Sport Trust: Funding recognises worth of athletes

Max Brown, Toby Brooke and Aiden Nossiter have received a boost for their campaign at the 2014 Canoe Sprint Junior and Under-23 World Championships.

The form and championship potential of five Wanganui athletes was recognised when the successful applicants for the first round of funding from the Future Champions Trust were revealed yesterday.

After the trust was launched in November last year, the first round of applications was accepted between March and April, with chairwoman and former Olympian Philippa Baker-Hogan stating those successful were likely to be youth representing Wanganui or New Zealand at big winter events, perhaps travelling to Europe and America.

That was reflected in the three kayakers - a speed skater and a mountain biker - who are all off to world championships, being the chosen ones from the 10 who applied under the scheme.

They each receive $1500 to bolster their international competition prospects.

Recently named in Canoe Racing NZ's Pathway to the Podium programme, Aiden Nossiter, Max Brown and Toby Brooke are preparing for the 2014 Canoe Sprint Junior and U23 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.

That competition is next month, following a four-week training camp in the Czech Republic.

Nossiter and Brown are part of the Under 23 K4 crew while Brooke will follow their footsteps in the U18 K4 squad.

After winning the Under 19 title at the Oceania Mountain Bike Championships on Mt Hutt in March, downhill biker Ben Watkins was selected to represent New Zealand at the World UCI Downhill Championships in September, alongside Sam Blenkinsop, in Hafjell, Norway.

For Watkins, Norway will be the culmination of a two-month European tour of mountain biking competitions, including entering UCI World Cup Series events, while taking in Scotland, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France.

Speedskater Jessica van Bentum is the only female recipient of a grant in the first round.

Selected for the NZ Junior Inline team, she is preparing for the 2014 World Championships, which will be held in Argentina later this year, followed by a training stint in Germany before returning to New Zealand. Van Bentum has been racing fulltime in Europe with the Arma Wheels team.

The trust is a new opportunity for local people and businesses to invest in the region's talented sporting youth, and to support the development of athletes who could potentially achieve at international level.

Baker-Hogan would like to see more sponsors come on board.

"The trust wants to be around long-term to assist generations of Wanganui youth on to the world stage and beyond, so we are keen to spread our message and build further supporters to do this," she said.

All levels of support are appreciated and interested businesses are encouraged to contact the trust through its website www.futurechampionstrust.org, phone Baker-Hogan on 027 272 7953 or email enquiries@futurechampionstrust.org

The next round of funding will open on September 1.

Athletes interested in applying to the trust should visit the website to assess the criteria and download an application form.

Alternatively they can get forms from the Sport Wanganui offices on the Maria Place extension.

The closing date for the second round of applications is October 31.