Seletar Filo, one of the Whanganui Awa Paddlers coaches, reckons Falcon's team is the fastest or second fastest in its age group in the country.
"We are quietly confident," she said.
Falcon and his mates have been practising hard ahead of the 2017 Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Waka Ama Sprint Nationals at Lake Karapiro on January 16-21.
There will be about 80 Whanganui Awa Paddlers camping together there, Mrs Filo said.
The Paddlers will field five teams of six paddlers in yellow T-shirts - midget and intermediate boys and girls, and a team of boys aged 14 to 16. Jerell Filo, 11, and 18-year-old Kaea Williams will paddle as singles.
Adults from the group are to compete in the teams of other clubs.
The Whanganui Awa Paddlers group has doubled in size in the last few months. Its members paddle on the river for fun, but also compete.
They are Asian, English, Irish, Welsh and from three iwi - Ngati Apa, Nga Rauru and Te Atihaunui a Paparangi. The group's big focus is children.
"Our youngest paddler is six and the oldest is 68 and they all race," Mrs Filo said.
They are an informal group, without the usual chairman and secretary roles.
"We really like it that everybody has an equal part and can contribute."
They have moved their operations from the Calliope building near Pakaitore/Moutoa Gardens to the Putiki Slipway. They have good relationships with others on the river - rowers, kayakers and Sailing Wanganui.
The coaches are Mrs Filo, her husband Ian and Betty-Joe Wiari. They also teach waka ama at schools and at Te Wananga o Aotearoa.
Funds are raised through raffles, stalls, sponsorship and donations.
"We don't want money to be a barrier to anybody," Mrs Filo said.
The Paddlers have one waka of their own, and borrow others from clubs for a koha. They would like to own more boats.
