Sherilyn Jean White
1st October 1969 – 7th February 1988
Born at Greenlane Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand on 1st October 1969, the first child of Ron & Jenny White.
Sherilyn commenced her education at St Cuthbert’s College Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand in January 1977.
From her early years at St Cuthbert’s Sherilyn showed an extensive interest and ability in sport, and managed to balance this with her many academic, other extra-curricular activities and cultural achievements. Such balance continued throughout her time at St Cuthbert’s, with continual success in her several chosen sports. These achievements combined with her pleasant personality and cheerful nature made Sherilyn an extremely popular student with her tutors and peers.
As an eight year old Sherilyn joined and represented the Owairaka Athletic and Harrier Club. Running in middle distance track, road and cross country events she progressed through the numerous age groups with consistent success. Sherilyn was rewarded with selection to represent Auckland during the 1984, 1985, and 1987 Athletic & Cross Country National Championships. She also during this period successfully represented Auckland in the NZ National Road Championships.
Sherilyn also had sporting success within the school including successfully representing St Cuthbert’s at Provincial and National Secondary School Championships in numerous sports. Once she was introduced to the sport of triathlon she felt that such a demanding event presented a greater challenge and gave it her priority.
Sherilyn’s younger sister Deanne commenced at St Cuthbert’s in Year 1 in 1977 and went on to join Sherilyn in excelling in the sporting arena.
As a fourteen year old Sherilyn competed with her younger sister Deanne in their first triathlon, representing St Cuthbert’s at the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships in which Sherilyn finished second. During the following years at school the two sisters were proud to represent St Cuthbert’s while winning and dominating the Auckland Secondary Senior and Junior School Triathlon Events. Each year both were placed in the top three finishers of their age group at the National Secondary School Triathlon Championships.
During 1987, again representing St Cuthbert’s, Sherilyn won all six of the Auckland Secondary School Senior Triathlon events and placed second at the NZ Secondary School National Championships. Such consistency in school and club events resulted in Sherilyn being voted Auckland’s Secondary School 1987 Female Triathlete of the Year and regarded as one of New Zealand’s most promising young athletes. Later Sherilyn was posthumously named the 1988 New Zealand Secondary School Female Triathlete of the Year.
Irrespective of the event, activity or occasion Sherilyn was always proud to wear the school colours and took every opportunity to represent her school, St Cuthbert’s, with the utmost pride and honour.
Her discipline, determination, and energy gained Sherilyn success in numerous other areas including surf life saving, hockey, swimming, netball, speech and drama, school choir plus several school leadership roles. These, combined with achieving an academic Bursary, completed a very fulfilling and successful era at St Cuthbert’s College.
In her school testimonial it was noted that Sherilyn’s warmth, charm and sense of fun resulted in her attracting a very wide circle of friends.
7 February 1988
On February 7th 1988, after an extensive training period, Sherilyn entered with her father Ron and sister Deanne her first long distance triathlon, “The 1988 NZTA National Long Course Championships”, on a very hot and extremely humid Auckland summer day. The distance was a 2km swim, 90km road bike and 21km run.
After a successful swim and road bike, Sherilyn held a substantial lead over her other age group competitors. Entering the run sector she ran the first half of the distance with Erin Baker (World Female Ironman Champion). However with less than 800m to the finishing line Sherilyn collapsed to the ground.
Although nearby locals tried to assist she was completely unconscious and incoherent. An ambulance arrived and transferred her with the assistance of a defibrillator to North Shore Hospital.
Not having the required facilities, North Shore Hospital immediately transferred her to the cardiac arrest department at Auckland Hospital, Parnell.
However despite their efforts it was not possible to save her and it was pronounced at 7.10pm that her life had ended.
This naturally shocked the whole New Zealand sporting community and resulted in various sporting bodies, race organisers, St John and other medical associations holding several enquiries, with the emphasis on how to prevent such a recurrence and the procedures required to respond to such situations.
Later the Auckland Coroner stated that he felt Sherilyn’s tragedy resulted from heat stroke.
“Sherilyn is part of our lives. There are other criteria for measuring a life as well as its duration – quality and intensity. As she lives on in us, she transmits permanently something of what she was.” Miss Joan Holland, Headmistress of St Cuthbert’s College at the time
