Top groms get shot at worlds

US-BOUND: Taupo skateboarders Rico Henare, 10, (left) and brother Remus, seven, will be representing New Zealand at the TopGroms World Championships in Michigan next month.PHOTO/LAURILEE MCMICHAEL

It's not an overstatement to say that Rico and Remus Henare are amazing kids.

They are two incredibly-talented young Taupo skaters who have worked hard, fundraised hard and practised hard to get to the top of their chosen sport. They're supported by their equally amazing parents Alex and Chareese Henare who juggle full-time jobs with supporting their children's passion, as well as caring for three younger siblings.

The boys live and breathe skateboarding and because of that the family spend almost every weekend travelling to skating competitions around New Zealand, usually taking extra Taupo youngsters with them.

Now Rico, 10, and Remus, seven, who both attend Taupo Primary School, have been presented with an amazing opportunity, to compete at the TopGroms World Championships in Michigan, USA, next month.

The boys qualified for the skateboarding world championships with star turns at their first transtasman skating competition in Sydney in September. Rico came third in the street division for nine and 10-year-olds, while Remus won first place in street and third in spine in the under-eights.

The $9616 needed to fund the trip to America for the boys and Alex is a financial strain, but the Henares' motto has always been that if you work hard and train hard, you will reap the benefits.

So the boys have been selling chocolate, hangi packs and washing cars to raise money and have contributed $2500, while their parents have put in $4000. They're hoping to raise the rest of the money through grants and financial sponsorship. If the money doesn't come through, the family will find the money somehow.

"I've already paid for the flights, so we'll just make it happen," says Chareese.

The boys are training three to four hours a day in the lead up to the world championships.

In the USA, Alex will also take the boys to some of the top skate parks en route to Michigan.

They will have three days' training at Woodward West, a training facility for skateboarders with the Australian team and their coaches, and will also skate at Venice Beach and Van's Combi Pool in Orange County in the hopes of being noticed by the American skaters and being asked to invitation-only skateboarding events.

The boys are both excited about the trip, particularly the opportunity to ride at the American skate parks.

Rico says living in Taupo has made skateboarding hard as the only two friends the same age as him who also skate live in Perth and Melbourne, and he often has to miss out on birthday parties and sleepovers to enter competitions around New Zealand.

He hopes the competition will get him noticed on the US skate scene so he can reach his goal of being invited to skate in the Vans Combi Pool competition.

"I don't want to waste this chance."

Remus, whose twin sister Rhya also skates, says he practices every day to learn more tricks and enters as many competitions as he can, even though he's usually the youngest there.

"This is my chance to skate against other kids my own age."