Uawa waka ama team to head to Worlds

BACK ON THE RIVER: The Uawa Hinematioro J16 women’s waka ama team were back on the Uawa River to capture the last light on Titirangi yesterday evening. They are (from the front of the waka): Loma Hill, Janelle Porter-Smyth, Sue-Anne Albert-Hovell, Rangituia Potaka, Caitlin Hauiti and Quilae Hale-Marino. Picture by Phil Whyte

THE Uawa Hinematioro J16 women’s waka ama team’s stellar performance at the 2016 Te Wananga o Aotearoa Waka Ama Sprint Nationals at Lake Karapiro last week has won them the chance to compete on the global stage.

The team of six — three of whom had never paddled before they began training four months ago — will take 11 days off school during Term 2 in May and head to Australia’s Sunshine Coast for the IVF Va’a World Elite & Club Sprint Championships, held every two years.

They qualified by finishing in the top six in the eight-team final of the W6 1000m. They had reached the final by winning their heat and finishing third in their semifinal.

For the next 14 weeks they will continue their hours of practice on the Uawa River with coach Tania Hill and co-coach Toni Hale, while maintenance man James Marino keeps the waka and paddles humming.

In addition they will join the Tolaga Bay community in another bout of fundraising to cover travel and accommodation costs.

“As we prepare for the worlds we will keep to the basics and make sure we do them well,” Hale said.

“The W6 course over there will be the same as we did at Karapiro — 1000 metres in four laps of 250m.”

All the paddlers are pupils at Tolaga Bay Area School, except Loma Hill, who lives in Gisborne and goes to Lytton High School.

The Tolaga Bay waka ama club, Uawa Tiaki Tai-Hinekura Waka Ama, sent 10 teams to the nationals last week, and all reached the semifinals, club co-ordinator Misty Hauiti said.

“We’re lucky to have the Uawa to practise on. Not many communities have a good river like we have.”