Teen tipped to represent NZ

Whangarei swimmer Melita Raravula is doing everything right to be lining up on the blocks at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
"She has got a very bright future ahead of her in this sport, should she choose to continue," Raravula's Northwave Swim Club coach Monica Cooper said.
The 14-year-old Pompallier College Year 10 student was the stand-out performer of the Northland contingent that competed at the New Zealand Age Group Short Course Championships in Wellington recently.
Raravula won gold in the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, silver in the 100m and 200m individual medley, and bronze in the 50m and 100m breaststroke.
She was also fourth in the 200m free and fifth in the 100m free and 200m breaststroke and won bronze with the freestyle relay team of Jayne Clarke, Oceane Maihi and Carla Marsh.
"It was her most pleasing performance to date - and not because of her places and medals, but Melita won all of her starts, and nailed her turns and finishes, swimming against some very good competition, including swimmers from a Queensland high development squad," Cooper said.
Usually calm before major swim meets, Raravula said she was a little worried heading into her first national age group short course champs.
"Two weeks beforehand, I had a week off training because I was away at the snow with Outdoor Pursuit Centre. I was getting worried about having so much time off so when I got back, I put a lot of work in to get my fitness back to where it was. Usually before a meet, I eat all the right foods and I taper because I have done all the work, so I wasn't as confident this time around," she said.
It was an intense week-long competition, where Raravula was swimming in a large number of events and she did not have long to recover in between races. However, she set new personal best times in every heat and final she swam, except her 200m IM heat.
While breaststroke is her preferred stroke, she is a powerful flyer and freestyler - and with a little work on her backstroke, Raravula is shaping up to be a promising medley swimmer.
Raravula has all the right attributes and drive which could well see her as the next Northland swimmer to represent New Zealand, her coach said.
"She is a good listener, is great under pressure and she follows the race plan and strategy to the finest detail. She has a supportive family, a great temperament and is showing the ability to take her through to a higher level in the sport. She is the whole package really," Cooper said.
Her national age group short course championship success came on the back of winning gold in the 50m fly and silver in the 50m and 100m breaststroke at the age group long course champs in March and the open nationals in April, where she made the 50m and 100m breaststroke B finals.
Raravula's stellar year earned her a spot in a New Zealand Swimming development camp last weekend, along with clubmate 13-year-old Maddie Eastwood, at the Millennium Institute of Sport in Auckland.
The top 15 recent performers from around the country in each age group were chosen for the three-day training camp. Former national swim team head coach Jan Cameron was a guest speaker and informed the youngsters they were selected as future Olympic and Commonwealth Games prospects, inspiring Raravula.
"That would be nice ... I will be 18 when the 2014 Commonwealth Games are on and that is when you start peaking in swimming, so I will see what happens.
"I love swimming and can't see myself stopping any time soon," she said.