Largest Junior Kayak Team Ever Heads Off To Europe

CANOE RACING NEW ZEALAND INC.

Largest Junior Kayak Team Ever Heads Off To Europe

1 July 2011

The largest team ever has been selected to attend the 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint Junior World Championships from 29-31 July 2011 in Brandenburg Germany.

Eleven 16-17 year old kayakers have been selected and fly out 4th July with a full-on itinerary for the rest of the month. The athletes will be training in Racice Czech Republic and as a precursor will also be competing in the Czech National Champs in early July before heading to Brandenburg Germany.

Athletes have been selected from all over the country and have been brought together under the leadership of Coach Leigh Barker and Team Manager Anne Cairns for two intensive training camps at Rotorua. The four selected Christchurch based athletes have had the added challenge of training difficulties since the earthquakes.

Junior campaigns must be self-funded or funding obtained from other sources so their has been the added financial challenge for the parents to create this opportunity. We are very grateful to Pub Charities who have financially supported the training camps and also to First Sovereign Trust who have provided funding for all of the teams airfares.

For many of these athletes this is their first, but by no means their last, performance on the World Stage. With dozens of national age group titles amongst them, these dedicated teens are keen to show the world the power that comes from down-under.

CEO Paula Kearns says “These are our future elite athletes and being able to provide them with this sort of international experience gives them a foundation from which to grow into our future Olympians.”

- End –

Team:
Zac Quickenden, Alex Fort, Danielle Currie, Jennifer Fidow, Aimee Fisher, Julie Sweetman, Karina Radley, Kim Thompson, Andrew Roy, Jack Wilson, Cory Taylor.
Coach/Manager:
Leigh Barker, Anne Cairns

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