Water polo: Locals to the fore in national squads

Alisha Winstanley from Mount Maunganui College is one of two Tauranga players selected in the New Zealand Under-16 girls' water polo team.

Tauranga's burgeoning reputation as the home of sporting excellence got another tick this week with news the New Zealand Born 98 water polo squads to take on Queensland and Australia in July feature many local athletes.

The under-16 boys' team has five from the Tauranga Water Polo Club, the highest representation the club has ever achieved at this level, and there are eight other club members spread through the New Zealand under-15 and under-16 boys' and girls' squads.

Club mentor and coach, Paul Kayes, says the national selections are symbolic of the surge in interest in the sport and increasing success across all age groups.

Kayes is one of New Zealand's most respected coaches and administrators and founded the Tauranga club. His son Danny, a New Zealand rep himself, coaches the Tauranga under-16 club team that has produced the five boys' players.

Kayes is proud to say water polo in the Western Bay is in the strongest position since he has been involved.

"When we started off in 2002, our A teams would lose to some of the strong clubs' C teams; nowadays we win medals," Kayes said. "Five or six years ago we would get one or two young athletes into New Zealand teams but now the evidence is we have five boys into the one 13-man squad and there are probably another couple that might have been a bit unlucky.

"The girls are showing equal promise and the young kids coming through are phenomenally talented.

"Over the next five or six years we will just have steady streams of young athletes making New Zealand teams.

"It is nice to see some of the schools like Aquinas College, Papamoa College and Mount College really getting involved with the game.

"Obviously Tauranga Boys' are still strong and that helps boost kids into New Zealand teams.

"I believe there is a good committee in place locally, some good coaches and a lot of really good keen kids and parents.

"I think it is a nice reflection of commitment, good attitude, good parental support, good coaching, and all those things that have to come together to get young athletes into high performance programmes."