GOLDEN START FOR VILLAGE CANOEING CLUB

A VILLAGE canoeing club from the Central Province has won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals in their first international event held last weekend in Cairns, Australia.

Kemper Leva Club (KLC) from Kalo village in the Rigo district, brought home the medals in Round Five of the Full Zone FNQ Regatta in Cairns which ran from July 27-28.

Photo: KLC Women’s Team in the 24km Marathon Race. They won the bronze medal. Below: KLC Men's Team. - Pictures by NELLIE TETAGA

Team official Nellie Tetaga said: “Big congratulations to the Kemper Club for these outstanding results – bringing home six medals at their first international race.”

The top medals came from the Open Women’s 500m sprint and Open Mixed 500m sprint.

The silver medals came from Open Women’s 9km marathon and Open Men 24km marathon while the third-placed medals came from the Open Women’s 24km marathon and Open Men’s 500m sprint.

Tetaga also thanked Pole Kassman and her family for hosting the club members in Port Moresby for four months so that they could train and attend regattas in the city.

All seven members of KLC women’s team who attended the Cairns regatta will be travelling as members of the Papua New Guinea Va’a (canoeing) team to the 2013 IX Pacific Mini Games in Wallis & Futuna in September.

 

“On behalf of the PNG Canoeing Association, I would like to congratulate the Kemper Club and their management for doing us proud,” PNG Canoeing Association president, Willard Stephen, said.

“This only shows that our efforts with the help of our government for taking the sport to the rest of the PNG paddling community last year was worth it.”

- The National, July 31, 2013

VILLAGE CANOE CLUB WINS TOP MEDALS IN CAIRNS COMP

I GOT news late yesterday that Kemper Leva Canoe Club (KLC) from Kalo village in Central Province won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals in an international regatta in Cairns.

The competition was held from July 27-28.

Photo: KLC number 1 woman paddler Vatalua Kini in action. She is also ready for the WF Mini Games.

It is the first time for the club to compete internationally and they have done PNG proud.

Seven of the female members of the KLC team are members of the PNG Women’s Va’a Team preparing for the Wallis and Futuna Mini Pacific Games in September.

More on that … as well as comments from their officials … will be given in the next couple of days.   

SOME WORDS/PHRASES IN WALLISIAN

I WAS taught a few basic Wallisian words and phrases by Dany. I have found others by picking up a Wallisian-French dictionary posted on the internet by Dominic Maximillian Ramik.

Here are some basic words/phrases in Wallisian:   

NOTE: Merci Dany et Dominic pour les mots et phrases.

TEAM PNG VYING FOR MEDALS, IMPROVE RANKING: NEWS ITEM

THE Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) is vying on winning medals at the upcoming Mini Pacific Games to improve results compared to the 2009 games.

PNGOC secretary general Mrs Auvita Rapilla (pictured right) assured that there was hope in the PNG contingent to win more medals and to improve results.

 

Team PNG will be competing in all eight sports: Athletics, Rugby 7s (mens), Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Va’a, Weightlifting, Sailing and Taekwondo.

“We will definitely improve our results this time,” Rapilla said.

At the last Mini Pacific Games in Cook Islands, 2009, PNG finished 11th behind Pacific neighbours Vanuatu, Tonga and Solomon Islands.

This year, PNGOC included athletics and weightlifting to the programme, two sports that did not compete in the 2009 Games.

Rapilla said that medals can be won through individual sports like athletics and weightlifting.

Rapilla added that the Games will gauge their level of performance before the 2015 Pacific Games.

- From The National, Friday July 26