Whanganui teenager trains in Spain

Whanganui teenager Jimi Blinkhorne (centre) will add to skills learned during age group tests in Australia at a month-long roller hockey training camp in Spain.

Whanganui teenager Jimi Blinkhorne will be living and breathing roller hockey for the next month on the other side of the world in Spain.

The just turned 16-year-old Whanganui High School student has been enroled in a four week training camp in La Coruna in north-western Spain immersing himself in a sport he is passionate about and soaking up the atmosphere alongside some of the best players on the planet.

Blinkhorne has already tasted international matchplay as an U14 and U16 New Zealand representative in transtasman tournaments and earlier this year was a star in Melbourne helping the Mordiallic under-17 side win the Australia Day national age group club title.
Blinkhorne currently plays for the Wanganui Roller Hockey Club's senior men.

It was during the Australia Day week-long experience that the Spanish trip came about, a trip both he and father Paul "Blink" Blinkhorne snaffled with open arms.

"Jimi and the Mordiallic under-17 captain Ash Clee became great mates, in fact, Jimi stayed with Ash and his family during the Australia Day competition," Blinkhorne senior said.

"While he was there a Spanish guy was talking about this international training camp and Ash's dad jumped at it for his son and included Jimi because he had played such a starring role in Mordiallic's national win."

In fact, before Blinkhorne junior and Clee fly out to Spain together from Australia this weekend, they wil play for a composite side in a practice game against an Australian premier men's team.

Blink is not concerned about sending his son 19,525km away from home in Mangamahu to La Coruna at such a tender age.

"Jimi is a pretty strong, independent guy - he'll handle the trip away just fine and he has Ash with him, they'll be mates for life now. The biigest worry he has is that he thinks he might not be good enough, but I told him 'that's why you are going, to live and breathe it and be trained by the best.'

"The trip could be the making of him. Guys even just playing second or third teir competition are paid something like 500 euro a week with the top guys getting colossal amounts in Europe. This trip will open doors to all that and maybe even opportunities outside roller hockey."

The youngster concedes he will miss his dad, but was comforted by the fact they would be in daily contact by phone or video calling.

The Mangamahu fencer has struggled to fund the month-long trip hard on the heels of several forays into the Australian league and more recently a school geography field trip down south.

"I have beem amazed and astounded by the support we have received from individuals and businesses in Whanganui,' Blink said.

"My boss chipped in a grand, Rural Women NZ have helped, the Mitre 10 Future Champions Fund gave $500, while others have given stuff we can either use for the trip or raffle off to raise money."

Blinkhorne himself has long been at the top of the heap in New Zealand speedway sidecar racing, which in itself is an expensive sport.

"But even my racing partner Mick Paul chucked in some money, people have been amazing. Jimi and I really do appreciate the support and thank them all."

La Coruna is a port city in north-western Spain on the Atlantic Ocean providing a distribution point for mainly agricultural goods from the region. It's climate is verry much like Whanganui with summer temperatures ranging on the 20-25 degrees Celsius.