The U16 Boys and Girls arrived into Honolulu excited and ready to take on the teams from all over America and Australia.  The first three days the teams were able to become accustomed to the weather conditions and had sea trainings as well as pool trainings. The players had time shopping and eating at some of the amazing restaurants around town as well as spending a day on a sightseeing tour around the island which included a swim with the local turtles.

Day one of the tournament saw our boys playing Coronado who are from the mainland. It was unchartered waters for our boys who had never played outside before and it took a lot of time to come to terms with the wind, sun and glare. The boys perhaps should have won this game but it became clear at half time that they were finding the conditions harder than expected. They came away with a loss 4-7.

The second game of the event saw North Harbour take on Poway Valley and our boys had taken on board much of what they learnt the day before. The kiwi boys came out and stamped their mark on the game immediately leading 5-1 into the second quarter. A number of missed opportunities by our boys showed we had the capability to take on these teams from the States. The boys continued to improve showing signs of the talent they have and took the game 11-2.

The third game for our boys in Waikiki was against the home school Iolani. The boys competition was being held at their school pool so they knew the conditions well. At times the wind comes down from the mountains and causes havoc for those not used to playing in this outdoor pool. The Harbour boys started out well and continued to put pressure on the home boys. Again there were a few missed opportunities with the ball hitting the bar several times but they came away with a win 13-4 with help from manager Megan Brown. Good win today.

The boys fourth game was the first of the day so they set out to the pool just after seven. Chelsea Geary was coaching the team this morning and it was against one of the top teams here Villa Park from the mainland. The first quarter was tight all the way and was still scoreless at the end of the first quarter. The Harbour boys were beginning to struggle against the big boys from Villa Park and the game ended with a loss 4-9 but heaps learnt towards the second game of the day against Honolulu.

With Coach Carevic back in the chair the boys started off strong and continued to counter well and steal a number of balls from the team from Honolulu. This team is made up of a number of players from the local colleges here in Honolulu. The team from North Harbour had to win this game to get through the round robin games so a lot was at stake. They showed their determination throughout and took the game 12-5.

Saturday evening saw the boys take on the team from Hawaiian Islands. Although North Harbour had already qualified in the top four this game was going to be hard and by no means did they take this game any less seriously. At times teams have great games and then other times not so great. We started brilliantly and was sitting at 4-0 at the end of the first quarter and things looked good for our boys. Unfortunately the boys starting making a number of unforced errors, a few bad passes and we saw the lead reduced to 4-3 with 20 seconds remaining. A steal by one of the HI boys saw the game finish with a draw 4-4. Although this did not change the overall standings with our boys playing for 3/4^th it did teach our boys some important lessons going forward.

Tomorrow up for bronze.

This tournament was about learning to play this game in a different environment, having the opportunity to play teams from other countries and taking on board some valuable game time heading towards Nationals in NZ in October and we believe the boys have benefitted immensely.

The girls team had time out at the beach doing several different trainings and loved it. With the sun in their faces and their new training bikinis being tested in the cool water they worked hard to come to terms with playing outside.

The first game of the tournament was against Honolulu. Our girls played a structured game and didn’t allow the girls from Honolulu to get into the game. North Harbour came away with a win 12-1 which was a great start for the first day.

The second day saw our girls take on Agoura who are from California. This game was always going to be hard with several of the Agoura girls in the national programme. Our team started well and at all times played as a solid team. Despite winning the game 8-2 it was a tough game and at times it could have been very different. It was great to see the girls under pressure and not buckle. Coach Payne was pleased with the effort.

Thursday saw the girls take on the team from Australia Stella Maris. This group of girls are very strong and it was obvious right from the start this was a game that either team could win. Our girls played a solid defensive game and at times showed some fantastic team work. They came through with a win 6-4.

Friday saw our girls take on the team from Honolulu Islands. Our girls were beginning to feel the effects of being away from home and the heat and found it hard to play the best possible game. The goals came early for North Harbour and at half time they were ahead by one. The second half of the game went goal for goal and it wasn’t until the last 15 seconds of the game when the girls took position of the ball for the last time that they knew they had it in the bag – a win 4-3. What a fantastic game to watch.

The final round robin game was against Rebel WP from California. The girls were playing all their games at the Punahou Pool which happens to be the school Mr Obama attended as a student. This game was expected to be slightly easier and the girls came away with a win 11-2.

Ready for the finals tomorrow against Stella Maris the girls were having an early night. After the final they will spend some time shopping and hanging out in the beautiful city of Hawaii.