Today was all about W6 team racing here at the 2023 Waka Ama Secondary School Nationals. It was a frosty and windy start to the morning that slightly delayed our race start, however things quickly heated up out on the water with rangatahi going head to head in their W6 250m and 500m heat races.

A massive 220 teams took to the water today showcasing their skills in the 250m straight sprint races and 500m turn races, where teams are tasked with turning their waka around a buoy during the race - no easy task! It was awesome to see the smiles across all the rangatahi faces today; those excited to race, those coming off the lake hyped up from their race, and those watching on lakeside cheering on their kura.

Waka Ama CEO, Lara Collins, says “Rangatahi showcased some amazing skills today, especially in all the turn races! It’s been great to see all the rangatahi have fun out on the water and lots of whānau here supporting the rangatahi”.

The vibes on the land were amplified with our awesome announcing crew making sure the rangatahi were getting all their race calls, the spectators were getting race commentary, and the crowd were staying hyped up with the music.

“It’s amazing whānau vibes here at Tikitapu. It’s great to see all the rangatahi out here participating in waka ama, despite the chilly conditions!” says Casey Redman, School Sport NZ.

This event wouldn’t happen without the many volunteers that work hard to provide a world-class event for our rangatahi. Amelia Liddell from Te Waiariki Purea Trusts is a lead event coordinator at this years event and says “It is awesome to have our waka ama whānau come together to help with the event, they always bring the best energy and make this event possible for our rangatahi from all over Aotearoa!”.

Tomorrow we head into our W6 semi final races. All teams that raced in heats today will all progress into semi finals tomorrow within their respective divisions; Te Ihu, Te Takere, and Te Kei.

© Scoop Media