there’s always something to do at a hockey game by Kieran Beckingham

---

there’s always something to do at a hockey game

a crowd full of loud cheering

a ball getting hit hard into a goal

a team of speeding players

a coach who encourages us

to play like professionals

on the field

team mates running

like 100 gazelles

with me

---

Kieran Beckingham is 8 years old and in year 4 at Te Paritō Kōwhai Russley School in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Your poem wonderfully captures the energy and collaboration of a team sport. Why did you choose this topic as the focus of your piece? What do you like most about playing sports?

Thank you very much. I chose this topic because hockey is my favourite sport, and I look forward

to learning new skills at training and playing games every week. I love playing with my friends

and working together as a team. It’s fun and keeps me fit!

What are some other traditions you have with family or friends that are unique and special in your life?

My mum is from the USA, so we celebrate some of those holidays and traditions. We always

dress up on Halloween and go Trick o’ Treating, and every Christmas Eve, we get to open one

present before we go to sleep.

What is your favorite topic to study in school?

My favourite topic to study in school is Maths, because I like working with numbers and solving

problems.

What is the most interesting thing you recently learned?

My sister recently did a Passion Project about the giant squid. I learned that they can grow up to

13 metres, which is around the size of a bus!

What book are you currently reading or read most recently? Would you recommend this book to other readers?

I am reading the Treehouse Storey series by Andy Griffiths. I would recommend these books to

other readers because they are really funny to read. They are about three people who live in a

treehouse, and they go on cool adventures and solve problems.