Tom Goldsmith is the latest youngster from Central Otago Whitewater, the region’s kayaking club, to be chosen to represent New Zealand.
The 16-year-old Dunstan High School pupil is part of the national U-18 canoe slalom team competing in Ivrea, Italy, in July, joining fellow club member Nick Collier (18), of Alexandra, who will compete in the U-23s.
Fellow Alexandra paddler Finn Butcher, who at 27 has aged out of the Juniors and U-23 World Championships, will not attend but is well into training toward the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
All three athletes credit club stalwarts, alongside their parents, for inspiring them with a love of paddling and helping them develop as well-rounded individuals despite the stress of competitive sports.
Goldsmith said it was a tough journey to get to the junior elite level "but I’m definitely very proud and very happy to get there".
"I’m very excited for the culture, very excited for the racing, and meeting all the other kids from around the world."
Goldsmith had been kayaking for about four years and said he looked up to Butcher and Collier.
He credited his father and senior club members with encouraging him to persevere with the sport.
"My dad really pushed me to keep going and keep doing it and Gordy really helped me out a lot with motivation and encouragement as well," Goldsmith said.
"Gordy" is Gordon Rayner, Central Otago Whitewater chairman and whitewater skills coach to youngsters in the club’s junior programme.
Butcher and Collier also credit Rayner, his wife Mary, Alan "Sarge" Hoffman and other senior members of the club with their success as both athletes and people.
Butcher said the family atmosphere of the club that included multi-day trips into river gorges raised children who saw sports as a lifestyle.
"It’s an integral part of their lives — it’s not just something you do on a Sunday afternoon."
He said the junior programme focused on creating well-rounded young individuals rather than "the world No 1".
Slalom athletes lost a lot more races than they won, and being able to stay level-headed was useful for both high and low periods, Butcher said.
"It definitely helps on the start line and in the racing, but it also helps me to stay level in losing."
For Collier, who shared the slalom coaching with Rayner this summer before heading back to study and train in the Waikato, Central Otago Whitewater taught him to paddle "not only to race and be the best but for enjoyment".
"The culture in Alexandra is pretty awesome," he said.
"It’s encouraging paddling as a lifelong skill."
Rayner started the club with Roy Bailey, of Wanaka, in 1997, with the goal to protect Central Otago’s whitewaters from development and promote kayaking.
The junior programme was started about 2001-02.
"Life’s not all about competing — it’s about the journey and getting your family, your friends, your community over the line."
He emphasised that there were many others involved in teaching and encouraging the young guns of the sport in Central Otago, with paddlers from Wanaka, Cromwell, Queenstown and Alexandra all part of the kayaking family.
Those young guns seem keen to pass on the lessons they have learned under the tutelage of their senior paddlers.
Collier considered himself lucky to help coach the team this summer and said the benefits of kayaking for him continued on land.
"A lot of my leadership skills have been brought through from the kayaking system," he said.
Butcher said he was also passing on skills learned from the club leadership.
"I’m now part of that with the younger kids, and it’s natural to me to take them under my wing," he said.
