THREE classy Wanganui kyakers, Max Brown, Aiden Nossiter and Toby Brooke, have the perfect vehicle to showcase their considerable talents when the compete for New Zealand at the 2015 Junior and U23 World Sprint Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.
The Junior Worlds take place in July, following a three-week training campin Budapest, Hungary for the Kiwis. The camp will be based at the Olympic Centre in Dunavarsany (about 40 minutes from the centre of Budapest) with water sessions held on the banks of the Little Danube river. The river is an exemplary venue, closed off by a dam at each end, and with starting gates. Hungarian junior rowers will also be training there, creating unique learning opportunities for the Kiwis.
They will also compete in a regional regatta in early July. The Budapest event will be the first opportunity for the athletes to stretch their muscles following the long trip from New Zealand.
After the Budapest camp, the athletes will take a four-hour flight to Lisbon and then endure a three-hour bus journey to reach their accommodation with the International Canoe Federation (ICF). That location is Figuerra Da Foz - a beach town 18km from the race venue.
Their boats will be transported 3000km to the race course in Montemor-o-Velho by road, an exercise that will take two days.
All three kayakers received some financial assistance from the Future Champions Trust for last year's competition, and other support such as the Mitre 10 MEGA Scholarship and local businesses.
However, the cost for this year's event has been increased significantly by the longer travel distances, and by using the world-class Olympic facility where the team will be based. The upside of this is that the athletes will have access to facilities of the highest standard, and a fantastic opportunity to rub shoulders with the best coaches and athletes in the world.
Brown knows this is an opportunity not to be missed.
"The overall experience of racing at the world champs [last year] was hugely beneficial from a life lessons point of view. We placed 13th in the world in the Under-23s, which we were really happy with and, as a 19-year-old, we were up against some really experienced racers. I gained an idea of how hard you can push your body."
In order to advance their international careers further, the young kayakers are going to need sponsor support, either collectively or individually. Potential sponsors are invited to register their interest by contacting Sport Whanganui's multisport development officer Amie Simpson on 027 211 4042 or amie@sportwhanganui.co.nz.
