It was meant to be a gentle initiation into kayaking's senior ranks for Mana paddler Kurtis Imrie, until he helped knock over two of the sport's leading lights.
The 18-year-old, paired with Wanganui's Max Brown, 19, won the K2 1000m open title at the Blue Lake Regatta in Rotorua at the weekend, relegating national representatives Scott Bicknell and Marty McDowell into second.
"We thought we'd have a good crack against some of the other boys but then found ourselves alongside Scotty and Marty halfway along, we thought we'd better give them a nudge," Imrie said.
"We waited for our chance and just got them on the line. We were stoked and that's given us a lot of confidence."
While world champions Lisa Carrington and Teneale Hatton were missing from Canoe Racing New Zealand's traditional season-opener, the men's ranks were still strong.