SPORTS CAPTAINS
Hugh Oyanagi began playing basketball when he was 10 years old. Hugh loves the game for many reasons. This is where he has developed most of the friendships he has today.
Hugh has been a member of the Senior A Boys Basketball team since he was in Year 9. His values and work ethic reflect that of Trident and Trident Basketball which has seen him become a valuable member and leader within the Basketball whanau.
Hugh is a NZ born Japanese and speaks Japanese fluently. His achievements also extend off the court as Hugh is the Deputy head boy, a member of the Trident Band playing saxophone and piano and is amongst the top academic students.
This year will see Hugh reach the milestone of playing 100 games for the Trident Senior A team. Hugh will be the second player to ever accomplish this, illustrating his committment and dedication to the sport, team and Trident High School.
Hugh Oyanagi
BASKETBALL- SENIOR A BOYS
Janelle Thompson-Akurangi is of Tuhoe descent and is a year 13 student.
Janelle has been playing Basketball since she was 14 years old and plays Point Guard for the Senior A girls team. She has been a member of this team for 3 years.
Janelle always plays with intensity and gives it her all. She has the ability to shake off distractions that can occur in a game and refocus as she wants to lead by example for the rest of her teammates.
Janelle enjoys playing Basketball because she likes “the idea of the game, how competitive it is and the intensity of the game”.
Her advice to Year 9 students is “to not disrespect the people who are trying to help you and go to all of your classes.”
Janelle Thompson-Akurangi
BASKETBALL- SENIOR A GIRLS
Elijah Wetting-Davidson is a Year 12 student and has been playing Football for at least 11 years.
He is passionate about the game and his favourite team is Newcastle who he has grown up supporting. Elijah's favourite sports person is Zlatan Ibrahimovic “because I admire his overconfidence as it's something I could never achieve”.
Elijah's achievements include winning the Trident Junior Cross Country Champion Award, Junior Boys Football Player of the Year and academically, Elijah has gained Excellence Endorsement from Year 9-11.
Elijah Wetting-Davidson
FOOTBALL- 1st XI BOYS
Rikki Fitzgerald was born and bred in Opotiki and is of Whakatohea descent.
Rikki plays centre back/defender in the Trident team that she captains. She has played football since she was 8 years old and enjoys it because it keeps her fit and she gets to play alongside friends.
Rikki has been in the 1st XI since she was a Year 9 and has also done well in other sports. She has made various BOP Rugby teams in both 7s and 15 a side and was a member of the Mount Marlins Women's club team that won the Baywide Premiership last year. Rikki has also played Rugby League and Basketball and was the Trident Junior Swim Champion as a Year 9.
Rikki’s achievements and leadership skills extend outside of sports as well. She has achieved Academic Excellence in Level 2 and is a School Prefect.
Rikki’s advice to Year 9 students is to “give everything a go and don’t be shy to put yourself out there”.
Interesting facts about Rikki- “I have never dyed my hair. Never moved houses in my life. I have 4 siblings, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. I have never been to the South Island.”
Rikki Fitzgerald
FOOTBALL- 1st XI GIRLS
Jenna Toone is a year 13 student and the captain of the 1st XI Girls hockey team.
Jenna has played hockey for 10 years starting as a student at Allandale Primary School. She really enjoys the team culture that has been built here at Trident.
Jenna is a member of the BOP u18 Hockey team and also played in the Whakatane Women's team that won the Baywide competition this season. “These opportunities have given me the chance to develop my hockey further and compete at a higher level. Being the captain has given me the chance to share my passion for hockey and to lead my teammates through the season and Tournament week”.
I hope to continue playing hockey when I leave school.
Jenna Toone
HOCKEY- GIRLS 1ST XI
Bradley Rothwell is the captain of the Boys 1st XI hockey team for 2022.
Bradley has played hockey for 10 years,d starting in year 4 of primary school.
He enjoys playing hockey “due to his competitive nature and getting out there and having a good time on the turf with the boys.”
Bradley has represented Bay of Plenty Hockey at U13, U15 and U18 levels and was selected for the NZ U18 performance Squad.
Bradley Rothwell
HOCKEY- BOYS 1ST XI
Jessie has played netball for 9 years starting when she was a Year 4 at primary school.
Jessie enjoys playing netball for Trident “because of the culture and the values that Trident netball has given to me throughout the years. It has taught me more than just netball and also taught me how to be a better person”.
The advice Jessie offers to Year 9s “that are looking to play netball for Trident is to give it a go and be committed but most importantly take all opportunities and learnings that are presented to you and use them to your advantage”.
Jessie-Lee Graham
NETBALL- SENIOR PREMIER
Layla Rowland has been Orienteering since she was Year 7/8 where she would go with her dad and run around with the high school students.
Layla enjoys Orienteering because it gets her outdoors, running, spending time with her friends and learning new skills.
Through this sport she has been introduced to Get 2 Go and Adventure Racing where the skill sets are similar. In learning how to read a map she has also learned how to retrace her steps if she becomes lost.
Some of Layla's sporting achievements include becoming the Trident Junior Girl Swimming Champ, breaking a school record in discus and making the 1st XI Girls Hockey team.
“My advice to year 9s would be give everything a go because you could have a talent you didn’t realise and many great Olympians don’t start their sport until their later years in high school. As Trident offers many opportunities whether it’s cultural, academic or sport there will be many to participate in and give a go.”
Interesting facts about Layla: She is the eldest of four siblings and they are all a very active and competing family,
Layla Rowland
ORIENTEERING
Molly Byford is a Year 11 Student at Trident and the captain of the Girls U18 team.
Molly plays either flanker or hooker for Trident. She has been playing since she was a Year 7 where she played boys teams and was the only girl in the teams. This did not phase her as she has grown up amongst rugby with her family.
Molly is a competitive person and enjoys the competitiveness of rugby. She also loves the sport and the feeling of playing well and winning.
Molly has made BOP u16 teams for rugby and league and captained the teams. She also captained the EBOP U16s last year where her team won the tournament.
Molly Byford
GIRLS RUGBY
Zion Wipaki-McLarin co captains Tridents 1st XV Rugby team and is a Year 13 student. Zion is of Ngati Tuwharetoa decent.
He plays openside flanker for the 1st XV and has been playing rugby for 10 years.
Zion enjoys “playing with the brothers and winning”.
He has also been named as the captain of the EBOP Under 18 boys team that will compete in the Youth Development Cup.
Other sporting achievements include representing Bay of Plenty in touch rugby.
Zion Wipaki-McLarin
1st XV RUGBY
Ethan Forbes is a Year 13 and a School Prefect. He co captains the 1st XV team and is a vice captain of the EBOP Under 18 boys representative team.
Ethan has played Rugby for 11 years and enjoys the game because he gets to form great friendships with a lot of people.
Ethan plays fullback and first five in the schools 1st XV and has represented Bay of Plenty Roller Mills and Bay of Plenty Maori’s under 15s and recently attended a Chiefs Maori Under 18 Camp.
Ethan also played cricket for the school team and has represented BOP Lakelands in cricket.
Ethan Forbes
1st XV RUGBY
Ayla Rowe has been playing UWH for 7 years. She is a natural leader that is always ready to lend a hand organising and getting her team ready. She has successfully captained her Junior Girls team as a year 10 and for the last 2 years as Senior Captain. Her leadership qualities are reflected in her also being selected as a School Prefect.
Ayla was selected for the Mid Northern u18 representative team that placed 3rd at Nationals. This is also where she was selected in the u18 New Zealand squad.
Ayla enjoys UWH as “it is a unique sport with so many opportunities within it. The support and the people behind and in the sport are unlike any other of the sports I play which creates a friendly accepting environment. I now have friends all over the country through UW hockey and get to see and compete against them at tournaments.”
Ayla represents Trident in the 1st XI Girls Football team and in Rowing where she placed in the top 20 girls u18 single scullers at MAADI Cup 2021.
Her advice to Year 9s is to “Get involved with as much as you can. You will meet a variety of different people as well as gain new experiences in different areas. This can also be beneficial if you don't know what you're doing after High School.”
Ayla Rowe
UNDERWATER HOCKEY- SENIOR GIRLS
Jamie Forsyth is a Year 11 student and captain of the Senior Open Underwater Hockey team.
Jamie plays centre but is able to cover other positions if needed. He is a gifted athlete who started playing UWH as a Year 9 and quickly became one of our strongest players.
He was chosen for Captain based on his knowledge of the game and his rapport with the different team members.
Jamie enjoys UWH “because learning skills is fun as well as it being hugely teamwork- based. Also, having friends on my team makes the environment more fun.
An achievement for Jamie in UWH was qualifying with the seniors as a junior for Nationals.
Jamie Forsyth
UNDERWATER HOCKEY- SENIOR OPEN
Braxton Knowles is of Tuhoe, Whakatohea and Te Whanau A Apanui descent.
He is a Year 13 student and has played volleyball since he was in Year 10.
Braxton is an outside/opposite hitter for his Trident team.
He enjoys playing volleyball “because I love the competitiveness and the ongoing challenges as well as the technical side of the game. I also enjoy meeting lots of new people and gaining connections with them. But I just love the overall game and anything to do with it.”
Braxton joined the Trident A team in 2021 which came 2nd at the Secondary School Nationals. Braxton was also named as a member of the Bay of Plenty Under 19 team.
The advice Braxton would give to Year 9s is “to get involved in as much as you can”.
An interesting fact about Braxton is that he is an Ambidextrous volleyball player.
Braxton Knowles
VOLLEYBALL - SENIOR BOYS