Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid

Pick up a daily newspaper or flick through the online daily news websites in our country, and you are likely to find headlines such as "Night of crime, five teenagers arrested after ram raids".

Election year brings the usual commentary that the government is too lenient on crime, especially youth offending, from the opposition political parties.

You could be forgiven for believing that the youth of New Zealand are out of control and that anarchy is on the horizon.

Yes, there is crime committed by young people - however - the vast majority of youth in the country are law abiding citizens, with many setting goals and achieving their ambitions, through education and sport.

A couple of recent outings have provided me with evidence of our youngsters' endeavours on two respective sporting pathways.

Last Saturday, with a winter day sun shining, we headed to Sulphur Point for some people watching and the countless coming and goings on the waters of Tauranga Harbour.

The mid afternoon, return of a bevy of small sailing craft to the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat headquarters, got me thinking about the TYPBC Sailing School I had read about on a visit to their website.

The website states that the "TYPBC is committed to creating the next generation of both sailing champions and sailing lovers offering comprehensive and fun learn-to-sail and learn-to-race programs for children aged from 7 to 15".

There, in a nutshell, was a visible pathway that could offer challenges for the serious competitors of the future and also provide for the youngsters who just wanted to sail for fun and enjoyment.

The TYPBC youth pathway starts with Learn to Sail One, which is a 10 session course designed to teach the basics of sailing. Learn to Sail Two is a step up for the youngsters based around learning the skills of how to race.

For the youngsters who want to race competitively, the next progression is the Youth Training Squad. No better indicator of the success of the TYPBC youth pathway is shown in that more than half of New Zealand's sailing medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics came from sailors who grew up learning to race in Tauranga.

The recent Boxing New Zealand National Championships, held in Tauranga, cemented my view that sport teaches life skills and values, outside the education system in our country.

Boxing teaches young men and women respect, time keeping, pride, the need for honesty, fitness, motivation and most importantly, self respect.

The BNZ Youth pathway draws its participants from the big city gyms and the small town boxing clubs throughout New Zealand, such as those found in Wairoa, Taumarunui, Kaikoura, Gore and Temuka.

Huge self-esteem was on display at the championships. A group of Junior (14 & 15 years of age) and Youth (16 & 17 years) boxers, who had recently competed at the Oceania Age-Group championships in Western Samoa, wore their national gear with immense pride.

The young men and women who competed with considerable success in Western Samoa are the future of amateur boxing in the country.

David Tua and David Nyika, who have both won Olympic bronze medals and are still heavily involved in the game today, are symbols of the success of the Boxing New Zealand youth pathway.

These two sporting pathways I have mentioned are replicated in the vast majority of sports in our country. Graduates of today’s youth pathways are the Olympic and World champions, along with national sporting team’s heroes, a decade in the future.