A lifelong affiliation with Grammar - the James-Everton twins
Monday, 14 August 2023
Starting as a new student in Form 3 at Auckland Grammar School can be a daunting prospect for anyone. However, if you have an older brother already at the School - or better yet, you are a twin with your brother starting at the same time as you - it makes those first few days much less overwhelming and more enjoyable. This is certainly the case for twins Hudson and Sam James-Everton '14, who shared some of the best years of their life at the School.

Hudson told us that he is proud to have attended with such a strong history and traditions. "I have developed a deep connection towards the School and a lifelong affiliation with the values it upholds. Some of my closest mates I still talk to everyday, and I even lived with 11 of them during my final year of university, so there were always some stories to be told!"

Sam felt exactly the same way. "Grammar allowed me to find my passion and pushed me to excel, but it is the camaraderie between school mates that really stands out for me. I made lifelong mates and I still continue to always keep a keen eye on sporting results!"

With both brothers developing a passion for sport from a very early age, the twins' bond continued to deepen throughout their five years at Grammar. Hudson and Sam both excelled at sports, including Baseball, Cricket, Rugby and Squash, and this love of sport only helped to reaffirm that they wanted to pursue a career within the sporting industry.

As well as playing the same sports, in their final year at Grammar, Hudson and Sam took three of the same subjects (Biology, Geography and Physical Education), while their fourth subjects played to their other interests of Photography and Business Studies respectively. The boys were quite competitive with each other, ended up in the same Biology and Physical Education classes, and this competitive streak came to a head when they were placed first equal in their A Level Physical Education class in 2018. "Grammar gave me the opportunities to excel both inside and outside the classroom, and studying both Biology and Physical Education gave me the right platform to build on and further my prospects in that field," Hudson told us.

Sam was thankful to the ''very capable' teachers who allowed him to explore a range of subjects, but it was his passion for Biology and Physical Education that helped cement his career path. "Both subjects were extremely helpful in getting me prepared for my first year at university, as I already had exposure to a number of areas that were a focus within my particular undergraduate degree."

After graduating from Grammar, the twins moved to Dunedin and each completed a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Otago in 2021. Six months later, in July 2022, they began their current roles as Virtual Eye Operators at Dunedin-based company Animation Research Ltd.

Hudson and Sam work part-time as part of a placement towards their Master's degree in Applied Science from Otago Polytechnic (which they will both graduate with in December). The work experience has been made possible through the creation of a scholarship by Animation Research - as the inaugural recipients, the scholarship will fund the remainder of Hudson and Sam's post-graduate studies.

Hudson and Sam now work as graphics operators for some of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world, building 3D model golf courses for selected PGA and DP World Tour courses, which are used in the TV broadcast production every week. One of the projects the twins have worked on this year was creating graphics for the US PGA Players Championship in Florida in March. However, this meant four consecutive days of 4am starts to ensure everything ran smoothly.

One particular achievement for the twins was being involved with the running of the DP World Tour Championship, a golf tournament on the European Tour, and contested at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in January, something that will remain with him for a long time. Hudson's highlight of the tour was getting to work with Sam for the first time. "It was pretty cool being on the ground in Dubai! With the DP World Championship, the final event on tour with [Kiwi golfer] Ryan Fox in contention to win it all it and to get to work with Sam for the first time was pretty special.

Sam was inspired by the tournament and the players that were competing. "Working in Dubai was amazing, it was a place I had never experienced before. Getting to walk the fairways with some of the top golfers in the world was incredible. What I think I enjoyed the most was experiencing sport at the highest level, where the players have such small margins of error while being so consistent, it is something extremely impressive."

In addition to their roles at Animation Research, Hudson and Sam both work as Performance Analysts for the Highlanders, where they film, code and collect objective data and provide feedback to coaches concerning individual player or team performance. Having been involved with the team for the past two years, the twins are keen to use their knowledge of performance analysis to gain competitive advantages over their rivals.

Hudson and Sam have both agreed that they haven't had a lot of time to reflect on the past couple of years as life has moved at such a rapid pace. However, they also agreed that their time at Animation Research and continuing their studies is something that keeps them grounded.

"Sometimes it is hard to keep track of it all! But I think what I am most proud of, is that I have been able to set myself up with a good foundation within an industry I love, and hopefully be able to continue to grow and develop my skills as a professional," said Hudson. Sam is keen to keep growing and learning. "At the moment, I am just taking every opportunity to soak it all in. I would like to build on the foundations and relationships that have got me to where I am now."

Despite a very busy workload juggling careers with postgraduate studies, both Hudson and Sam were also very affirmative about encouraging others who are interested in pursuing a career in sport. "Enjoy it, make the most of any opportunity that comes your way and don't be afraid to put yourself out there and pitch yourself, because once you find yourself in this industry its extremely fun and rewarding. Sport will always be there and the market is only continuing to grow. It can take you to places you never thought you would go and is a place where every day is different."