Proud To Be A Kiwi

[Aaron Fear-Ross]

Some people in the NZ Canoe Polo Community will know me and I would imagine that quite a few don’t due to having been out of the country for the last 5 years.



The last World Championships that NZ attended while I was still in the country was the Australian competition in 1996. I can’t remember the final results but I do recall thinking that the team that was sent for both Mens and Womans were very strong and that they had a real chance at taking the top honours. At this stage the only other National side that I had seen was the Australians.



In 1999 I moved to the UK and was introduced to european canoe polo which over all seemed to be played to a completely different set of rules and was a lot more physical than Div 1 in NZ. Within the first month of being in the country I went to the UK Club Nationals and was astounded by the sheer volume of clubs that attended and the standard of the top teams. I was seeing players paddle faster, though the ball harder and generally paddle at a higher level than I had ever seen before.



In 2001 I started coaching the GB U21 Ladies side and through this had a lot more vision of both the Senior Mens and Ladies GB sides and was blown away :eek: by the ability in each of these teams. When we went to the International Tournaments that are attended every year in preparation for either the World or European Championships I was also able to see the other European national sides in action against each other. The fire power of the Dutch and the boat control of the French was astounding and through this insight I came to the opinion that were NZ to attend another worlds (Portugal was not attended by either team) then they would have difficulty in getting themselves in the top 10 let alone the top 3.



The NZ Ladies side have now attended the last 3 World Championships and the Men have attended the last 2. I was unable to attend the Brazil competition but was fortunate to be able to go to both Germany and Japan.



The NZ Mens team did not fair well on the European circuit in 2002 and ended up with a low position but it was obvious that there were a few players in the team that would really benefit from the experience. The NZ Ladies team managed a 6th place but this was considered by many countries as being due to a kind draw rather than necessarily their real ranking as a very strong Dutch side were knocked out in the group of death by Australia and Germany.



In Japan the situation was very different.



I went to Japan to support my wife Andi who was playing in the GB Ladies side so was there as a full time supporter. I managed to find a Silver Fern and a Union Jack flag and off I went. I had the pleasure of supporting a GB Ladies side that went on to win (putting a kiwi on the podium for the first time:D ) and NZ Mens and Ladies sides to be proud of.



The Men were playing a very dynamic game that was great to watch in comparison to the very stationary game that was played in Germany. I truly believe that the Men have now moved themselves into the top 8 in the world and that it was an unfortunate draw that caused them to be ranked further down the list this year. If this team can keep developing at this pace then the mens division needs to watch out in 2006 in the Netherlands.



The Ladies side for me were the biggest surprise. I have a lot of respect for the National Ladies sides around the world. The German, British and Dutch sides have got some amazing players. I went to Japan expecting the NZ Ladies to get a more realistic ranking than what they achieved two years earlier but found that I was watching and supporting a team that could have beaten any of the other ladies sides on their day. The games that the NZ Ladies played against the Dutch and especially the Germans showed that they are a world class team and that they very much so deserve to be going to the World Games next year in Germany. The development that has occurred in this team over the last two years is astounding and a real achievement to all of those that have been involved.



I thoroughly enjoyed sitting with all of the parents that came out to support the teams, even if they did think that I was British and I was incredibly proud of both teams. I think that this World Championships was the point at which NZ drew a line in the sand and said to the rest of the world that we are now serious competitors in this sport so watch out!!



Well done to both teams on an excellent tournament! :thumbup:

[rach]

Thanks for your awesome email Aaron, it was really cool to catch up with you and Andi, and great to see some Kiwi faces over there supporting us and believing in us!

Rach

[James]

Proud to be a Kiwi:



Well, certainly that statement means a lot to us all. Me, well what a fantastic feeling to represent New Zealand...makes you feel bulletproof and 10ft tall!



Thank you Aaron for your words of support on this forum, that was certainly backed up by your very vocal support while at worlds as well.



Firstly the women: Well done for the excellent level of play you achieved while away, rarely has NZ seen a group of such dedicated athletes. While you achieved the same final result as the last worlds in Germany, this time the results against the other top teams could have gone either way:


Only played GB (world champions) once in a pre-tournament and drew 5 all
Played the defending world champions Germany once, lost by one point...5-4 I think? Germany finished 2nd
Played France who got 3rd and lost by one point
The point I am making is that the women are not a step below the worlds best, they are on par....just a different ref's call, bounce of a ball, better shot or lucky block could have changed any of these results. It is important that the NZ women keep up the momentum; the current elite needs to ensure that they pass on their skills and dedication to other up and coming women.



And as for the guys:



Well this was the best team I have ever played in…period! Talk about a fantastic bunch of guys, never have I played in a team that was so focused and well prepared. Actually I think that the team spirit was the key, normally there are a few niggles (or more usually some-one who just doesn’t fit it)………well we had 9 fantastic teammates! Not bad when we had a player coach that people said would cause division’s with-in the team!!



With regards to our results…well that is a lesson for us all: we did have a difficult draw that is true, but that is not an excuse. We should have finished some-where between 7th and 13th…. and we did. We were just not consistent enough to be higher and we were not disciplined enough to thrash the lower ranked teams by enough goals to help us through on goal differentials when it counted (twice).



We had some good results along the way though: we thrashed Portugal (8th), we also beat Ireland (10th) and lost a game against Spain (7th) that we should have won easily! Japan really was our nemesis though, here was a team we counted on being able to beat…and they beat us twice?? Certainly plenty was riding on the results for both teams and obviously both of us had targeted each other…they had us better sorted out than we did them.



A fantastic tour…….the real challenge is for New Zealand teams to continue to build upon the momentum we currently have with our elite and up and coming players.

[vashti]

I think that the current teams have done a fantastic job, and deserve to be applauded for their efforts on behalf of NZ. It is all too easy for people to pretend that they could have done better, or to criticise players who are out there emptying their hard earned money into a tour that benefits NZ canoe polo rather than themselves personally. In every case, New Zealand representatives have come back from overseas and contributed huge developments to the national and local scenes. Not one player has ever gone overseas without gaining huge experience and improvements in play.

On the other hand I feel embarrassed to have played for my country given the way that my past team is described in disparaging terms. It seems like we left being called a chequebook team, and returned being labelled lucky. It is heartbreaking to feel so proud of our current team, and yet see that the compliments they receive are based on comparisons with past teams, as if each team can not stand on its own merits, as if each World Championship is the same. It is understandable that people would feel that they had to prove something or that they had to show that there is improvement, but this only serves to prove that the NZ attitude continues to be harsh towards our national representatives.

To be in the top six in the world is fantastic! To do it twice in a row is consistant! (To be constantly underestimated is typical.) To consistantly attend World Champs and use that to compete against the established European teams takes talent and guts. Go NZ! I'm proud of our National scene and our national representatives, and it doesn't take a World Championship ranking for me to feel that way.

vish

[Aaron Fear-Ross]

Hi Vashti,


I can see how my original post may have seemed insulting to previous touring teams so for that I apologise as this was not the intention. I am fully aware that all players have always put in more than 100% and did not mean to give the impression that this was not the case, I was simply writing my observations of the competitions that I have attended and there is always room for disagreement when somebody shares their opinion but as I said, I did not mean to offend as there is no point in this.

Regards

Aaron

[angele]

i'm a french girl,i'm 16 and i met a "james" at a disco in firenze this july.
i know he comes from NZ but he was staying a year in england,i know too he has a black friend called max who was at the disco too.
i just wanna know if it was you,my james,to be send the photos you taked there

kisses
angele