N.P. basketballer in NZ team

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 28, 3 December 1985, Page 20

N.P. basketballer in NZ team

Marie Taituma of National Park has been selected to play for the New Zealand Universities Indoor Basketball team. One of fourJVlassey University players selected for the New Zealand team, she will be travelling to the South Pacific Universities Tournament in Fiji in February. Twenty year old Marie Taituma, a Massey University social work student, started her basketball career in Taumarunui, playing for the local high school. She made the under-1 6s in Taumarunui, went on to the local Women's Reps and joined the Wanderers ladies team there. In 1983, after moving to Upper Hutt, she was selected for the Hutt Valley Ladies Reps.

Marie went to Palmerston North for university in 1984 and played for the Palmerston North Reps and the city's national league team. At the moment Marie is training hard for the Fiji tournament. Although the team must do most of their training alone, they will get together just before the trip for a training camp. Marie needs $ 1 200 to pay for her trip, part of which will be raised by a raffle organised by her mother, and the Taumarunui Indoor Basketball Association has donated $200. Mrs Taituma said that support from Raetihi, Ohakune and Taumarunui people has been fantastic. Marie is also president of the Massey University Basketball Club and secretary of the New Zealand Universities Basketball Association.