December 06, 2017
Scholarship boosts badminton hopes
This year’s winner of the Skills Active Maori Sports Scholarship says the $5000 will help with a planned move to Europe to get the international experience she needs to reach the Olympics of Commonwealth Games.
Erena Calder-Hawkins has already represented New Zealand in badminton at World Junior Championships in Peru and Spain as well as winning the Australian Junior International competition in 2016.
She says the sport is not well developed in Oceania, so her relocation to Denmark next August will give her the chance to compete in more tournaments and train with people at a higher level.
On top of training, coaching, and competing, Ms Calder-Hawkins works in childcare and is studying for a science degree at the University of Waikato.
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