Class Act 2008

11/9/2008

The Otago Daily Times has again produced its Class Act, featuring tomorrow's leaders - and, once again, Otago Boys' figures prominently:

Prefect Blair Tarrant says his inspiration to train, be the best and win, no matter what hurdles life throws at him comes from Muhammad Ali, and hopes it will give him his shot at playing hockey with the Black Sticks.

It's a goal he intends to achieve by 2012 when the team competes at the London Olympics.

Blair Tarrant

Blair (17) has already represented New Zealand with the Junior Black Sticks at the Eight Nations Hockey Tournament in Malaysia this year and hopes to be selected next year to compete in the World Cup in Malaysia and Singapore.

In 2006, he played for the New Zealand under-16 team in matches against Queensland schools teams.

He has also played for the Southern Hockey under under-18, under-21 and NHL teams and his school's 1st XI hockey team since year 9.

Blair is captain of the school hockey team this year and has begun passing on his considerable knowledge by coaching junior teams at the school.

When he is not hitting hockey balls on the school's fields, he is bashing cricket balls for the 1st XI and will compete in the Gillette Cup Secondary Schools Cricket finals with the team in Palmerston North later this year.

The higher echelons of hockey are not his only ambition.

Blair hopes to balance his sporting career with study at the University of Otago to become an accountant.

"Hockey is not going to pay my way. So passing my exams is really important."

Achievements: Prefect (2008); Junior Black Sticks (2008);

New Zealand under-16 Hockey;

Southern Hockey under-18, under-21 and NHL;

1st XI Hockey (2004-08);

1st XI Cricket (2007-08).

Role models: Mum, Dad and Muhammad Ali.

Hopes for the future: To become a Black Stick and an accountant.

Blasts from the past are Stephen Trebilco's primary passion.

The 17-year-old academic prefect has been studying history, particularly military history, for several years and has been top of the class for the past two years.

Stephen says he likes the social interactions of history - the way the actions of individuals in power influence events and how those events affect other events in history.

Stephen Trebilco

"One of the greatest lessons I've learnt from history is that we are not very good at learning from our mistakes. The same mistakes have been made by different people throughout the centuries, and often it's because they don't identify why they have failed."

On a personal level, Stephen says he tries not to make the same mistakes twice.

Stephen likes variety in his life and says he often finds himself running out of time in a day because he picks up "anything" that interests him.

He recently expanded his cultural interests in drama and found himself performing in the school's productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Buddy Holly, and played a lead role in Prince Caspian at the Mayfair last year.

He is also organising this year's Samstock Christian Youth Music event at the Mosgiel A&P Showgrounds - purely because it interests him.

His only challenge is knowing when to say enough is enough, he says.

Achievements: 1st in history (2006-07); 2nd in English (2007); 2nd= in chemistry and biology; Academic Blues (2007-08); school production (2007-08); 2nd XI football; Northern Association Football Club member.

Role model: My Dad, Paul Trebilco (Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Otago).

Hopes for the future: To study history, economics and politics at the University of Otago.