TAUPO MARCHING GIRLS

Taupo Times, Volume III, Issue 110, 5 March 1954, Page 1

TAUPO MARCHING GIRLS

HONOURS AT TE PUKE Showing a marked improvement since their previous competition the Taupo Crusaders competed with distinetion at the Te Puke Girls' Marching Championships last Saturday. The team was successful in winning the Novice Teams Championship and was 3rd equal in the Open Street March Championship. Fourteen teams in all, took part and the maze march of about 150 girls' at the finish of the competition was a spectacle well worth seeing. Taupo's team must be one of the youngest in New Zealand competing as seniors. The ages of members of the team vary from 12 years to 18 years and the average age is 14i years. Probably 18 years would be the average age in most teams and of the 5000 or 6000 girls registered in New Zealand many are married women, and a good number are over 30 years of age. At Te Puke on Saturday the Taupo Crusaders contained one glrl who was marching in her first competition and for four others it

was only their second appearance at a competition. Following the presentation of trophies the chief judge congratulated the Crusaders on their style of marching and predicted that they would go much .further with concentration, practice and experience. The team comprised: Shona George, leader; Mina Scott, marker; Susan Rewa, Margaret Fulljames, Judith Galbraith, Keren Reid, Harriet- Rewa, Maadi Houerh.

Gillian Woodward, Carol Armishaw, Valerie Houghton and Hillarie Harnett. Yvonne Sharp was not available. Results Some of the Championship results are as follows. (There were no handicap events) : Street March, open — Royalettes, Rotorua 1; Coronettes, Opotiki 2; Crusaders, Taupo and Movettes, Te Puke equal 3. Open March Championship — Legionaires, Rotorua 1; Highlanders, Tauranga 2; Caledonian, Opotiki 3. Novice March Championship — Crusaders, Taupo 1; Alouettes, Tauranga 2; Mowettes, Te Puke 3. The Crusaders are scheduled to take part in competitions at Rotoura, tomorrow, Saturday March 6, and hope to take part in a demon- j stration of girls' marching at Reporoa on Saturday, March 13, with a view to assisting in the formation of a local team there. It is possible that with the formation of teams at Reporoa, Tokoroa and Tokaanu a new centre could be set up taking in, say, Rotorua, Putaruru and Matamata. This would help to overcome the handicap of long travelling and its encumbent expense as is the lot of those teams which at present are at the southern end of the Bay of Plenty Centre. Taupo hopes to sponsor at least two teams next season and has been fortunate in locating a second] instructor who has had vast ex-| perience in training marching teams. Local teams intend to carry out light training throughout the winter with a view to making an early start on the new season's i march plans in August. i