Local kayakers represent NZ - April 2015

Former Wanganui High School students Max Brown (left) and Toby Brooke (right) join Aiden Nossiter (absent) to compete in the 2015 Junior and U23 World Sprint Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.

In July this year, kayakers Max Brown, Aiden Nossiter and Toby Brooke are heading to the 2015 Junior and U23 World Sprint Championships in Portugal.
Midweek caught up with Max , Toby and Max's dad Peter Brown down by the Whanganui River after a morning training session.
"Max has been in the national team for three years now," says Peter, "starting out as a junior, which is the level at which Toby's going away with the team. On an international scale the next level you race at is the Under 23s, so from that point as an 18 or 19 year-old stepping up to the Under 23s there's a lot of developmental difference between the younger competitors and those at the top end.
"Every time you line up on the start line ... you are racing against the best team from Russia, from China, from the United States ... "
While Peter is obviously proud of his son and the team, he understands the psychology that may have helped to get them this far.
"There's something about growing up in provincial New Zealand; whatever sport you're in, whether it's kayaking, rowing, triathlon or whatever, for the whole of your formative years you go out there knowing you can actually succeed and do so. By the time you reach world standards in terms of performance, with good coaching, good equipment and training opportunities, you come to the race with a lot of self belief."
Max and Aiden, both 20, compete in the Under 23s, with 18-year-old Toby filling a spot in the junior team.
"Last year we raced in Hungary for the World Champs, and the year before that was Canada," says Max. "This year should be quite good because we've got two years' of race experience on the world stage."
New Zealand actually has boats that "live" in Europe and it will be these that the boys will race in Lisbon, the same boats they raced last year.
"Once they're outdated they're returned to New Zealand and put throughout the clubs," says Max.
"We've got two K4s that are old New Zealand boats from about 10 years ago," says Toby.
More than 70 countries take part in the World Champs.
"The big European countries like Hungary, Germany, Portugal, Russia, they're really into their kayaking," says Max. "It's like rugby is to us. That's how big it is over there. Australia's pretty good but Hungary dominates."
Max, Aiden and Toby's participation consists of a 35-day tour, starting in Hungary where they train in Budapest at the Olympic Centre in Dunavarsany.
"We train there for three weeks with the Hungarian team," says Max, "Their junior team will be there as well. From there we go to Portugal for a week."
They say they'll be training twice a day, six days a week so there will be little time for tourism. "We're there for the training, that's our focus."
Max says the team goal is to make the "A" finals and considers that achievable, even though the other two that make up the K4 team are from other parts of New Zealand and they have so far had just one training session together last weekend.
"The junior team is racing a K4000 as well and hopefully race the K1 - the individual 1000 metres - and the "A" final will be the goal as well; it's my last year [in the] juniors," says Toby. "Last year we got 16th in K4."
As in most sports, little could happen without sponsorship help. Mitre 10 Mega has sponsored all three in the past and Future Champions' Trust must be acknowledged, they say.
"We also want to thank Brian (Scott). He does it all for free, he's down here twice a day, six days a week coaching, and he also has a family and a job," says Max. "And our parents as well."
"And Mark Watson, coaching us in Wellington," added Toby. Max and Toby attend Victoria University.
Before the trip there are some fundraisers taking place as follows:

Garage sale, May 9
Quiz Night 1 on Friday, May 15 at 7pm at Stellar
Quiz Night 2 on Saturday, June 20 at 7pm at the Commercial Club (behind the skating rink and squash clubs in Hatrick St.
For bookings and more information contact paddle2portugal@hotmail.com or ring Jenny Brown 027 308 2495, Clare Adkins 06 342 4788 or Clare Rowe 027 300 5380.