Wairarapa Waka Ama Club coach Paddy Rimene-Albrett is pleased with the small club’s performances at the national sprint championships, which wrapped up at Lake Karapiro on Saturday.
In the singles, Jeremiah Rimene-Albrett finished fifth in the intermediate boys’ 500m, and Maria Graham made
the semifinals in the intermediate women’s W1 500m. Both were competing as solo paddlers for the first time.
The Rangitumau V12 taitama [midget boys] crew finished second in the plate final, and the 12-person taitama crew Whakaoriori made the 250m championship final, finishing fourth.
The intermediate boys Waipoua six-boy crew were seventh in the 500m race, including a turn, and made the semifinals of the straight 500m, and the women’s Masters made the semis 500m straight and 1000m with a turn, the first
time they had made it out of the heats.
Paddy Rimene-Albrett tasted success, racing for his regular Auckland-based Pinuela Masters crew, and winning the 1000m masters race, finishing runners-up in the double hull 500m race and third in the six-man 500m race. He also qualified for the semifinals in the masters singles.
Three club members – Tia Tuuta, Jeremiah Rimene-Albrett and Kath Albrett – saluted the judge in the highly competitive corporate 250m race with the Te Wananga o Aotearoa crew.
“We didn’t put the amount of prep into it that we normally do, but we gained some good placings,” Paddy Rimene-Albrett said.
“We held off before Christmas, and the kids only trained once a week, but then we trained twice a week close to the nationals.”
