The four Wairarapa College students included in the New Zealand under-18 white water slalom development team are in for a hectic next two months.
Sarah McKenzie, Yvette Crispin, Stuart McLeod and Chris Atkinson will attend training camps in Tauranga, Rotorua and Palmerston North in December before heading across the Tasman.
From January 5 to 7 they will contest the Australian secondary school championships to be held on Lake Glenbawn in New South Wales and on January 10 and 11 they will take part in the pre-Australian open championship meet at the Penrith White Water Stadium, venue for several water sports events at the Sydney Olympics.Then on January 12 and 13 they will contest the Australian open itself
For McKenzie, Crispin and McLeod it will be their second trip to Australia while Atkinson will be making his debut at this level of the sport.
All four laid claims for national selection with strong performances at the New Zealand secondary school championships held on the Tekapo river earlier in the year.
They were part of a Wairarapa College squad which finished third in the teams event behind Tauranga Boys High and Tauranga Girls College.
McLeod, Atkinson and McKenzie also won a bronze medal in the down river classic which required three paddlers to complete the event and finish within 15secs of each other.
McKenzie was third in the KI slalom intermediate women's race and Crispin was fourth in the senior women's grade.
In the C1 event Crispin was second amongst the senior women and McKenzie third in the intermediate grade and they combined for a second placing in the C2 senior women's slalom event as well.
The C1 teams race was won in convincing fashion by McLeod, Atkinson and McKenzie and they also took out the intermediate men's KI men's teams event where they had to complete the 24-gate slalom course and finish within 15secs of each other. McKenzie was given special dispensation to compete in that race.
Hectic time for foursome
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