Jacob and Aidan Nelson of St Paul’s Collegiate School successfully competed in an international inline hockey event in Hawaii run by the Amateur Athletic Union.
Both Jacob and Aidan were selected as captains of the under-18 and under-15 New Zealand inline hockey teams respectively. Both played in two competitions each – the Junior Olympic International Competition and a club competition.
The competition attracted teams from Australia, Great Britain, The United States and Canada. For Aidan, who had only ever played an international meet in Australia, this was a big step up and an opportunity to further his sport internationally.
Jacob and his team competed in a tough grade but this didn’t stop them from performing well. The team placed third in the club competition and fourth in the Junior Olympic International Competition.
His past international experience and strong performance was noticed by recruiters of the senior New Zealand teams who asked him to play for the under-23 and senior men’s.
The under-23 team placed fourth in the international competition and club competition while the senior men’s placed first in the international competition.
Aidan’s team placed fourth in the club competition and eighth in the international competition.
