The pressure was on the Taradale High School's senior girls canoe polo team at the recent national secondary schools tournament in Feilding and they responded.
After finishing second at last year's nationals, when beaten in the final by Palmerston North Girls' High School, and winning this year's Hawke's Bay regionalswith an unbeaten run, including a 5-2 win against Karamu High School in the final, there was a strong desire to capture gold in Feilding.
The Kirsten Demanser-Wilson-coached team beat Karamu High School 4-2 in the final to win the title for the first time since 2013.
"For us four year 13 girls in the team it was the ideal way to finish our school canoe polo careers and we've left a strong base for the other senior girls in the team to continue," experienced player Casey Hales said.
Hales heaped praise on Demanser-Wilson's influence.
"She always brought out the best in us and coached many of us to the national junior girls title in 2015. Canoe polo at Taradale High School is looking very promising for the years to come," Hales said.
Four of the team played in the 2015 national title-winning junior team from Taradale High School.
Taradale High School finished second in pool play in Feilding and beat defending champions Palmerston North Girls' in their semifinal, which went into golden goal extra time after the score was 2-all at the end of regulation time.
Karamu High beat Middleton Grange School from Christchurch in another golden goal semifinal.
Eight teams competed in the senior girls division in Feilding. The winning Taradale High School team was: Hales, Tayla Swanwick, Haley Flynn, Jaimee Wilson, Brooke Cheyne, Danielle Stephenson and Nikita Binnie.
Taradale High School senior girls' canoe polo team coach Kirsten Demanser-Wilson (left) celebrates with her team. Photo/supplied
Taradale High's junior girls team also travelled to nationals where they finished fourth in their four-team competition which was won by Karamu High.
The Phil Dooney-coached team qualified for nationals with their second placing to Karamu High in the Hawke's Bay regionals.
All of the junior team will be eligible again for next year's junior division and Hales has predicted a promising future for the side which she believed has the potential to emulate the senior girls' feat in 2022.
Meanwhile, New Zealand white-water slalom team representative Hales and Wilson along with Grace Dooney from the junior team travelled to the national secondary schools canoe slalom champs in Hawea, Wanaka, this week.
Hales won the under-18 girls K1 and extreme canoe slalom titles and finished second in the under-18 girls C1 division.
Wilson finished second in the under-18 girls K1 and third in both the C1 and extreme canoe slalom divisions. Dooney was third in the under-14 girls C1 division.
Hales, Wilson and Dooney won the senior girls C1 teams title and finished second in the senior girls K1 teams division.
Hales and Wilson won the under-18 girls C2 teams title.
Dooney and a Burnside High School paddler from Christchurch were third in the under-18 girls C2 teams title.
Hales and a Tauranga Boys' College paddler were second in the under-18 mixed C2 teams division.
Taradale High School won the trophy for the best school at the champs with less than seven competitors.
Hales also captured two individual trophies, one for the best overall female and one for the best female K1 paddler.
The Taradale High School trio will compete at the open nationals in Tekapo this weekend and they are hoping for more medals to be added to the week's tally.
