News

They are mothers, aunts and grandmothers but Wahine Toa paddlers are showing the young chicks what it's all about at this year's Waka Ama Sprint Nationals.

Team captain and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic tutor Corina Gage is no stranger to the sport, she has been paddling for more than 20 years. The team is made up of paddlers from Tauranga, Rotorua and Gisborne.

Gage, 49, told The Daily Post the team were supposed to be entered in the masters division but due to a last minute team member pulling out they had to rope their manager, Naomi Kerepa 32, in to paddle.

It meant they were no longer eligible for the 40-plus masters division but it hasn't held these ladies back from showing their class and waka ama skills.

Close to 2500 paddlers have taken part in the New Zealand Post Waka Ama Champs at Lake Karapiro, with up to 10,000 spectators at the event over the last five days.

The team qualified for the Open Women's 500m and 1500m semi-finals after a stirling effort in their heats.

Wahine Toa were the second fastest qualifier in the 1500m and only need to make the top four of both their semis to make the finals in the afternoon.

Gage said the team were made up of mothers, aunts and a grandmother but it was their bond as a crew which made them so successful.

The captain should know - she has been competing for more than two decades and has only missed a couple of sprint nationals since her first in 1991.

Wahine Toa paddle and train out of the Ruamata Waka Ama Club in Rotorua but Gage and Kerepa are from Tauranga and proud grandmother Brightwell is from Gisborne.

The team have only been paddling together for six months and because they live in different towns don't get to paddle together every week like most teams.

The crew do a lot of single seater waka ama paddling to keep their fitness up and get together once a fortnight as a team.

"A big part of our grouping together is choosing people who get along. The group dynamic thing, I think with anything that has two or more people in it - if you are in for the long haul it has to be a priority. Who can you live with? Who can you train with? We've chosen people who are all outstanding in their own way and have the potential."

Although the team was experiencing success at this week's nationals, Gage said their main goal was the longer version of the sport and they were looking to compete at the Molokai Outrigger Canoe Race in Hawaii in September.

"Over the years, trying to win everything just doesn't work, you burn out and so for me, we are looking to try and win an international race. We are not trying to win this."

Gage said the team were here to be competitive but it was more about giving the team time on the water racing together and helping to keep them fresh and fit.

"This is just a second go for us really we won’t be [upset] if we don't win it."