Nayland College pair Lucia Wood and Sadie Harwood can’t wait to test themselves against international beach volleyball competition over the next two weeks.
The duo’s hard work and consistent top three results over the past three years were rewarded with selection in the New Zealand U18 team, along with pairs from Christchurch and Auckland, to train and compete in Southern California.
“At the beginning, when we first made the training squad, I didn’t think we had much chance of going, but after the training camps we just got better and better,” says Sadie.
The trip is self-funded, costing nearly $10,000 each, and staging raffles has helped offset some of that.
Lucia and Sadie, and the older Shone twins Ashlee and Holly from Waimea College, are basically it as far as a nationally competitive female beach volleyball goes in Tasman.
“There’s been no programme with coaches here, but we have been helped out with coaching from a couple of local players, Armins and Andy,” says 17-year-old Lucia, who is in her final year at Nayland.
“We drive ourselves I guess, fortunately we have New Zealand stuff to look forward to,” adds Sadie, who is from Richmond.
Making the national squad has helped immensely with coach Liz Hanna, an American based in Christchurch, now sending training programmes for the pair.
Sixteen-year-old Sadie is looking forward to seeing different players and styles in the BVCA National Championships at Hermosa Beach in California, which will conclude their fortnight away.
There will also be two other tournaments and a scrimmage with Australia.
“It will be huge,” quips Sadie.
The pair aren’t fazed by the likely presence of US college scouts, and are looking forward to checking out the sights, when training at Hermosa and Huntington Beach allows.
They will miss a week of school and the U20 national indoor volleyball training camp in Auckland.
Their next big local goal is the national secondary school beach volleyball champs back at Mount Maunganui.
“We were in the top eight last year and we have improved since then,” says Lucia.
