Students from Aranui High School will have the opportunity to compete in the Coast to Coast next year alongside some legends of New Zealand multisport.
Six students will be selected to train over the next six months under the mentored guidance of nine time Coast to Coast winner Steve Gurney, three time winner Emily Miazga, World Champion Adventure Racer Nathan Fa'avae and endurance coach Rosie Shakespeare.
Four will be selected in December for more specialized training with two making the final cut to race the iconic multisport event in February as a tandem team, teaming up with one of their coaching legends, while the two missing out will form part of their support crew.
 Three of the six Aranui High School students in with the opportunity to compete in the Coast to Coast next year alongside some legends of New Zealand multi-sport, Mikayla Scott, Taitama Tukaki and Andrew Gordon, with their new Giant Mountain bikes.(Photo: Enthuse; click to enlarge) |
A small group of passionate Canterbury multisporters are supporting the initiative being driven by the Canterbury Youth Development Programme, a charitable organisation focused solely on providing opportunities and support for young people and their families.
"The CYPD (Canterbury Youth Development Programme) works alongside youth to encourage, motive and support them to make the right choices and build a positive life," CYPD's CEO Bevan Seal said.
"The Coast to Coast is ideal for youth development as it motivates them to achieve far more than they thought they could and it inspires them to gain the fitness and stamina; it is great for their mind, body and soul."
Seal said the CYDP wanted to give youths the opportunity to complete the Coast to Coast, which he believes will be the 'opportunity of a lifetime.' "This will show them that the Coast to Coast is not just for extreme athletes, it is not out of their reach. There is no doubt it will be challenging, but they are getting to do something they never thought they would get the opportunity to do and having the support of some of New Zealand's legendary multisporters was fantastic; it will make such a difference."
Gurney said he had mentors encouraging him to explore the outdoors when he was a teenager, so was 'really motivated' to be involved. "We need to encourage the young people of today to get out and explore what is possible in New Zealand," he said. "They need to realise what fantastic access we have to amazing experiences in our wilderness, especially in Canterbury."
Miazga said the mentors all wanted to empower the students, and it was also a way of giving something back to the sport that had given her, and the other mentors, so many opportunities.
One of those driving the project is adventurer Steve Moffatt, a Coast to Coast veteran category winner who alongside Gurney, re-created the historic adventures of some of New Zealand's early explorers in recent years, including climbing Mt Cook wearing mountaineering clothing from 120 years ago and paddling Cook Strait in a wooden canoe.
"We just wanted to see these kids get a chance to do something inspiring like the Coast to Coast," Moffatt said. "The CYDP does such a special job and something like this is just an extension of their commitment to making a real life changing difference in the lives of these kids."
Daniel De Bont, who with Moffatt, drove the original concept, is a former Aranui High School student who said he's been very lucky to have had the opportunity through Moffatt to discover New Zealand and what it has to offer.
"The beauty, the challenges, personal empowerment and growth it can provide. We needed to consider how we could we offer this to students and kids, who may never be exposed to such adventures. Through this pilot project and the great work performed by the Services Academy we hope our 'student coasters' can inspire their peers, school mates and community, and maybe help find new generation of athletes who can discover their own life adventures."
The Arawa Canoe Club, who are supporting sponsoring the six students with free memberships for a year, the official nutrition bar of the Coast to Coast Em's Power Cookies, Frontrunner Colombo, Pak n Save Wainoni, Bluesky Real Estate, Moffatts Flower company and Giant Bicycles are all backing the project meaning there will be no cost to the school or the students.
Clement Holgate, New Zealand Marketing representative for Giant, said the company has a strong focus on creating opportunities for everyone, everywhere to enjoy the experiences that cycling has to offer, so when approached with an opportunity to support Aranui High School through the Canterbury Youth Development Programme they were 'delighted to get involved.'
"Giant Bicycles New Zealand is lucky to have a great network of local dealers who also want to be involved with their communities, so our ties with Torpedo7's Christchurch store and their involvement with the Coast to Coast has allowed for our combined support of this venture."
"The idea of encouraging new growth and opportunities for youth by using sporting 'legends' in such an iconic event is fantastic, and now with the Development Programme riding new 2016 Giant Bikes and wearing new 2016 Giant helmets they will be able to gain confidence and develop new skills."
Organisers of the Coast to Coast are keen to grow participation from schools and younger aged competitors and Event Director Richard Ussher said he hoped the CYPD programme with Aranui High School would turn into a long term association.
