Sports Prize Giving 2025
On Wednesday, 22 October, we celebrated the incredible sporting achievements of our Thames High School students at the annual Sports Prize Giving. It was a wonderful evening honouring commitment, perseverance, and teamwork — values that shine both on and off the field.
Our guest speaker for the night, Michelle Hayes, began her journey right here at Thames High School. During her time as a student, she was Senior Girls Athletics Champion, Vice-Captain of the Senior A Netball Team, a key member of the Hillary Team that placed third at Nationals, and a dedicated competitor in the Thames High School Road Race Team, which also represented at national level. Michelle was — and still is — one of the most humble, hardworking, and coachable athletes to come through our kura.
After leaving Thames High, Michelle went on to study at university, where she faced and overcame challenges with courage and resilience. She shared with us that she struggled with body image and developed an eating disorder, but through seeking help and healing, she rediscovered her strength — this time in the world of CrossFit.
“In recovery, I had to relearn what a healthy relationship with food and exercise looked like,” she said. “That’s when I found CrossFit — a high-intensity sport that combines elements from weightlifting, gymnastics, running, swimming, rowing, and more. You train to be everything, ready for anything.”
Michelle’s hard work and discipline have taken her to extraordinary heights. She has competed internationally at the Torian Pro — the CrossFit World Championship Semifinals — where she placed 16th in 2023 and 13th in 2024, competing against the very best, including world champion Tia Toomey. Last year, she won the New Zealand CrossFit Nationals and earned the title of Fittest in New Zealand.
She left our students with two powerful lessons:
“Number one — confidence is everything. Learning to back myself and switch off negative self-talk has been the biggest contributor to my success.
Number two — how you do anything is how you do everything. Your attitude and approach to one task reflects how you approach every challenge that comes your way.”
We thank Michelle for returning to inspire the next generation of Thames High athletes with her honesty, humility, and incredible story of perseverance.
To conclude the evening, we proudly introduced a new award — the Thames High School Sport Team of the Year.
This year’s inaugural winners are the Senior Mixed Touch Team, who were:
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TV Secondary Schools WINNERS
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Waikato Secondary Schools Regional WINNERS
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17th Overall at the Gold Coast Titans Queensland All Schools Touch Tournament
Congratulations to all our athletes, coaches, and supporters on another amazing year of sport at Thames High School.
Check out Michelle’s Instagram here
