Stacker aims for a medal

STACKER: Caleb Mills competing at the World Sport Stacking Championships in Montreal last year. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Galatea's Caleb Mills leaves for Germany this weekend where he will take on the world's fastest stackers in the 2016 World Sport Stacking Championships.

It will be 15-year-old Caleb's second time attending the world championships as part of the New Zealand Black Stacks team and he is aiming for a medal.

"I'm hoping to get in the top 10 for my age group, if you get in the top 10 you get a medal. I'm also aiming for the top 25 overall out of the males," he said.

Sport stacking is an individual and team sport where participants up stack and down stack 12 specially designed high-tech cups in pre-determined sequences with lightning quickness.

Caleb said he got into the sport when his grandmother brought him some cups in 2009 and "it just took to my liking".

He said he was given a grant from the Whakatane District Council which covered a third of his travel costs, but he had to raise the rest himself.

He said he wasn't sure if he would continue with it next year because it was a "big commitment to raise $5000 [the cost to go] every year", but that he would like to keep competing.

"I like trying to better myself and just trying to constantly improve," he said.

Caleb said while in Germany the team would also get to do a little bit of sightseeing and he was looking forward to seeing a few castles.

The Black Stacks are made up of 10 of New Zealand's best male and female sport stackers.

More than 250 of the world's fastest sport stackers from 22 countries will take part in the event in Speichersdorf, Germany from April 1 to 3.

They will compete in up to eight individual, doubles and relay events, including the Speed Stacks International Challenge and head-to-head relay competition to determine the fastest country in the world.

Sport stacking with Speed Stacks is in more than 44,000 schools and youth organisations worldwide.

It's appealing to teachers and students because it's easy to learn but challenging to master. Benefits include improved reaction time, hand-eye co-ordination, concentration and focus.