OP student to compete in Canoe Polo World Champs in Italy

OP student to compete in Canoe Polo World Champs in Italy

Otago Polytechnic student Lucia Stettner is maintaining a rigorous training regime as she prepares to compete in the ICF Canoe Polo World Championships in Italy in August.

Having played canoe polo for the past seven years, the 20-year- old says her selection for the New Zealand Under-21 team is the “realisation of a long-held goal.”

The World Championships take place on the sea off the coast of Syracuse, Sicily from Monday 29 August-Sunday 4 September.

Lucia has decided to take a gap year from her Bachelor of Occupational Therapy studies to concentrate on training and competing.

“I won gold with my team in the Oceania Championships in Australia last year, which was amazing,” she recalls,” but it was difficult to balance my studies and my sport. I ended up feeling quite burnt out by the end of the year, so I decided to take a break this year and will resume my studies in Lucia is based in Christchurch this year, and trains up to four times a week at the gym and takes to the chilly waters of Lake Roto Kohatu six or seven times per week.

Competing on a salt-water pitch at the World Championships presents different challenges to indoor and fresh-water courses.

“The buoyancy is quite different in salt water and it stings your eyes a lot more when you roll,” she explains. “Luckily, I’ve spent a lot of time training on Otago Harbour so I’m quite well-practised!”

As canoe polo is a small sport which is not funded, Lucia must cover the full cost of approximately $10,000 to take part in the Championships.

Otago Polytechnic has provided some sponsorship to help her fund her trip, and she’s also seeking the support of other sponsors and welcoming donations through her Give-a- Little page at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/nzcp-lucia

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