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Home / Whanganui Chronicle / Sport

Couple in step for more medals

By David Ogilvie
Whanganui Chronicle·
4 Jan, 2013 03:01 AM4 mins to read

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Springvale Park is walking distance from the Paulger household or in Prue Paulger's case, cycling distance.

The NZ Masters Games veteran (only at Wanganui, let it be said), can be seen on a Monday-to-Friday basis delivering mail in the area of the games' headquarters.

It's been 18 years since she started that task, and the sheer hard work of often battling into a Wanganui westerly, says Prue, has given her the endurance which has helped her amass 33 NZ Masters Games medals 14 of them gold since she first competed at the event in 1997.

In fact, toss in husband Graeme's 17 medals (five golds), and between them they have a record hard to beat.

There are no other Masters Games on the Paulger record just Wanganui.

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No Dunedin in alternate years, no Australian trips, no World Masters not yet anyway.

Prue, a duathlon/triathlon competitor who has worked her way with her husband into "dancesport" in a serious way, says simply this about the local Games:

"It's the atmosphere, the fact that it's local and supporting the local community. I've talked many friends into doing things at the Masters Games.

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"A lot of people complain about how much it costs - but it is supporting Wanganui, isn't it?

"It's a local event."

So, if you're not intending to have a crack in the Masters from February 1-10, then when Prue comes around the corner with the mail, make yourself scarce!

This time, some 16 years after Prue's first Games in 1997, there's a slight change in the attack of this popular athlete. That's come about because of the decision to get serious about ballroom dancing.

This means that by being now a registered couple, rather than unregistered, "you have to wear the proper gear not street clothes so I'm not doing the duathlon the same day (February 2), because there's too much pressure," says Prue, who's won the last four duathlon golds in her gradually increasing age-groups.

"The duathlon doesn't finish until 11am, then there's the prizegiving - and the hall opens at noon and you have to be there for the warm-up for the 1pm start."

And that warm-up is necessary because of the tougher class and the extra effort/finance that's gone into their dancing .

That's included two new dresses for Prue and new gear for both and weekly dance classes under the tuition of Palmerston North teacher Daniel Bolton.

The increased effort led to their first attempt at the New Zealand Ballroom Dancing Championships last year which netted a third and four other finals.

"The difference between the Masters Games and nationals though is that the nationals are graded we were in E grade only whereas the Masters include some very good A graders in our age-group,"says Prue.

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"So our expectations are not high ... although you never know."

Dancing has been a successful method of medalling in the past couple of games, but this time it might have to be the triathlon and 10km run for Prue, and golf and the team triathlon with the "Silver Bullets" - Margie Chiet and Robyn Christiansen - for Graeme.

Nine-handicapper Graeme was out playing golf with dance teacher Daniel Bolton the other day, and teaching steps might have been on the other foot there.

Prue caddies for Graeme in the individual golf, and he's still seeking a partner for the mixed foursome

In 2009, Graeme Paulger took the mixed foursomes gold in partnership with his sister Kaye, and silver in 2011 with local John Firmin-Jones.

Prue Paulger comes to Wanganui from Raetihi by way of Hamilton and Auckland. She boarded at Wanganui Girls College when a schoolgirl, and that's the venue for the ballroom dancing this year.

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She and Graeme met when attending a mutual friend's 50th and have been married 10 years.

How did the dancing start?

Prue: "I was doing rock 'n' roll at the time. But we went along to learn to dance socially. I had said I wouldn't mind learning to dance, and then Graeme saw an advert in the paper. That's how the ballroom dancing started."

A few months ago they were amongst the national competitors who looked with wonder on the skills of visiting world ballroom champions Arunas Bizokzas and Katusha Damidova as they demonstrated at the nationals.

Clearly, it was a stirring moment so look out for a big effort from the Paulgers next month.

Meanwhile, Prue was in the Whanganui River this week having a long training swim for the triathlon.

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That's the Masters Games in a nutshell - something there for everyone.

And as Graeme says, "it's within walking distance!"

Now, what would he be talking about?

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