Yes, the above was the headline on Cook Islands TV when advertising the latest issue of the Times.

Jeff got some gentle ribbing (Eek! a horrible pun!) from fellow triathletes when he went along to our weekly race to do some marshalling.

Cook Islands News Monday 30 March:

Luxury, comfort and convenience are all part of the purpose in choosing Rarotonga’s Edgewater Resort as the official accommodators for the World Youth Netball Championships.
The organisers are thrilled to have the Edgewater Resort & Spa confirmed as the event hotel.
This means that the Edgewater Resort & Spa will accommodate all the members of the under 21 teams, along with team management, officials, delegates from all of the netball playing nations of the world, invited VIPs from overseas and members of the IFNA board – which comes to around 450 people!
The Edgewater is ideally placed for this, being just minutes from the new stadium and having such a wide range of accommodation options. Some of the villas have been snapped up by the teams as they will provide a perfect environment for some rest and recreation for the teams between their games.
With Roland Neururer as the food and beverage manager – an accomplished multi-sports national athlete in his own right – the teams can be totally assured that all meals will be designed with their special needs as athletes in competition in mind.
The ubiquitous ‘Pina Colada’ will definitely not be on the menu for these girls! Representatives from the English and New Zealand teams have indicated that they are delighted with the choice of event hotel, describing it as “perfect”.
Their only concern being that in such idyllic surroundings and with the lure of the beach out front, they may have some difficulty in getting the girls to focus on the netball!
The resort’s general manager, Emile Kairua, says the WYNC is a great event for the country as a whole and it comes at a time when we need a big cash injection into the economy.
“For the Edgewater Resort & Spa, it is a great time to test the skills and resources that we have available locally. It’s an exciting challenge with some fantastic logistical challenges to prepare for.
“Our F&B team, under the able leadership of long time F&B guru Roland Neururer, has the massive task of ensuring every netballer and official gets the right balance of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner – that’s 600 mouths to feed three times a day.”
Kairua says they will be looking for additional workers for the two weeks of the netball festival and the resort invites anyone with food and beverage, housekeeping and security experience to contact Lynn Mataio.

SUPPORTERS: For accommodation just 500 metres from the Edgewater, check out what we have to offer here at The Cooks Oasis.

From Jeff ...

Had a good race (for me) at the Annual Tinman Triathlon - 1200m lagoon swim, 31km around the island bike and 10km run. 1 hour and 40 minutes a bit slow, but OK relative to the rest of the field.

Next day decided to pass on the regular Sunday morning bike ride - big mistake.

Instead set off early on Easter Monday for a gentle spin around the island. In Ngatangiia found a pot hole that I hadn't noticed before - this time I noticed it by falling into it!

Short story - big hole in leg, minor "abrasions", cracked ribs 3 and 6.

Result - can't do the Air New Zealand Rarotonga International Triathlon coming up 2 May which is a real blow. I've done the race in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and was really looking foward to it again.

Grrrr. Guess it's my turn to be a marshall.

Jeff gets his name in the paper!

The Cook Islands Games triathlon was held at new venue - trialing a course for the Pacific Mini Games later this year.

The course was based in Avatui and around the International airport. While not a traditional "pacific Island" race with lagoon swim etc., it was a good course and very spectator friendly. We only did half the distance that will be used for the mini games, making it a 750 swim/20 km Bike/5 km run.

To add excitement the race was between the vaka's of Rarotonga + plus a sole Penryn athlete. The team medals were based on 3 person teams, at least one having to be female. The total times of the first three from each vaka calculated to place Vaka Takitumu with gold and Vaka Puaikura (including ... drum roll ... JEFF!) second with the silver.

Good race, great organisation and camaradie

Thanks Kevin, Mona and crew!

Source www.cookislandsnews.com

Wednesday 25 March: Everything is all go for the Cook Islands Games which kick off in 10 days time.
All 15 codes which will be competed for at the Pacific Mini Games – except weightlifting – along with open water swimming, basketball and volleyball, are on the games schedule which begins on Friday April 3.
Cook Islands Sports & National Olympic Committee development officer and games coordinator Siniva Marsters says the games will involve up to 30 athletes from Aitutaki, and a number of gold medallists from past Manea and Purapura Games. As well as the three vaka on Rarotonga, Marsters says there will be combined Manea (in netball and squash) and Purapura (in netball and touch football) zone teams, as well as representatives from the individual islands. Members of the under 21 netball squad are expected to field a team in the games competition
Athletics attracts participation from 13 teams while the three vaka are the only competitors in swimming, boxing and triathlon.
Sailing will be held in Aitutaki – the venue for the mini games event.
Marsters says that some of the young athletes who competed in last year’s Manea and the 2006 Purapura Games are living or schooling in Rarotonga, and will take part in the one-week games.
These include national javelin record-holder Denis Taripo from Mauke and sprinter Tere Parima who has been living in Aitutaki for the past three years. Javelin thrower Daniel Tutai from Aitutaki will compete at the games and he is being tipped to attend the World Youth Athletics championships in Australia in July.
A couple of the Aitutaki sprinters Tira’a Arere and Pi David will also be running at the games. The Cook Islands Games are a test run for the mini games in September and October, and it is also a chance for codes to finalise their participants for the big event.
“Everything is all go – we are looking forward to the games,” adds Marsters. - Moana Moeka’a

POOL A

New Zealand
N. Ireland
Scotland
Trinidad and Tobago
Barbados

POOL B

Australia
Cook Islands
Malaysia
Wales
Vanuatu

POOL C

England
Fiji
Botswana
Samoa
South Africa

POOL D

Jamaica
PNG
Malawi
Singapore
USA

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - Jamaica Observer

MANCHESTER, England (CMC) - Caribbean sides Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados have been drawn in the same pool for the 2009 World Youth Netball Championship (WYNC) in the Cook Islands this summer.

For the August 11-20 WYNC Championship, the unseeded Barbados and T&T will contest Pool A with defending champions New Zealand, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

Fourth-seeded Jamaica, the third Caribbean side in the tournament, head Pool D.

The draw for the WYNC was done at the IFNA Board Meeting in Los Angeles last week.

The Jamaicans, who were runners-up at the 2001 WYNC in Wales and fourth at the 2005 Championship in Florida, will play alongside the USA, Papua New Guinea, Malawi, and Singapore in their Pool D draw.

Pool B will have ex-champions Australia, hosts Cook Islands, Malaysia, Wales, and Vanuatu, while England, the runners-up in Florida four years ago, Fiji, Botswana, Samoa, and South Africa are in Pool C.

The top 20 international youth teams will compete in the WYNC slated for a brand new indoor multi-sports venue.

At the last WYNC in Florida in 2005, New Zealand emerged champions by defeating England in the final.

England were surprise runners-up, while dethroned champions Australia picked up the bronze medal ahead of Jamaica.

In the semi-finals, England had beaten Jamaica and New Zealand toppled Australia.

The young Silver Ferns defeated England in the final and Australia outgunned Jamaica 61-44 to take third place.

Cook Islands News Tuesday 24 March 2009:

New CEO appoints new team, sets budget around $5 million
Pacific Mini Games chief executive Mac Mokoroa says a letter is being drafted to reply to concerns raised by South Pacific Games Council president Vidhya Lakhan.
Lakhan, who visited Rarotonga last week, said that he had concerns over last minute changes to the organising committee management, and some areas which are not in compliance with the games charter.
Mokoroa confirms that changes have been made in the organising committee, and all managers working in the various areas have now been identified.
Previously there were nine directors and this has now been reduced to six.
“No one has been sacked – we’ve had to identify the right people to take up these responsibilities,” says Mokoroa. “We’ve reduced the number of the directors and merged some of the work that these directors can look after, and then found who are the ideal people who can work under them.”
The six directors are Priscilla Maruariki (administration & finance), Nooroa ‘Bim’ Tou (marketing & communications), Pa Epi Mana (infrastructure, logistics & support services), Sonny Williams (staging & programming), Robert Graham (sports), and Frances Topa-Apera (outer islands). With government being the shareholder in the company charged with organising the games, Mokoroa says it has been important to bring on people like Maruariki and Epi Mana, who replaces Stuart Henry, in government to assist.
Tou, who resigned as CEO of the organising committee in 2007, takes over from Nick Henry who with Karla Eggelton is now focussing on sponsorship, while former Tauranga Vananga boss Williams is in charge of areas such as the opening, closing and medal ceremonies, cultural activities, and protocol.
The outer islands is a new ‘portfolio’ and Mokoroa says that those living outside of Rarotonga also have a stake in the games. Graham, who was seconded from the Cook Islands Sports & National Olympic Committee, is the new sports director, taking over from Mark Brown.
As for Williams’ position, Mokoroa says that he has been taken on to oversee his area, and also to be second-in-charge of the organisation.
Mokoroa admits that Williams’ position was not advertised but with less than six months to go, he says time is of the essence, and that Williams has been identified as a person who has the necessary skills to carry out the required tasks.
Williams, Willie John, Teresa Noovao and Terai Ama are the employees at organisation, while Mokoroa, as chief of staff of the office of the prime minister, and Graham, have been seconded to the organising committee.
He adds that they will be looking to take on another person by the beginning of next month.
Mokoroa says they are still looking at the budget, and he believes this will push over the $5 million mark – about a million more than what was forecast a year ago. He says he has been looking through all aspects of organising the games since being appointed as CEO last month. “I’ve been finding out where we are at and moving ahead. Most of the stuff has or is being ordered and we are hoping to finalise the budget this week.” Mokoroa says that the materials for the stadium synthetic track, tennis centre and second bowling rink should arrive on the next boat.
“It can be done, we’ve got to be positive about these things. All we have to do is keep a cool head and make sure that these things happen.”
At the end of the week, Mokoroa and games minister Wilkie Rasmussen are due to fly to Queenstown, New Zealand, to address the SPG council executive meeting, on the concerns raised by Lakhan. - MM