Talent, combined with dedication and hard work has paid off for the St John's College junior and senior canoe polo teams who secured golds at last weekend's New Zealand Secondary School championships.
Held in Palmerston North the competition featured 42 teams from 20 schools across the country, but for the St John's College junior team the ultimate victory was a done deal from as soon as they hit the water.
Team manager Natalie Carter said it was amazing, with the team gaining seven wins in their seven round robin games.
"The juniors were untouchable - in a game where the scores are usually very low they just thrashed everyone in the lead-up to the final - the closest was 7-3."
Their final score was a decisive 11-3 against Karamu High School.