Geoffrey Wood

Geoff Wood was something of a shooting star in New Zealand athletics.

The Aucklander, who grew to 2.03m (6ft 8in), attended Mt Roskill Grammar and then, for two years, Auckland University.

He had an interest in track and field, fostered by Yvette Williams’ former coach Jim Bellwood, who was a PE teacher at the school. “Jim would organise Sunday morning training sessions for a few athletes, such as Les Mills and Robin Tait, and I learnt a lot there. Jim was pivotal to my interest in sport.”

At the urging of some other high-profile athletes, Roy Williams and Dave Norris, he turned his attention to basketball as well and with his height, athleticism and natural talent rose through the ranks quickly.

He did a couple of decathlons, the Auckland and New Zealand championships, and through a connection he’d made with long jumper John Delamere, he then lined up an athletics scholarship to Washington State University in Pullman, 450km inland from Seattle.

“The decathlon was just being introduced at NCAA level, so they wanted a decathlete on the team. And my basketball was mentioned too.”

Once Wood got to Pullman, he had a bit of a rethink. “In one of the first matches I watched, I saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and it became as clear as day he was many levels above what I did on a basketball court. In the end I played in a sort of lower league Washington State team. We were used for on-court practice by the top team, so we helped in that way.”

Wood’s decathlon experience was limited at the university because he broke a toe in his first year there and then suffered a frustrating series of injuries.

“I learnt a lot though. There were some great athletes at American universities by then. We had Henry Rono and some other big-name Kenyans. I’d seen the great CK Yang in the decathlon in Auckland and that was inspiring and I saw more outstanding decathletes while I was in the US.”

Wood had in his mind that he would like to have a crack at making the New Zealand team for the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games. He returned to New Zealand in late 1973, competed in the Auckland decathlon then went to Napier for the decathlon national champs in December, a month before the Games.

“It was actually a strong decathlon lineup. Mene Mene won it, Roger Main was 2nd and I was 3rd, so we made the team and Roy Williams and Paul Lothian missed out.”

In Christchurch, Wood placed 9th of the 13 competitors with 6622 points, about 1200 behind the gold medallist, Michael Bull of Northern Ireland. “My best event was the 100m sprint, then the discus and shot put, and I had quite good endurance. But the high jump and pole vault were my nemesis.”

He said it was a wonderful fortnight. “The whole thing was great. I saw Richard Tayler win the 10,000m on the first day of the athletics and that set up the whole thing. I was due to fly back to the US, but decided to hang on an extra day and watch the 1500m. That was a fantastic race, Bayi and Walker, but I was even more happy I’d decided to stay when word came through of what had happened to the Pan Am plane I was due to fly out on.”

The flight, Pan Am 806, crashed as it landed in Pago Pago, killing 87 passengers and 10 crew.

“That gave me pause for thought. I caught the same flight the next day. There was an eerie silence as our plane came in to land at Pago Pago in the dark, and audible relief when it landed safely.”

(An American, Dick Smith was the New Zealand team diving coach in Christchurch and was on the flight that crashed. Miraculously Smith, seated near the back of the plane, was one of four survivors.)

Wood stayed at Washington State until 1977, emerging with his Masters in physical education and education.

He got a job in the Philippines as an administrator as the International School in Manila. “I was there eight years. I coached the sports programme, played basketball and did some diving. It was a really good time.”

After that he joined the faculty at Washington State, coaching track and field, and got involved with the administration of the sport. He stayed 16 years, until he began to feel the pull of New Zealand.

Back in Auckland, he was urged by Roy Williams to get help the Waitakere club. “Ross Dallow and I spent a lot of time trying to change the club’s philosophy. The club had good facilities and plenty of money, but the people there really weren’t ready for change.

“Eventually I moved on to Rosmini College, where I’ve found a home. I’ve been at the college more than two decades and have enjoyed my time there.” Wood teaches health programmes and takes some sport. He’s also coached the lacrosse team.