After placing third in the Waka Ama 2024 Sprint Nationals Premier Men W6 500, A’arua from Ōrākei Water Sports Waka Ama Club is going to be the top team men’s premier team Aotearoa is sending to the IVF World Va’a Sprint Championships in Hawai’i this year.
A’arua head coach Jackson Tamaariki-Campbell (Ngāti Whātua, Tainui, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi) told Te Ao Māori News the top two in his category, Team Vaka Manu Black and Pineula Mulivai would not be attending the worlds.
He didn’t completely know why they weren’t going to Hawai’i but said potentially they didn’t hand in their intent early enough, or had other commitments, or it was just too expensive to head to worlds.
“We want them to be there because, obviously, winning at worlds is going to mean a lot to us if we are able to achieve that but I personally want them to be there so that we know for sure that we not only beat, you know, other teams such as Tahiti or Hawai’i but we beat the best from our country as well
“Going to a world event and not having them there feels a little incomplete when it comes to the competition.
“We’ll go there and do our job anyway, we’re putting in the work anyway regardless to become world champs so we’ll go and potentially tick that off and then come back home and we’ll be aiming to take out our nationals,” Tamaariki-Campbell said.
After Hawai’i, A’arua is expecting to see Pineula and Vaka Manu back at the National Sprints in 2025 to paddle against them again and vie for the top spot.
“The goal is definitely to become our national champions because, when I came back and joined with my boys, we were 10th at the time, three years ago. Last year we came third so, obviously, we’re going for first.
“Just winning that event, personally will feel maybe a bit better than becoming a world champion in Hawai’i,” he said.
Te Ao Māori News has asked Manukau Outrigger Canoe Club and Akarana Waka Ama for comment.
Training to be the best
To get ready for worlds, Tamaariki-Campbell and his team are following a programme created by waka ama legend Tupuria King called ‘Train like a King.’
They had used another programme created by King to train for Nationals.
“I hit the bro up and he forwarded through this new programme that he’s put together and it’s just written out so well, so it takes away from us having to think about what we have to do.
“The trainings are laid out perfectly, written out really well and so all we need to do is check over what we are doing each day and follow the programme,” Tamaariki-Campbell said
He said the team trained three to four hours each week together and, in his own time, he did an extra hour or two on top.
The extra work may explain why A’arua went from the bottom when Tamaariki-Campbell joined the club three years ago to the near top in a short amount of time.
“It took a little while for me to come back because, if I was going to come back, I’m always going to come back with 110% and I want to see that the boys I’m paddling with are there and committed and are going to put in the same effort and be there at 110%as well.
“When I arrived I actually saw that.”
The 2024 World Sprint Championships will take place on August 13 to August 24 in Hilo, Hawaii.