Crews train hard for champs

Wairarapa Nui Tonu Waka Ama Club are set to make a big splash at the national Waka Ama championships at Lake Karapiro from January 17-22.
Head coach Joe Nuku is excited at the potential of the six teams and seven individuals who are undergoing intensive training at Masterton's Henley Lake aimed at having them in peak fitness and mental shape for a regatta which will attract hundreds of competitors from throughout the country.
"You can never guarantee results at the top level but one thing is for sure, we will be ready to go out there and give it heaps," Nuku said.
"There's no Christmas break for us, we'll still be out on the water just about every day we can."
Contesting individual races in the Wairarapa colours will be Sid Tatana and his daughter, Sydney Cunningham, in the masters grades, Paddy Rimene and Nuku in the open men's division, Shannon Albrett-Rimene and Arana Makira in the junior 19-year grade and Ngametua Paku in the junior 16-year class. All six of their teams will be in the junior age groups, including the midgets grade which is for youngsters aged 7 to 9.
Nuku, who is one of New Zealand's top paddlers and has not long returned from competing for a Wellington club in Raratonga, says waka ama has enjoyed huge growth in Wairarapa with adult paddlers, in particular, being attracted by the fact that it was a low-impact sport in terms of injuries.
"You don't wake up in the morning with sore knees or the after-effects of being tackled all day," he said.
"It's more about fitness and technique and the mental toughness to pull out something extra when it starts to hurt."
The nationals will see events raced over distances of 500m, 1000m and 1500m and Nuku said it was vital that each crew or individual had a race strategy mapped out which would enable them to produce the best possible results.
"The tactical side of it is very important, you can't just go flat out all the way," Nuku said.
"It's too demanding for that."
Nuku emphasised that waka ama should not be confused with dragon boat racing, with there being many differences between the two.For instance, dragon boats had crews of 20 while waka ama had six at the most and dragon boats raced on straight courses while there were turns to negotiate in the longer waka ama races.
"Just how long you take to turn can make all the difference to the end result, you can waste a lot of time there if the techniques aren't up to scratch."
It's not only on the water where Wairarapa club members have been busy preparing for the nationals.
All teams are still in the middle of a fund-raising drive, including car washing, selling raffles and planning for a hangi, and they have been delighted with the "amazing" response from the local community. Evidence of this came just last Saturday when a $5-a-car wash organised by the under-16s girls team saw people paying double that amount just to help them on their way.
"It's awesome to know we have that sort of support," Nuku said.
"It makes you proud to live in and represent the Wairarapa."