Paddlers need urgent help - April 2015

SUPPORT PLEASE: This classy trio of Wanganui kayakers, former WHS students Max Brown (left), Aiden Nossiter and Toby Brooke, have just 13 weeks to raise money to get to the 2015 Junior and Under-23 World Sprint Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.

THREE promising young Wanganui sportsmen are on their way to international success, but in order to get there they will need some solid financial backing.

Recently named in Canoe Racing NZ's Pathway to the Podium programme, Toby Brooke, Max Brown, and Aiden Nossiter are preparing for the 2015 Junior and Under-23 World Sprint Championships in Lisbon, Portugal. They have all been selected to represent New Zealand, in a squad of 10 women and nine men.

Fundraising efforts are under way and the kayakers have the support of the Whanganui Multisport Club, with quiz nights, a garage sale and sausage sizzles planned. However, the enormity of the coming international event and the associated costs requires sponsorship of a higher degree.

Understandably, a majority of the expenses incurred by the athletes are the travel costs, and transportation of the boats throughout the 33-day tour. Other costs include accommodation and meals, trailer hire, insurance, uniforms, airport transfers and more.

A major hurdle for the sportsmen is that applying to New Zealand funders is futile, since most will not provide funds for overseas expenses.

Brooke, Brown and Nossiter have just 13 weeks to come up with more than $8000 each ($8109.20 to be exact).

The athletes have already proven their worth with some major titles clocked up to date.

At the recent Canoe Racing New Zealand national championships, at just age 19, Brown secured gold with Nossiter in the K2 1000m Under-23 race, plus two silvers and a bronze in other categories at the same event. This followed a successful campaign at the 2014 U-23 World Championships. Brown is in his second year of study toward a Bachelor of Music at Victoria University.

Brooke, also at Victoria University (Bachelor of Science with a major in Physics) took three golds at this year's national championships. Both boys fit 10-12 hours of training a week around their studies.

Brown is particularly determined.

"My training is a full-time commitment. I'm training two times a day, six days a week. This involves training in the kayak but also strength training in the gym and running a couple of times a week. I would like to say I'm one of the most committed athletes in the team because I haven't missed a single session in over a year and always attend training with a positive attitude. I believe this approach towards my sport will help me achieve my dream of winning an Olympic gold medal one day."

Nossiter gained three national silvers and one gold (with Brown) at the national championships. He has recently secured part-time work at Repco, allowing him valuable time for his six-day-a-week training programme. Over the past few years his focus has been on developing his skills and he has put a lot of effort into learning how to train smarter. Nossiter encourages younger club paddlers to push themselves, and gives back to his sport by helping with water-based activities like school kayak programmes and canoe polo.

Wanganui Chronicle article on 23/4/15.