Paddlers from left to right: Pamela Boyce, Lillian Hall, Linda Shulist, Chris Whittemore, Lois Deacon, Carolyn Ellis

Kiwifruit are a commercial crop in New Zealand so it is quite fitting that the Kiwi Crew are going to New Zealand, not to pick fruit but to compete in the New Zealand World Masters Games. Incredible!

The six-paddler Kiwi Crew, all members of our ‘Haliburton Highlands Paddlers’, will be joined by 22 other paddlers from IB Dragonboating in Lindsay. The other paddlers are from the City of Kawartha Lakes and the Region of Durham.

The Kiwi Crew has been travelling to Peterborough regularly since October 2016 to train with the rest of the team at Trent University’s indoor paddling tank. Most of them paddle twice a week…Wed. and Sat. as well as some Sundays for individual instruction. In addition, they also have an exercise regimen that they work on at home. They will continue paddling in the tank right up until they leave (April 18th).

Their coach, Carol Gonder, has arranged for daily practices once they arrive in Auckland….working around sightseeing tours of course! Race days are April 28 & 29. There are two crews competing in the 50+ age category. A 10 person mixed crew and 20 person female crew. Both crews will be racing in the 200 M and 500 M events.

The team has been very successful with fundraising. Their first endeavor was “Project Turkey Pie”, where the team made and sold 2700 pies. A fashion show and silent auction was held at the Armory in Lindsay before Christmas. Last month, another fashion show, on a smaller scale, was held. Approximately $19,000 has been raised. The team would like to thank all who supported them!

On top of that, they received $4000 in donations from local (Lindsay) business owners. The support from the Lindsay area has been overwhelming. The money raised will go towards registration ($400 each) and training costs for the tank rental.

Carolyn says that “Being part of this team has been an awesome experience. Wish us Luck!”

Haliburton Highlands Paddlers are very proud of the Kiwi Crew and hope to hear from them in the “Land of the Long White Cloud”, as this wonderful and exciting experience unfolds.

Good luck ladies and Paddles Up!

*With more athletes than the Olympics, the World Masters Games is the single biggest multi-sport event on earth, with 25,000 participants converging on Auckland for the event of a lifetime.