Te Rau Oranga o Ngati Kahungunu Waka Ama Club's Teina Pearcey, 19, is one of the youngest Bay paddlers in the nationals. He first took up the sport as a 7-year-old but didn't like it and only resumed two years ago.
"I heard my parents 'stories about how much they were enjoying it and got the bug again," Pearcey said referring to his mother, Lelie, one of eight foundation members of his club and his father, Jim, who was the club's first chairman.
Pearcey will be in a J19 six-man crew which will take on six other crews over 16km. All of his crew, which also includes Carro Smith, Anaru Puketapu, Toby Chittenden, Thomas Brady and Michael Cagley will represent St John's College at the national secondary schools sprint championships in March and their training for this weekend has been part of their preparation for those nationals. A crew from Gisborne's Horouta club will start as the favourites in their division tomorrow.
Maraenui's Tania Sorensen, 66, will be one of the oldest Bay starters and will join Maria Robin, Roberta Brown, Karen Hawaikirangi, Gaylene Luscombe and Moana Whenuaroa in a six-strong senior masters women's crew which will take on five other teams over 28km. Like Bennett, Sorensen also played down her team's podium chances.
"To get back safely," was Sorensen's reply when quizzed on the team's goal.
Her team was formed five weeks ago but has had four training sessions each week since then. It has already tackled tomorrow's course in training.
Sorensen, who started out as a "social paddler" five years ago was a member of the Heretaunga Tuis golden masters crew which won silver at last year's world sprint championships in Australia. Waka Ama New Zealand's chief executive, Lara Collins, said although a Rotorua crew are the favourites in Sorensen's division tomorrow any one of the other five crews could crack a podium spot.
Like Bennett, Pearcey and Sorensen, Ricks Terstappen of the Heretaunga Ararau club, will also be starting in his first long-distance nationals this weekend. He will be in a six-strong Golden Masters (60plus) mixed crew which will come down a grade to compete in a four-team senior masters grade because there weren't enough golden masters crews entered.
"We haven't trained together us a crew. We're all just relying on our experience," Terstappen quipped.
"I first took up waka ama five years ago. I used to swim a lot but a mate suggested we take up paddling and we haven't been back to swimming since."
Terstappen will be joined by Wi Smith, Anaru Robin, Jana Johnson, Bev Williams and Linda Tomuli in his crew.
Nuku is one of four Bay paddlers who will be competing this weekend less than a week after returning from the world whitewater rafting championships in Japan. His wife, Roni, was in the New Zealand masters women's team which won their division, Anne Cairns was in the open women's team which finished second to Japan, Nuku's Kiwi masters men's team finished third and the Nukus' daughter, Te Waia o Tauranga Nuku, was in the Kiwi junior girls team which finished second.