You can bet Andrew Hawthorne, father of Tauranga Boys' College kayaking team captain Alex, sometimes wishes his son continued with swimming and water polo.
This week he packed up a specially framed-up truck with 87 kayaks, a freezer full of home baking, and various bags of gear ready for the 3230km round trip to the bottom of the South Island and back - a far cry from packing speedos and googles for a swim meet.
A team of 27 boys from Tauranga Boys' and 10 other students from Tauranga Girls', Bethlehem and Mount Colleges will compete for individual and team medals over four days at next week's NZ Secondary Schools White Water Championships to be held at Monowai in Fiordland.
History is certainly on their side. The Tauranga Boys' team has won the school trophy in 14 of the last 17 years.
Leader Alex Hawthorne, 17, made the New Zealand junior team in his preferred class of K1 and is one of the favourites for the overall top paddler trophy, which combines kayak, canoe slalom and down river racing. His Tauranga Boys' and national teammates, Patrick Washer and Theo Pepper, will be his main competition, although a strong challenge is expected from hosts Dunstan High School. Another Tauranga Boys' paddler, Jack Dangen, 15, is favourite for the equivalent under-16 trophy.