Her training for the national champs was a few drinks with some chums just before the event, but heading into the cauldron of an international competition, Dunedin's gumboot-throwing champion is getting serious.
Slightly serious, anyway. Just two months before the International Boot Throwing Association champs in Italy, Mairead Fox is thinking of actually training, has looked on YouTube for tips, and is even hoping to find a coach.
''I don't know my true potential,'' Miss Fox says.
The 24-year-old Dunedin nurse stumbled into the sport at the Hilux New Zealand Rural Games in Queenstown in February. The former St Kevin's College pupil and Waimate girl won the South Island championships, and went straight into the nationals, beating gumboot-throwing capital Taihape's best with a 28m throw.
Miss Fox said the New Zealand Boot Throwing Association - yes, there is such a thing - had called her about two months ago and asked whether she would like to go to the international competition.
A new job and a lack of funds made that difficult, despite reaction from friends.
''Everyone thought I was silly that I didn't take that up,'' Miss Fox said.
But the association emailed her last week to offer $500 of funding and some coaxing. ''So I thought, ‘Why not?'.''
On training, she said: ''Yes, I need to.''
She hoped to find someone with throwing skills, perhaps a javelin, hammer or discus coach.
Miss Fox has to raise money to pay for her flights. Her father Jack Fox, a quiz master, will run a quiz in Waimate, and she is putting together a list of possible sponsors. Her funding situation was not, she said, like the America's Cup.
''The Government hasn't contacted me yet. I'll have to ring old Johnny Key up.
''I'm sure he would though.''
On her feelings about making her international sporting debut, she felt ''out of my depth, but excited - very excited and up for the challenge to represent New Zealand''.
She would attend the event with male national champion, Olympic and Commonwealth Games decathlete Brent Newdick.
New Zealand Boot Throwing Association president Elizabeth Mortland said from Taihape this was the first time New Zealand had sent throwers to the international championships.
There were 10 countries involved, including Finland, France, Russia and Germany.
''It's a very serious sport,'' she said.
The world championships will be held on September 12 and 13 in the town of Ascoli Piceno, in the Marche region of Italy.
