Young athletes supported by bungy giant
Four emerging Queenstown athletes have been selected for a new action sports development programme aimed at equipping young talent with skills required for a potential elite career.
Promising young Kiwi snowboarders Keani Wilson and Brooke Hansen, both 17, and downhill mountain bikers Quinn Ravenwood, 13, and Indy Deavoll, 16, are the first teenagers to be selected for AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand's (AJHBNZ) the RISER programme.
The new programme aims to help young athletes competing at the highest level by opening the door to access important resources, such as performance development, social media training and financial support – skills needed to springboard the athletes’ existing talents towards a potential elite career and prepare them for international sponsorship opportunities.
AJHBNZ co-founder and managing director Henry van Asch says RISER will provide aspiring Kiwi athletes with a supportive pathway to really hone their talents further.
“We have been wanting to do this for years after receiving a lot of requests for sponsorship from athletes, nationally and internationally,” he says. “We’re excited to officially launch RISER and have Quinn, Brooke, Keani and Indy as the first ambassadors. They truly embody our ‘live more, fear less’ mantra and are already on the road to becoming some of NZ’s promising sporting talent.
“For me, this programme feels like it’s coming full circle,” van Asch explains. “In my twenties, I represented New Zealand in European Speed Skiing and competed internationally in downhill mountain biking, so I understand the challenges aspiring high-performance athletes encounter.
“We believe it’s important to support young Kiwis on their journey to achieving excellence in their respective disciplines, with the overall goal of helping them to be noticed by global brands. If we can help our RISER athletes to get noticed by big players like Red Bull, for example, then we have done a good job.”
Young Kiwi athletes that are competing in any action sport discipline at the highest level nationally or internationally, with aspirations of taking their sport to the elite level, are eligible to apply for the annual RISER sponsorship programme.
RISER athletes will receive a personalised gear kit, containing branded apparel – a hoodie, t-shirt, cap – a bespoke helmet, as well as some financial support to assist with competition costs. Other wraparound support such as mindset coaching is currently being developed. Mountain bike athletes will receive elite support from Queenstown-based Onward MTB Coaching.
Additionally, the athletes will have access to a digital marketing coach – focusing on enhancing the athletes’ online profiles to improve the chances of being noticed by international brands – as well as ongoing education about professional sponsorships.
Athlete Indy Deavoll says she’s stoked about the opportunity to be part of the first intake of RISER athletes.
“The support this programme gives me, in the way of coaching and travel costs, will really help to grow me as an athlete,” she says. “I think it's really cool that this local Queenstown business is giving back to the community and helping young athletes."
Quinn Ravenwood is a downhill mountain biker, based in Queenstown. Aged 13, he has been riding most of his life, and last year took out the 2023 South Island Secondary School Championships in the Under 14 category. Riding competitively for the last two years, Quinn has consistently placed on the podium. His motivation, drive and exceptional mountain biking skills have helped him perform at the highest levels. The 2024-2025 MTB season will be another highly competitive year for the Queenstown rider, starting with the 2024 National School MTB Championships held at the Christchurch Adventure Park.
Keani Wilson is a NZ junior freeride snowboarder, who calls Cardrona his home mountain. Recently he won the 2024 SSNZ Slopestyle Series, came first overall in the NZ Junior Freeride Tour at the three different stops – Treble Cone, The Remarkables and Mt Olympus – and has travelled to Canada and Europe to compete on the international stage. He is currently preparing to head back to the Northern Hemisphere and compete in the World Junior Freeride Championship.
Indy Deavoll, a 16-year-old mountain bike athlete from Queenstown, has rapidly risen in the sport since starting downhill biking less than two years ago. In 2024, she became the South Island Schools MTB champion in both downhill and enduro, finishing second in the U17 Downhill National Champs. Her international success includes podium finishes at Crankworx events in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
Brooke Hansen is a 17-year-old snowboarder from Queenstown, who has been snowboarding since she was eight. A finalist in the ‘breakthrough season’ category at the 2024 Snow Sports NZ Awards, Brooke is set to compete at the World Junior Freeride Champs in Austria in January. At the last worlds, she finished second-best female. During the NZ winter months, Brooke trains and competes at Cardrona with the Park Squad High-Performance Centre (HPC).
