
The 19 Queenstowners were the only females from the South Island to compete on Lake Tikitapu, against 2200 paddlers from 125 schools nationwide.
Coach Frances Piacun says considering most of the teams her charges were up against have been training daily, in much warmer weather, "our girls are right up there with them".
Whakatipu Waka Ama had three crews competing — Mako, Whai and the new junior Matariki crew, while Alisha Messingham also competed as a single.
Alisha, 17, who only started paddling two months ago, won a bronze medal in the under-19 girls’ 250m Te Takere (B) final, while the Mako and Whai crews came third in the Double Hull W12 250m Te Ihu (A) final. In the W6 500m events, all three crews made it through to the Te Ihu semifinals — Whai finishing second and Mako coming third, placing them 11th and 12th out of 104 crews.
"To say I’m proud is an understatement," Piacun says.
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