Wanganui High School paddlers posted their best result yet in the ActivePost National Secondary Schools Waka Ama championships in Rotorua at the weekend.
Daniel Kauiki returned home a national champion after winning the U16 Boys W1 250m final, while the WHS U16 girls won the W6 500m plate final andthe U19 girls the W6 250m bowl final on Blue Lake.
Waka ama is the most rapidly growing secondary school sport in the country, with 1500 paddlers competing in Rotorua the numbers are just shy of athletes competing in the Maadi Cup rowing championships.
Six Wanganui and surrounding district schools sent teams to Rotorua including Wanganui City College, Collegiate School, TKKM o Tupoho, Turakina Maori Girls College and Kokohuia and WHS, who were competing for the fifth consecutive year.
"This is by far our best result," WHS manager Marama Allen said yesterday.
"There were 90 teams and over 1500 paddlers at this competition, so it's huge. Waka ama is also growing rapidly in Wanganui and at our school we are now having to hold trials to select teams.
"We took 25 paddlers to Rotorua and they all showed the benefits of the training they have put in since the beginning of the year. This is a sport that requires a lot of commitment and dedication. There's gym work, early morning and after school training on the Whanganui River and aerobic and technique training."
Allen said waka ama was a sport that taught discipline and life values the athletes could apply to all aspects of their lives.
While WHS returned home with the best results of the Wanganui and district schools, the City College U19 boys finished second in the W6 500m bowl final and third in the U16 girls W6 500m bowl final.
Schools competed for national honours in one, six or twelve paddler teams.
Overall line honours went to Waikato schools Huntly College and Nga Taiatea Wharekura who both successfully defended their respective U19 500m Boys and U19 500m Girls championship titles.
