But then kayaking came along and it is the 15-year-old's new passion. And thanks to Lisa Carrington, the under-16 girls category is one very competitive division.
However, the year 11 Otago Girls' High School pupil was able to more than hold her own against the best paddlers her age in the country. She returned from the New Zealand canoe racing sprint national championships on Lake Karapiro last month with a bronze medal for her effort in the under-16 5km race.
She took the sport up about ‘‘10 or 11 months ago'' so it was a terrific effort.
‘‘A lot of the girls I spoke to up there had been paddling since they were 11 or 12,'' Lucy said.
‘‘But I've done surf life-saving for 10 years and one aspect of that is the surf ski, which is similar to kayaking.''
She spent a season competing in surf ski races before her mother suggested she gave kayaking a go. She disregarded the suggestion initially but got to the end of the surf season and thought ‘why not?'
That turned out to be a good decision.
She set the goal of competing at the sprint nationals. A natural athlete, Lucy found adjusting to kayaking quite a challenge.
‘‘It is incredibly hard to get your balance and my coach said it takes about five years to get it perfect in a K1 because they are very narrow boats designed for speed.
‘‘So I found kayaking a real challenge and there were times when I said, ‘Goodness, when will I get to the point when I don't have to worry about falling in every time I get in?'''
Lucy has played age-group representative basketball for Otago and still plays for her school. But while she will continue surf life-saving, basketball is on the backburner so she can focus on kayaking.
‘‘Knowing that I'm right up there with the top girls ... that is definitely motivating me to keep going and keep working at it.''
Lucy's father is former Otago Nuggets player Brent Matehaere.
Fast Lane
Name: Lucy Matehaere (15)
School: Otago Girls' High School
Sport: Kayaking
Achievements: Won a bronze medal at the New Zealand canoe racing sprint national championships in the 5km under-16 girls category last month.
