Competitiveness still burns as strong as it ever did for the Tākaka 39ers, and their winning streak just got even hotter.
Kyle and Neil Gardiner, Sam Goffriller and Grant Lawrence set a new record at the recent National Firefighter Challenge in Wellington in the open relay category with a time of 1:15.25, beating the previous record by 31.4 seconds.
Sam and Kyle’s hot pace also set a new national record in the male tandem category with 1:16.15, bettering their previous record time of one minute and 17 seconds, not bad for a pest goat controller and real estate agent!
In the heat of battle, wearing full bunker gear and a breathing apparatus set, they climbed a six storey tower carrying a length of 70mm 19kg flaked hose, hoisting a 70mm hose coil once at the top.
Back on the ground, they drove a steel beam 1.5m using a 4kg shot hammer, extended a charged 45mm hose to knock down a disc, then dragged a life-sized dummy 30.5m to the finish line.
Kyle, who is the 39ers captain, says the quad was “over the moon” to add more notches to their belt and demonstrate once again they’re not keen to put success on the back burner.
“We had a goal in mind for the relay, which was one minute and 15 seconds, and we got to that goal, so everyone was excited, hugs all around,” Kyle enthuses.
“We quite like doing well. We’re just trying to set the bar higher for someone else to beat us.”
While the event is a familiar test for them with around a decade competing at nationals, and taking their proficiency to Texas for the World Firefighter Challenge last October, Kyle says it remains fierce.
“It always tests you to the limit… but we put a lot of training in, as do all the other competitors as well, and it certainly shows for the ones that really put in a lot of effort,” he says.
“A big thanks to everyone that's helped us along the way and all the tips everyone's given us for training, we don't get this good just by ourselves.”
Kyle says it was also Grant’s last dance, extinguishing his challenge days for more time with his whānau .
“We will definitely miss him. He’s got some speedy feet down the stairs,” Kyle says.
