Nations regularly produced more spectacular rugby than the Six Nations. And the thought that any European club team could hold a candle to the winning Super Rugby champions was considered laughable.
How the wheel has turned.
After bringing in Argentina, Sanzaar flirted for decades with Japan and exploited rather than assisted the Pacific Island nations (with New Zealand and Australia the main beneficiaries).
But in the end, the opportunity to build a southern version of the Six Nations alliance was squandered. And for that, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has to shoulder most of the blame.
NZR’s hubris before and during the Covid pandemic when it attempted to become the sole owner of the Super Rugby competition to entice a bigger fee from private-equity suitors Silver Lake has bitten it back harder than anybody could have predicted.
It resulted in the South Africans taking their Super Rugby teams to Europe, kicking off an unforeseen but predictable decline in New Zealand rugby standards through the loss of regular contact with the Republic. And it alienated the Australians and Argentines.
Little wonder what we’ve ended up with: a limp Super Rugby Pacific competition still dominated by Kiwi franchises, a Wallabies team that are a mere shadow of the John Eales-led era when they (temporarily) became the All Blacks’ greatest foes and Argentina stalled as a growing superpower by being handed fewer games against the Boks and All Blacks.
Murdoch paid US$555 million ($903m) for the first 10 years of Sanzar’s broadcasting rights, which at roughly a third each per national union represented around US$18m ($29m) to Rugby Australia annually.
Three decades on, the same Australian rights are only worth an extra two million dollars at A$29m ($31m) – a massive failure by Sanzaar given the explosive growth of sports rights globally.
Sanzar’s inability to work collectively to develop the most lucrative broadcasting market available to it is a glaring example of its negligence as a meaningful rugby body.
‘Desperate’ NZR hitches a ride on the Springboks express
In the wake of Sanzaar’s implosion, NZR has thrown its arms up in despair and headed for the exit door on the arm of South Africa, who suddenly is our new beau.
That, of course, has everything to do with short-term opportunism.
With the Richie McCaw-Dan Carter era consigned to fading memories, the Springboks have suddenly stepped forward as the game’s new giants.
Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, an era “consigned to fading memories”, Sports Insider writes. Photo / Photosport
That’s inconvenient for us, given the narrative NZR sold to gain private equity investment (you know, “you’re buying into the best team in the history of world sport”). But it also presented the only real commercial growth opportunity identified since jumping in bed with Silver Lake.
That’s what last week’s announcement of a “strategic alliance” with the South Africans was really about.
There’s money to be made out of the historical battle between both nations. Indeed, should we be surprised that the marketing theme for the new pact is “The Greatest Rugby Rivalry”?
It makes sense because fans in both nations have a hankering for the nostalgic return of “old-style tours” and All Blacks-Springboks clashes are consistently a cut above all other tests (when not ruined by match officials).
What doesn’t make sense is how the commercials worked back in the tour days.
Under International Rugby Board (the IRB, before it became World Rugby) rules, host nations retain all commercial rights including broadcasting from tours while paying the visiting team’s travel and accommodation expenses.
It is also why an extra test – beyond the three to be played in the Republic in 2026 and three here when the Boks tour in 2030 – has been scheduled. It will be played offshore, probably in the US or Europe, to further raise the revenue haul for the two unions.
It is also why an extra test – beyond the three to be played in the Republic in 2026 and three here when the Boks tour in 2030 – has been scheduled. It will be played offshore, probably in the US or Europe, to further raise the revenue haul for the two unions.
Sports Insider moles say the deal is already paying off. South African broadcaster SuperSport has written out a massive cheque for rights to the reciprocal tours and offshore tests.
A desperate NZR is also likely to use the alliance to beef up the content supplied to Sky NZ in the next tranche of broadcasting rights, hopefully minimising an anticipated fall in value during negotiations currently under way.
New Zealand is fortunate we are flavour of the month with South Africa right now. We saw the passion of the fanbase at Ellis Park and Newlands over the past fortnight over a clash with the rugby nation they respect the most.
That’s lucky for us, even if it adds substantial pressure to stop the rot against the Boks. After all, a rivalry is only a rivalry when neither side is regularly dominating the other.
But where does all of this leave Australia?
Australian rugby has every right to be ‘seriously pissed off’
Sports Insider’s spies across the ditch tell me that Rugby Australia is “seriously pissed off” with their New Zealand colleagues over the diminishing of the Rugby Championship as an annual product.
But the size of the South African SuperSport cheque has allowed NZR to throw the Australians a token gesture.
The Wallabies will miss out as New Zealand and South Africa make their own rugby deal. Photo / Photosport
To compensate the Australians while the Boks and All Blacks wander off to play their own games and the Wallabies and Argentina’s Pumas twiddle their thumbs, we’ve come up with the genius idea of an Anzac Day test.
The All Blacks will play the Wallabies in Perth on Anzac weekend in 2026, giving the Aussies a sap the same year the full tour of South Africa occurs.
Rugby Australia will get much-needed income, including the Western Australian state government hosting Super Rugby Pacific’s “Super Round”, involving all teams, the same weekend as the test.
It means taking All Blacks and Wallabies contenders out of Super Rugby for two rounds and effectively ruining the competition even further, but what the heck… the Aussies needed to be pacified somehow.
If it all sounds crazy and cynical, it might be because it is.
Sanzaar has failed to understand scarcity can be a winner in elite sport. The Six Nations works because each country only plays each other once a year. It’s an occasion and every test counts.
Instead we try to jam in as many as three Bledisloe Cup tests most years and wonder why they have lost their lustre.
The US podcaster taking shots at Auckland
Sometimes you need an outsider to point out the bleeding obvious.
Cue American podcaster Ryen Russillo from the huge American sports and popular culture site, The Ringer.
His popular Russillo On The Road podcasts regularly draw massive audiences among sports fans interested in travelling the world to experience new sport and cultural experiences.
Russillo was a guest of the New Zealand Breakers. His almost two-hour long podcast on his Kiwi experiences is at times funny, sometimes insightful and occasionally piercing.
In short, he loved New Zealand, especially Queenstown, but Auckland… meh!
The City of Sails simply didn’t do it for him. In fact, he likened it to being similar to the “outskirts of a small Canadian city”.
His ultimate advice to his huge audience – “spend a day in Auckland and then get out and go to the South Island”.
Russillo wasn’t being uncharitable. He admitted to long harbouring a desire to visit New Zealand and had anticipated Auckland being the highlight of his trip.
Instead, after a 13-hour flight and checking into a CBD hotel, he went walking and was delighted to find a beautiful harbour at the bottom of the street. The only trouble was “it was all industrial”.
“So got to the hotel, did the excited energy walk… the city of Auckland? Not blown away,” he said. “It reminded me of some of the outskirts of small cities in Canada.”
“It’s got all this incredible water at the north part of the city… but there’s no park. The problem is the waterfront is all very industrial. It’s all just ports… the port is almost the entire line of walking this main northernmost part of the street closest to the water.
“It doesn’t have the layout it should for the waterline that it has… I’m just being honest.”
Russillo was disappointed with how Auckland’s waterfront presented itself. He had expected better. Where’s the sporting precinct? Why aren’t there more public facilities for people to enjoy along the harbour?
At the same time, those of us who tuned into the live rugby in Cape Town last Sunday morning were greeted with spectacular images surrounding Newlands Stadium with fans enjoying food and drinks in brilliant sunshine by the water before a leisurely stroll to a magnificent venue basking in a stunning sunset.
Cape Town’s waterfront venue looked great last weekend – a stark contrast with Auckland. Photo / 123rf
Call South Africa a third world country all you like… Cape Town didn’t present like that to the world last weekend. The stadium and its surrounding areas were vibrant and pulsing.
And so we continue to miss a trick: Eden Park advocates denigrate a waterfront stadium option while expecting the likes of Russillo to check into a motel in Kingsland if he wants to have a sports experience in our biggest city.
So instead of talking up Auckland as a sports destination, Russillo laments the lack of vision while driving past Eden Park as a taxi passenger on his way to the airport to cut short his visit so he can head elsewhere in Aotearoa.
Aucklanders, are you listening?
Team of the Week
Anna Grimaldi: Spared New Zealand blushes at the Paralympics by ensuring the team returned with a gold medal and showed off her bountiful personality along the way.
St Thomas of Canterbury College: The little Christchurch school that can successfully defended their national rugby league championship, beating Auckland’s De La Salle in the final and showing the Warriors where the best young talent currently lies.
Aaron Gate: The reigning New Zealand Sportsman of the Year is taking his spectacular mullet and stepping away from the cycling track to concentrate on road racing, signing for a leading European team competing on the UCI World Tour.
