- By Henry Lee, AUT Journalism Student
East Auckland school pupil Kendra Scully is among the Kiwis who competed as part of New Zealand’s Underwater Hockey teams in the age-group world championships in Malaysia.
The New Zealand teams had a successful tournament overall, winning the under-24 Men’s, under-24 Women’s and under-19 Men’s age groups respectively.
Kendra’s under-19 Women’s team finished third, only losing one game in the semi-final against runners-up France.
She might have only played underwater hockey for a few years, but she’s enjoyed recent international success in the pool.
Underwater hockey has a community-based feel and is mostly played at high school.
Underwater Hockey New Zealand (UWHNZ) hosts multiple age-group events throughout the year, as well as sending teams to world events.
Kendra is a student leader at Howick College. The school’s had a big impact on her sporting career, having created a pathway in a sport that historically hasn’t had much support.
“The coaches of my Howick team are amazing,” she says.
“They’re so committed to the sport and have a true passion for it. They have constantly given me advice and helpful tips on my play and worked with me one-on-one to improve my skills.”
Scully has been a part of the training squad for this event for over a year, with the team having national camps every couple of months in Auckland and Wellington to prepare.
When asked about the busy training schedule in the lead-up, she says she was swimming seven times a week, sometimes twice in one day, as well as doing multiple gym sessions to give herself the best opportunity in Kuala Lumpur.
“The preparation has been very full on,” Kendra says.
“We’ve had a two-year campaign of training camps. For example, we had the build phase which was the beginning of the two-year cycle and slowly the training load grew more and more.”
Being selected for a national team is always an honour, and it was no different for Kendra.
“It was very surreal. I couldn’t quite believe it. I was so happy I felt like all my training had paid off.
“We had a final training camp up in Auckland. At this camp we just played each other for two days and at the end the team list was posted of who made the team.”
Kendra believes the squad’s culture and belief come from the connections built during the long lead-up to the event.
“I love the team. They’re all so supportive. We have good laughs but are always switched on during games and we understand each other in and out of the pool.”
Having her family over in Kuala Lumpur with her every step of the way has been special for Kendra.
“It’s amazing. I’m so grateful for their support and I loved being there to watch me and my team take on the world.”
Older brother Ethan Scully expresses how proud the family are of Kendra.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Kendra representing New Zealand in the manner she did with nothing but professionalism. She made everyone proud.
“To see the hard work pay off was very pleasing for all of us.”
