On the 22nd of October Kaiyo Nakajima, Jethro Melville and  Amelia Morrison were accompanied by Mrs Cairns as they went to a Breakfast with Olympic swimmer Kane Follows. After a long conversation-filled journey to their destination, they arrived at the Otago Polytechnic, settled down at a table and began the wait. Many other schools piled into the room before the tables were instructed to get breakfast. Moving down the line and towards the deliciously smelling food the excitement builds inside them. When they finally get there Kaiyo greedily stocks his plate with eggs, bacon, sausages and hash browns. Kane's dazzling aura was felt from miles away as he began his inspiring story. Recounting his journey in swimming from graduating high school to competing in the prestigious olympics, he talked about the highs and lows of swimming and sport in general with significant point like being determined, continuing the sport you love to play, the importance of ignoring down talk and that you cannot achieve your dream without putting in effort.

After finishing his speech the schools were invited to have a picture with Kane. Our Catlins students patiently waited until the very end for their photo to not be affected by any time pressure. This allowed them to have a meaningful conversation with Kane. Putting on their cheesiest smile for the camera, they made the most of their time going back for seconds. Unexpectedly, Kane grabbed a plate as well before sitting down with them and talking about many interesting topics. The most notable of which is how our very own student Kaiyo Nakajima once beat Kane at a swim meet in Queenstown. This was a very surreal experience for everyone involved that they all appreciated very much.

By Jethro Melville