Mount Maunganui’s Mike Hickson has brought back gold and silver from the Waka Ama NZ sprint nationals.

Hickson has competed in the sprint nationals for 32 of the 35 years it’s been running.

“In my one-man event, I got a silver medal, and with my team, The Fluffy Slippers, we got gold in both of our events.

“It’s three years in a row now we’ve been national champions.”

The annual Waka Ama NZ sprint nationals held on Lake Karāpiro is the biggest event of its kind in the world. Photo / Supplied

He said he was proud of the results and would need a few weeks off to recover before training for the next national event.

Hickson has been doing waka ama for 34 years now. “I love being out on the ocean. I have great friends and I’ve met people from all around the world through the sport.”

He considers himself to be a highly competitive person. It didn’t come until after his kids had left home and he had the time to get into competitive sports. “I go out there to win.”

Last year, he finished third in the world in Hawaii in the Masters 70 V1 division.

“That was probably the pinnacle of my paddling – to be up against some real hard racing and other paddlers from all around the world,” said the 71-year-old.

“I was very proud and hopefully, a bit of an inspiration for the family and other paddlers to come through and do it.”

Hickson experienced his first sprint nationals in 1991 and said there had been a lot of change over the years.

On January 12-18, he took to the water with his team the Fluffy Slippers at the Waka Ama NZ sprint nationals at Lake Karāpiro.

The Masters 70s team from Tauranga shouldn’t be underestimated for its name.

The Fluffy Slippers waka ama team. Photo / File

Hickson said there was nothing soft about the Fluffy Slippers from the Hoe Aroha Whānau o Mauao Waka Ama Club.

The Tauranga club is based at Pilot Bay in Mount Maunganui where they have access to the harbour and the open ocean.

The name came about many years ago after someone made a comment referring to the age demographic of their team.

“We were at a local regatta and there was a group of us on the beach who decided to throw a team together and go into this race,” said Hickson.

“The lady who was registering us asked what our team’s name was and somebody made a comment like, ‘You should be at home with your fluffy slippers on’.

“‘That’ll do’,” we said.

“That was probably 20 years ago and it’s just carried on.”

Hickson said the physical benefits of waka ama were huge.

“I see a lot of people who get to my age and they’re old men – they can’t do the things they want to do, like run around with their grandkids.

“Waka ama is great because people who have old running or rugby, hip or knee injuries can still get out there and paddle.”

Many people got a lot of enjoyment from simply being out on the water, Hickson said.

“One of the things I try and push with my own club is you don’t have to be a world champion or win, just get out there and enjoy it.”

The sprint nationals event had become the biggest sprint event of its kind in the world, but it still remained family-oriented, he said.

“Some of the guys I paddled with 20-30 years ago are now there with their kids and their grandkids.

“It’s pretty special to be part of. There’s so much passion that everybody puts into it and it just keeps on growing and growing.”

Hickson has become friends with many of the other competitors over the years.

“We’re fierce competitors on the water, but we all shake hands after the race and are good mates off the water.”

The Waka Ama NZ sprint nationals began in 1990 and is an annual week-long event held in January at Lake Karāpiro, Cambridge.

About 380 races are held during seven days, making it the biggest event of its kind in the world.

Hickson and the Fluffy Slippers will soon compete in the national long-distance waka ama championships in Wellington. There, they will complete a 16km race out in the ocean.