Danielle Richards joins CRNZ as Talent ID Coordinator

Canoe Racing New Zealand (CRNZ) has a rich history of surf lifesavers transitioning to kayaking, driven by the shared skills and complementary training between surf life saving and kayaking. Over the years, several top surf life saving athletes have successfully transitioned to canoe racing. Their experience with surf skis and racing in challenging environments helps athletes to quickly adapt to the demands of kayaking. These athletes, including Olympic medalists and world champions, have achieved remarkable success on the international stage.

Danielle Richards has joined CRNZ as Talent ID Coordinator this year. Danielle is uniquely positioned to identify athletes who can successfully transition into kayaking. Her experience in surf life saving provides an understanding of the technical skills and qualities that are transferable. Leveraging her connections within the surf life saving community, she can engage directly with life saving coaches and club members.

Danielle expressed her optimism, saying, “We hope the outstanding performance of the New Zealand Canoe Sprint team at the recent Paris Olympics will inspire the next generation of stars. A significant number of our Olympic athletes have come from, or are still involved with, surf life saving clubs across New Zealand.”

CRNZ is strengthening its relationship with Surf Life Saving New Zealand, aligning athlete development pathways, competition, and talent identification to ensure a seamless transition between the two sports for aspiring athletes. Additionally, linking canoe clubs with surf clubs creates progression pathways that cater to different skill levels, from grassroots participation to elite competition.

CRNZ is focusing on identifying the next generation of athletes with the potential to succeed in a high-performance environment and on the Olympic stage.

CRNZ’s General Manager of Performance, Nathan Luce, emphasized the importance of creating dual pathways for athletes: “We are committed to supporting our current athletes who also participate in surf life saving. It’s essential to create pathways that enable athletes to excel in both surf life saving and canoe sprint, maximising their potential across both disciplines.”

Tanya Hamilton, High Performance Sport Manager at SLSNZ, highlighted, “This new CRNZ Talent ID Coordinator role signals a deeper level of commitment and understanding of how closely the sports are linked. Danielle’s ability to maintain her coaching role at Omanu SLSC alongside her position at CRNZ highlights the deep connection between the two sports. There are many opportunities to enhance and leverage from each other, such as coach and athlete development across both sports. We’re excited to continue identifying more opportunities for collaboration across both sports.”

Grant Clancy, a member of Red Beach Surf Life Saving and winner of the Open Men’s Ski Relay at the 2024 New Zealand Surf Life Saving Nationals, is also part of the NZ Men’s K4 team that placed 8th at the Paris Olympics.

He shared his thoughts “Surf life saving has been my main sport growing up, and it has shaped a lot of who I am as an athlete. I started ski paddling at 14 and really enjoyed it. Surfski and Sprint kayak complement each other well, helping me develop my skills and maintain balance in my paddling. The best part of being involved in both is the amazing communities and people you meet across New Zealand and the world.”

Interested in being part of CRNZ’s next generation of athletes?
Fill out an Expression of Interest (EOI) Click HERE, or reach out to Danielle at danielle@crnz.org for more details.

What’s Coming Up

CRNZ is hosting a series of one-day Canoe Sprint Skills Introduction Workshops for athletes interested in learning more about the sport. The workshops will include:

  • Introduction to CRNZ’s Principles of Technique
  • Introduction to K1 and crew boat paddling
  • Insights into the high-performance environment
  • Understanding what success looks like in canoe sprint

Dates/Locations:

  • Auckland: Tuesday 10th December 2024
  • Tauranga: Thursday 12th December 2024
  • Taranaki: Sunday 22nd December 2024

Other regions: Dates to be confirmed. Please express interest if you’re outside these regions.

Who can attend:
Athletes aged 15-25 who are learning to ski paddle or kayak or are already proficient paddlers but have not yet been involved with any CRNZ representative team. If you’re looking to enhance your ski paddling skills through kayaking and want to experience kayaking in a supportive environment, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Register your interest by filling out this online form