Good return from waka nationals

BEYOND THE BREAKERS: The Mareikura Waka Ama Club entry, Tairawhiti, cuts through the water in the W6 master mixed 28-kilometre race at the national waka ama long-distance national championships in Hawke’s Bay last weekend. Crew members are (from the back): Sophie Burns, Karen Finch, Tony Tapp, Brent Finch, James Blackburne and Denise Tapp. They won their division. Picture supplied

NINE paddlers from Mareikura Waka Ama Club brought home medals from last weekend’s long-distance national championships in Hawke’s Bay.

The club won the master mixed W6 28-kilometre race, took silver for the open women’s W2 16km and master men’s W2 16km, and bronze for the master women’s W2 16km.

Initially the plan was to enter a senior master women’s crew, but some of those who would have been in the team were unavailable, so it was decided to enter a master mixed crew.

At that stage, Denise Tapp, Karen Finch, Sophie Burns and Tony Tapp had committed to the team, but they were two paddlers short.

They had friends who were top paddlers in other areas, but wanted to “stay local”.

They contacted James Blackburne, of Horouta Waka Hoe, who was thinking about coming back to paddling after three years away from serious competition.

He was keen to join the crew.

That left one seat to fill, three weeks out from the championships, so they asked another Horouta club member — Karen’s husband and Tony’s brother-in-law, Brent, if he would join them.

Naturally, he said yes.

Training for the race included three 26-kilometre trials out in the bay, one of which was a paddle past Young Nicks Head to Browns Beach and back. Two paddles took them around to Okitu.

Training speeds suggested they were looking at a top-four placing.

Two other club members, Mel Grant and Kara Maynard, were keen to try the long-distance nationals, but were four paddlers short of a crew. That was the start of the idea to enter two-place crews.

Maynard was in the open women’s ranks, so she was paired with strong age-group paddler Denise Tapp, while Grant and Caroline Hodgkinson formed a crew for the master women’s division. Tony Tapp and Blackburne paired up in the master men’s division.

The crews were made up mainly of senior master (50 to 59) paddlers competing down a division or two in the masters’ or open grades. The crews carried the name Tairawhiti to identify with the region.

On the Friday, all the W2 paddlers earned a medal.

On the Saturday, the W6 crew lined up in a field of 38 women’s and mixed crews.

The size of the field meant waka crews were jostling for space.

“We got hooked up at the start and ended up with another waka’s ama (outrigger) over the top of our waka,” Tony Tapp said.

“Once out of the melee, we tracked behind six crews for the first 25 kilometres.

“In the last one to two kilometres we caught up with the Horouta senior masters mixed crew, who had been paddling very well throughout the race.

“The last two kilometres came down to a sprint between the two crews. Mareikura finished ahead, in a time of 2 hours 22 minutes 57 seconds, with Horouta finishing in 2:23:23.”

Mareikura medal results

W6 master mixed: Sophie Burns/Karen Finch/Tony Tapp/Brent Finch/James Blackburne and Denise Tapp, gold.

W2 open women: Denise Tapp and Kara Maynard, silver.

W2 master men: Tony Tapp and James Blackburn, silver

W2 master women: Carolyn Hodgkinson and Mel Grant, bronze.