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Latest News
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New Zealand Canoe Polo Pioneer Passes Away
Dean Mischewski, Sunday, 22 January 2012
New Zealand Canoe Polo lost one of its pioneers recently. Frank van Doorn died in hospital on Thursday 19 January from head injuries sustained in an accident a few days earlier. He was a teacher at Chanel College in Masterton in the 1980s and '90s, and after a stint overseas had recently returned to teaching there.
Frank's involvement with Canoe Polo began in 1988, when the game first came to Masterton. For a year or two prior to that, Chanel College had an "elective" program running where for a period of time each year, students could participate in some outside-the-box activities. Frank sponsored the kayak elective, and taught a bunch of students how to ferry-glide across some quieter sections of the Waingawa and Waipoua rivers, how to eskimo roll (pawlata style!), and, later, how to throw a volleyball (the original Masterton canoe polo ball) while seated in a kayak.
I remember when the perimeter of the Chanel College playing fields had a whole lot of pine trees that needed removing. Frank took charge of this and did a ridiculous amount of chain-sawing to make firewood in order to raise funds for the school's original kayak fleet: a Dancer and an Alpha. Frank would load them up along with his boat on his battered family car and take students out past Kaituna to paddle the rapids on the Waingawa, or even as far away as Castlepoint for some surfing. He was always very generous with his time and resources, although I remember one time he was slightly disheartened after he loaned his car to another kayaking teacher who drove it back from the upper reaches of the Waingawa with the hand brake on all the way.
Personally I was initially a bit scared of the river stuff, and when Frank invited me to be part of an experimental competition that involved kayaks, a ball, and a swimming pool, I thought it might prove a little safer, although it still took him a few invitations before I ran out of excuses. I had my doubts as to whether it would be fun, but it turned out Frank was right: it was awesome, and his persistence in getting me into the sport is something I've always been grateful for.
As well as playing polo himself, Frank went on to develop and coach a number of school teams over many years, including taking the kids he started with in 1988 to a national secondary schools title in 1991, with other successes in later years. I was part of the first crop of polo students he mentored, but there were many others afterwards, and at least two of us (myself and Carl Duncan) went on to captain New Zealand Senior Men's teams. As Carl said in an email to me, "My life certainly wouldn't be what it is today without Frank having introduced and coached me through my early years of polo," and I'd certainly echo those sentiments.
Canoe Polo was just one aspect of Frank's input on the people around him and there's obviously much more that could be said. I knew him as a teacher, coach and friend. He loved his students and he was a gifted, gifted teacher. For me personally he was a very influential mentor in helping me to love the sciences (his main subject, about which he taught passionately), and then in helping me to choose which direction to take for my tertiary studies, which ultimately has led to a fulfilling profession for me.
As far as our sport goes though, there are a number of us who started our canoe polo careers in Masterton under his guidance. His selfless investment of time into the development of the game in its early stages through mentoring a succession of young players is a gift that we'll always appreciate.
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen.
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After two false starts the South Island Schools Champs finally got underway
Nichole Clark, Wednesday, 28 December 2011
After a year of natural disasters for the South Island it was great to see the 2011 South Island Secondary Schools Canoe Polo Championships held. Unfortunately the original venue of Christchurch had to be changed due to the earthquakes, and then heavy snow caused the cancellation of the original date. With support from three schools, a new date was set for December.
The teams entered ranged in experience and age. From James Hargest College who had taken up the sport last year, to Greymouth High who were introduced to the sport in July this year. Due to the limited number of teams entered and wanting to develop the players, we held a training session on Saturday morning where the players were split into three groups and rotated round three sessions to learn skills ranging from land based throwing to rules to water based dribbling. This seems a little amateur compared to the North Island based School Nationals but the main feedback from the players and coaches was the chance to socialise with other players their age the opportunity to learn from other people.
This was a first for the Greymouth Aquatic Centre. The complex is only two and a half years old and had great facilities for playing Canoe Polo - heaps of storage space for kayaks, clear space for referees and good seating for spectators. There was also a meeting room available for our use during the training sessions on Saturday morning and where the pool staff based a sausage sizzle for everyone before the competition started on Saturday. The goals needed a little bit of tweaking to help the referee’s acknowledge when a goal had being scored and limited gear was a problem for teams with more than 6 players. Funding towards extra gear would allow this motivated community a greater chance to experience the sport.
Of the eight teams entered, 3 were Senior Open, 2 were Senior Girls, 2 were Junior Open and 1 was Junior Girls. It was decided to split the teams into Girls/Boys for the round robins, where teams got 6 games each followed by finals for Junior Open, Senior Girls and Senior Open. Each school received a title win, with James Hargest from Invercargill winning both Senior Grades, Middelton from Christchurch winning the Junior Open category and Greymouth High taking the Junior Girls by default. Each school was given a Canoe Polo skills book from NZCPA. 10 t-shirts from the 2011 NZCPA School Nationals were handed out as MVP prizes and spot prizes. The competitors strongly supported the idea of a 2012 SISS t-shirt.
Greymouth thanked everyone for travelling and said they would support the championships in 2012 where ever they were to be held.
While the level of competition was well below the level I have witnessed at other NZCPA events, it was moving to see the passion the players had and the difference of their games by the end of the afternoon. It brought the whole meaning of ‘grass roots’ back.
Nichole Clark
Final rankings:
Senior Open 1st - James Hargest College 2nd – Middelton Grange 3rd – Greymouth High School
Senior Girls 1st – James Hargest College 2nd – Middelton Grange Junior Open 1st – Middelton Grange 2nd - Greymouth High School
Junior Girls 1st – Greymouth High
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Applications invited for 2012 World Champs Squad - athletes and coaches
Friday, 23 December 2011
NZ Canoe Polo will be selecting senior men’s, senior women’s, U21 men’s, and U21 women’s teams to compete at the 2012 World Championships in Poznan, Poland from 5 – 9 September.
Squads will be established according to gender with both senior athletes and those eligible for U21 competition incorporated in to a single squad. At the selection event, those players eligible will be asked if they wish to be considered for the U21 team, senior team, or either team at the discretion of the selectors.
Interested players are asked to apply to join the Men’s Squad or Women’s Squad.
Download the athlete application form here.
Interested coaches are also invited to apply for head coach and assistant coach roles for the Men’s Squad and Women’s Squad. The head and assistant coaches will work together to coach the training squad and both the senior and U21 teams that are selected. The coaches will share responsibility for the performance of both teams during training events and at the World Champs.
Download the coach application form here.
Applications for NZ managers will be available soon.
Full campaign documents including training camp, selection event, and proposed tour dates will be made available following coaching appointments (late Jan / early Feb).
Any enquiries can be directed to the Squads Director or the Executive Director.
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Oceania Champs - day two
NZU21 player Paris Pidduck controls the ball against AUS senior women
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Friday, 16 December 2011
Today the women have had plenty of action on Court 1. NZ Women came out fighting after a loss to the Australian women last night and beat the Australian Women’s B team 16-0. In the game following, the NZ U21 As drew with Australian Womens A 3 all – a great performance from the young NZ players who really performed above their weight. The 2 NZ teams (Womens and U21A) then faced off this afternoon. The U21s managed to lead for a short time but the final score was 5-3 to the more experienced Women’s team. The NZ and Aust top women’s teams are still to play late in the day. Finals tomorrow will be a hard-fought event.
Australian Men’s A pulled ahead of the NZ Men in the second half of their game today. It was drawn up at half time but 2 goals to Matt Moore in the 2nd half made the final score 4-2 to Australia. Likewise the Men’s B teams played this afternoon with a resounding win to the Australians (10-4) in a particularly high scoring game which was great for spectators – the Kiwi teams will want to make amends tomorrow during finals.
The best of New Zealand, past and future, played off this afternoon when the Vets A faced the U21A. Only the Vets managed to get on the scoreboard in the first half with 2 goals by Dean Mischewski. The 21s hit back early in the 2nd half with a long shot (outside the 6m) by Liam Barendsen but the vets were eventual winners at 3-2.
The finals tomorrow (Saturday) will be interesting and entertaining. The weather here in Palmerston North will really suit spectators if it continues as it has improving during the day today.
The women’s semi-finals will start at 8.30 and the Men’s semi finals are at 9.20am with Aust A vs NZB and Aust B vs NZA.
Download results from day two here.
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Hanchen Johnson (NZ Senior Women) vs AUS | |
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Oceania Champs - day one results UPDATED
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Today was the first day of competition in the Oceania Canoe Polo Championships at the Hokowhitu Lagoon in Palmerston North. It has been a day of fierce competition between the New Zealand and Australian teams in all categories.
Spectators have been treated to some very tense games with extremely close scores, for example, the Men’s A teams faced off this afternoon, the game ending in a draw. Both teams managed 2 goals each in the first half with the second half remaining scoreless. The Aust Men’s B team also took the Kiwi’s down to the wire leading 4-2 well into the second half; a hat-trick of goals to Jed Graham in the last few minutes kept the Kiwi’s hopes alive with a final score of 5-4 to NZ.
Some highlights in the New Zealand camp include:
· The NZ U21 Men (A&B teams) have played 2 games each and are so far unbeaten. The highest score was 10-3 (NZU21 B against Australian Vets). The NZ A vs Aust A game was evenly matched and could have gone either way – this will make for a ‘must see’ final on Saturday.
· In the NZ Mens A vs B game, Matt Keong (Captain – NZB) scored from well inside his own half
· NZ U21 Women’s A beat the Australian Women’s B 9-0 while the NZU21Women’s B are proud of a team effort that saw Gemma Potaka (No7) score a runaway goal against the Australian Women’s A team – final score was 7-1 to Australia.
A great feature of the championship is the strength of competition in the Vets (over 35) and Masters (over 45). Many of the players are parents of players in the younger age groups. Noel Holmes (Australian Masters) had 4 children playing in World Championships in 2008. In the Australian Masters team there is a mix between players of 30+ years experience and new players who have started playing in the last 3 years. Three of their Masters players are women.
Download results from day one of the Oceania Championships
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Kiwi Invitational Tournament - Results
Sunday, 11 December 2011
National sides from Australia and New Zealand competed against local club teams in the Kiwi International Tournament held in Palmerston North this weekend. This low key comp. acted as a dress rehearsal for the Oceania Championships being held at the same venue on Hokowhitu Lagoon later in the week.
Successful National League Champions - Vikings Black & Valkryies - both representing Palmerston North based Kiwi Canoe Polo Club (tournament hosts) dominated the A grade categories. VIkings Black edged out Australia A in extra time to win 3 - 2 in the open A grade. The women's A grade was taken a little more convincingly by the Valkryies with a 4 - 2 win over the Australian women.
The Australian U21 men won the open B grade convincingly ahead of Vikings Silver (5 - 3).
It's evident from the close games this weekend that the Oceania Championships will truly be a spectacle of top level canoe polo and trans Tasman rivalry at its best. To check out the action head down to the Hokowhitu Lagoon for preliminary games on Thursday (15th) and Friday (16th), and finals on Saturday (17th). The full competition draw can be downloaded here.
Kiwi International Final Placings
| Placing |
Open A Grade |
Women's A Grade |
Open B Grade |
| 1st |
Vikings Black |
Valkryies |
AUS U21 |
| 2nd |
AUS A |
AUS |
Vikings Silver |
| 3rd |
Expose |
Sirens |
Nua Gentlemen |
| 4th |
AUS B |
NZ U21A |
AUS Women |
| 5th |
Southern |
NZ U21B |
Nua No Fear |
| 6th |
NZ U21A |
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Vikings Blue |
| 7th |
Vikings Gold |
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Vikings Green |
| 8th |
Wellington |
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Sammie's Horo |
| 9th |
NZ U21B |
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Topsy Turvey |
| 10th |
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Vikings Junior |
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Meet the New Zealand Teams competing at the Oceania Champs
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Meet the New Zealand representatives competing at the 2011 Oceania Championships in Palmerston North over the next week by following the links below:
New Zealand Senior Men's A Team
New Zealand Senior Women's Team
New Zealand Senior Men's B Team
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NZ Masters Team Announcement
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
The New Zealand Masters Team to compete at the Oceania Championships has been announced. Congratulations to:
Peter Bolton (c) - player coach
Rob Cox
John Frost
Kerin Hicks
Peter Housiaux (vc)
Ian Russell
Bill Turvey
The full New Zealand Squad list can be viewed here.
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New Zealand Team Selections Announced
Monday, 31 October 2011
The 2011 New Zealand Canoe Polo Inter-regional Championships was the selection event for senior men's, senior women's, and veterans aspiring to compete at the Oceania Canoe Polo Championships.The full selection process is now complete for the U21 and senior categories.
Download the NZ Team lists here.
Please note: Veteran team lists are provisional with a further selection event to take place. The NZ Masters Team will be announced soon.
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2011 New Zealand Canoe Polo Inter-regional Championships Results
Mainland U21 Men Inter-regional Champions
Photograph:Adie Graham
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Sunday, 23 October 2011
The 2011 New Zealand Canoe Polo Inter-regional Championships were held in Hutt City at Naenae Olympic Pool on 14 - 16 October.
New Zealand Canoe Polo gratefully acknowledges the support of the Infinity Foundation.
| Place |
Overall Trophy |
Senior Men |
Senior Women |
U21 Men |
U21 Women |
U18 Men |
U18 Women |
Veteran Men |
Veteran Women |
| 1st |
Central |
Central A |
Central A |
Mainland |
Northern |
Central A |
Central A |
Mainland |
Northern |
| 2nd |
Northern |
Mainland A |
Northern |
Northern |
Mainland |
Central B |
Central B |
Northern |
Central |
| 3rd |
Mainland |
Northern |
Central B |
Central A |
Central |
Northern |
Southern |
Central |
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| 4th |
Southern |
Central B |
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Central B |
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Mainland |
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| 5th |
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Southern |
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Southern |
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| 6th |
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Mainland B |
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Mainland Veterans Inter-regional Champions |
Central U18 Women Inter-regional Champions |
Northern U21 Women Inter-regional Champions | |
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New Zealand U21 Teams named for 2011 Oceania Championships
U21 Men's A Team
Photograph:Adie Graham
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Friday, 16 September 2011
The New Zealand Under 21 Canoe Polo teams to compete in the Oceania Championships to be held in Palmerston North in December were announced at the weekend. The squad has been training since January with 29 men and 20 women vying for team positions. The squad has been expertly coached by four highly experienced coaches over that time. The men’s squad has trained under Richard Morrison (2x gold medal winning coach of NZ Mens U18 teams and NZ secondary school winning coach) and Jason Dalziell (Regional and NZ secondary school coach). The team and coaches have also been supported by Anthony Barendsen (NZ Men’s representative at 3 World Championships). Peter Housiaux (NZ Women’s Coach 1996, National League and NZ secondary school winning coach,) and Kate Bolton (NZ U21 Women’s coach in 2009 Regional and NZ secondary school winning coach) are coaching the women’s squad. All four coaches have represented New Zealand in Canoe Polo as players.
During the weekend at Otaki, the squads were joined by Ali and Tom Neilson as selectors. Ali and Tom were respective captains of the New Zealand teams at World Championships in Milan last year where the women’s team were fourth and the Men’s team were fifth.
Competition for team places has been intense with a group who have played against and with each other over many years. Some members of the squad have been playing together for eight years.All squad members are aware that next year, for the first time, New Zealand U21 teams may be considered to play at the World Championships in Poland. To qualify for World Championships they must win their category at this Oceania competition.
The Oceania competition will be held at Centennial Lagoon in Palmerston North 15-17 December 2011. The last time this competition was held in New Zealand was 2005.
The teams are:
U21 Men’s A: Matthew Bacon, Liam Barendsen, Alick Gordon, Mitch Graham, Nevan Hadley(Captain), Jayden Matthews(Vice Captain), Martyn Pearson, Conor Sellwood
U21 Women’s A: Haley Bertelsen, Kate Horricks, Jordan Housiaux(Captain), Catherine Jeffries, Paris Pidduck(Vice Captain), Kelsi Robertson, Sophie Winton
U21 Men’s B: James Coutts, Jamie Gardner, Philip Hart(Vice Captain), Rod McDonald, Sam Notman, Matthew Salmons, Max Whitaker-Mills(Captain)
U21 Women’s B: Bronte Bergquist(Vice Captain), Meghann Corbett(Captain), Jordan Pearse, Gemma Potaka, Emma Raggett, Kimberly Ronald, Jess Shailer
The teams are supported by a strong management team led by Penny Dustin (Wellington) and include: Jane Bertelsen (Otaki), Kerin Hicks (Horowhenua), Dean Winton (Hawkes Bay), Nichole Clark (Invercargill).
The NZ Men’s and Women’s teams for the Oceania competition will be announced on 16 October at the New Zealand Canoe Polo Inter-regional Championships held in Wellington.
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U21 Women's B Team |
U21 Teams Coaches |
U21 Women's A Team |
U21 Men's B Team |
U21 Men's A Team | |
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Canoe Polo Coach Development
Friday, 13 May 2011
We are currently building a register of all people coaching (informally or formally) at a school, club, regional, and national level so we can begin having direct contact with our coaches to offer them development opportunities. Please compile the names and email addresses of all the people in your club or region who are currently involved and send them to us for inclusion on the register. Email coach development.
Thanks to a donation from the Central Canoe Polo Association we are offering coaching courses for club and school level coaches in any part of the country. To organise a course in your area email coach course request.
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