Nadine Stanton Drive

While Nadine Stanton may have only lived in Taranaki for a short time, her outstanding achievements at the 2002 Commonwealth Games obviously impressed developer Warren Bolton.

The Waikato born trap shooter was based in Bell Block at the time of the Games, at which she won a gold medal in the pairs and followed this up with silver in the individual competition. Shortly after the Commonwealth Games, Warren Bolton wrote to the New Plymouth District Council to suggest that a new street in Stage II of his Kingsdown subdivision in Bell Block be named Nadine Stanton Drive.

Nadine was honoured by the gesture, and to cap off a stellar year, she was named Taranaki Sportsperson of the Year, ahead of Chris Masoe and Ōpunake Surf Life Saving Club's champion IRB team.

Unfortunately the cost of commuting to Hamilton for training proved too much, so she moved back to the Waikato the following year in order to prepare for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Her discipline, trap shooting, has a history dating back as far the early 19^th century. At this time live birds - pigeons, starlings and sparrows - were released from collapsible boxes called traps. Fortunately for the birds' survival, targets made from clay were invented in the 1880s.  Modern clay targets are made from a mixture of lime and pitch in a variety of sizes, although all are circular.

No doubt thousands of these have been shattered in Nadine's pursuit of excellence. In an interview in 2005 Nadine said she was "not going to retire until I get a gold medal". While an Olympic gold may have eluded the talented shooter, she can be justifiably proud of her achievements representing New Zealand on the international stage. 

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.