Keepa ‘amped’ for Bay of Plenty Carnival

READY TO GO: Waikanae lifeguard Jack Keepa, who represented New Zealand in the Junior Black Fins at the world championships in Italy this year, will be in action at Opotiki tomorrow in the Bay of Plenty senior championships, and he's 'amped' for it. File picture

Waikanae Junior Black Fin Jack Keepa, fresh from a training stint in Queensland, will lead the Gisborne charge at Opōtiki tomorrow in the first full senior surf lifesaving carnival of the season.

The 2022 Bay of Plenty Senior Carnival will be part of the 2022 BoP championships weekend with a junior carnival on at Opōtiki on Sunday.

“The senior lifeguards will test their fitness and skills across the sand and surf disciplines as they test rescue readiness for the season ahead,” said Surf Life Saving New Zealand eastern region sport manager Sonia Keepa.

The senior carnival will include swim, craft and beach events, starting at 9am tomorrow and running the full day, with events in the male and female under-15, u17, u19 and open divisions.

“Jack Keepa is our only athlete attending the Bay of Plenty championship carnival due to work and family commitments for our other competitors,” said Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae manager Clara Wilson.

“He is fresh off the plane from a couple of weeks on the Gold Coast training with his Australian club and is amped to get his foot on the line.

“Jack will be competing in all the ocean races, targeting the surf and ironman events.”

Dawson Building Midway will have 15 athletes heading across to Opōtiki for Sunday's junior carnival.

“Being the first carnival of the season, it will be about having a crack at all the events and getting some racing experience for our newest members,” said Midway head coach Jack Gavin.

“Our juniors have been working hard for the past six weeks, so we're excited to see how they go.”

Gavin said it was difficult to make predictions about how the juniors might go, given it was their first full carnival of the season.

“They will certainly have some fun as a team.”

Waikanae will not have any juniors involved, and Riversun Wainui will have only one competitor racing.

Athletes from 10 to 14 years of age will race in the 2022 Bay of Plenty Junior Carnival.

Keepa said the aim was to encourage and challenge new and returning junior competitors “to have fun and test their skills on the beach and in the surf”.

The junior event starts at 9am on Sunday.