Nineteen of the 22 athletes named in the New Zealand white water kayaking representative teams for 2010 started their kayaking at Tauranga colleges.
It is considered a surprising fact as they all have to train on the Kaituna River as there is no permanent slalom course set up in Tauranga.

Haven Bellamy makes the junior teams for the first time in C1.

The representative teams were named after the final selection race last week at Mangahao, near Shannon.
Top ranked 2009 BOP Sportsman of the Year Michael Dawson and 2009 Junior Sportswoman, Olympian Luuka Jones, took the number one spots in the senior team for both K1. After a gruelling selection series both Jones and Dawson emerged as clear leaders in their respective classes. Dawson also topped the ranking for the C1 class. Fellow ex Tauranga Boys' paddler Johann Roozenburg joins Dawson in the senior team along with Aaron Osborne from Rotorua.
The Canoe class, kneeling with a single blade paddle, is an all Tauranga affair. In the individual C1 class, Brent Bastin, number one ranking, Shaun Travers and Shaun Higgins look set to make the team for the World Championships in Slovenia in September.
Young C2 specialists Ben Gibb and Bradyn Church made the senior team for the first time and along with Andrew Robinson and Bryden Nicholas can contest the World Cup races in Europe if they can balance racing and training with university studies.
In the race for junior selection, 16 year old Tauranga Boys' Year 13 student, Callum Gibb dominated. School mate Carl Whitehead, who lives in Te Puke, gained the number two ranking, with Malcolm Gibson from Gore rounding out the junior boys K1 junior team. Switching to specialise in C1 has been a great move for Haven Bellamy, also at TBC, who comfortably made selection in C1.
Tauranga Girls' sports captain, Jane Nicholas made both junior and senior teams, after a surprise win in race four. She will be joined in the junior team by schoolmate Kelly Travers and Timaru based outdoor education student, Alana Wood, also from Tauranga.
To read more go to www.slalomnz.org.nz

SENIOR
K1 Men Mike Dawson, Aaron Osborne, Johann Roozenburg
K1 Women Luuka Jones, Louise Jull, Jane Nicholas
C1 Men Mike Dawson, Brent Bastin, Shaun Travers
C1 Women Louise Jull
C2 Men Ben Gibb/Bradyn Church, Bryden Nicholas/Andrew Robinson

UNDER 23
C1 Shaun Higgins, Ben Gibb, Bryden Nicholas
K1 Women Nikki Whitehead

JUNIOR
K1 Men Callum Gibb, Carl Whitehead, Malcolm Gibson
K1 Women Jane Nicholas, Kelly Travers, Alana Wood
C1 Haven Bellamy
C1 Women Jane Nicholas