By Cira Olivier

Twelve-year-old Mia Mennell is embracing her family’s squash playing legacy 1500km north of their Riverton home.

The third generation squash player is among the 13 Southland students competing at New Zealand’s largest annual sporting event, the Zespri AIMS Games, in Tauranga. They are the southernmost competitors at the tournament, which this year pulled in more than 14,000 intermediate-age athletes from 431 schools from as far afield as Northland and the Pacific Islands. 

This week, the Year 7 athlete has been bouncing around Mount Maunganui Squash Club, green and gold hair ribbons matching her Aparima College uniform as she fiercely swung the purple and pink racket borrowed from her mum.

Like eyes and hair colour, squash is apparently hereditary in her family, with her sister, parents and grandparents all passionate players.

Mia has been playing competitively since age nine, though she began crawling around Riverton Squash Club much earlier while her parents played. 

“I’ve grown up around squash,” she says.

She loves that her parents coach her, she gets to play with her older sister, and it keeps her fit.

“It’s a mental sport, too … when you hit the tin, it’s hard to go back and focus.”

Before all games, a good night’s sleep, a decent breakfast and a good game plan are all crucial for her. 

“I listen to hype music and have a warm-up. I like skipping before I play.”

Meanwhile, it’s Southland Boys’ High School's first time at the games. Their basketball team’s journey involved three flights over 10.5 hours and demanded $30,000 of fundraising.

They’re making the most of it, playing hard in their basketball games with six wins and two losses, sneaking in some laser tag and ten-pin bowling before their final games of the week. They will finish their trip at the All Blacks game in Auckland on Saturday.

Co-captains Corbyn Freeman, 12, and Nixon Morrell, 13, have both been playing since they were five, and it was Corbyn who suggested they try to get the team to AIMS Games.

“I saw a video on TikTok and it looked really cool,” Corbyn said.

They’ve been on team trips together previously, but this is the furthest they’ve travelled as a team.

Their coach, former Southland Sharks player and current assistant coach Connor Coll, is an college old boy who wanted to give back to the game.

He was stoked that this opportunity was available to the boys.

“I always knew about AIMS… but it was never really a question because it was so far to travel.”

Article added: Thursday 04 September 2025