Haul of medals for ‘little’ rowers
Four teens have made a name for themselves among competing rowers in the North Island.
Taranaki rowers Josh Toa, 17, Terri Wyatt, 16, and siblings 18-year-old Liam and 15-year-old Tori Cox returned from the recent North Island Club Championships with medals last week.
But it wasn’t an easy win, coach Jodi Haskell said.
‘‘They were competing against people twice their size,’’ he said.
‘‘They’ve worked really hard for this. And it’s just the first step.’’
The four rowers of Clifton Rowing Club in Waitara have been training two to three times a week with one to two days off in that time in order to prepare for the upcoming New Zealand Championships and the final Nationals.
While the four teens admit training is tough, they all agreed the medals around their necks have kept them motivated.
‘‘I try to keep it simple for them,’’ Haskell said of their training. ‘‘But we do work hard.’’
Haskell said beginner rowers are told the sport is the hardest they will ever play.
‘‘A row will last just seven minutes but it’s full intensity,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s a lot of training involved.’’ Terri and Tori are beginner rowers but the two were able to take out the top spot in the women’s novice doubles at the competition held in Waikato on Saturday, January 27.
The teens were up against 64 other crews, which they raced against in eight heats.
Tori said they were unconfident they could win because the pair came from a small club.
But their ultimate success, she said, was because they ‘‘pushed each other’’ and ‘‘kept positive in the boat’’.
Terri explained: ‘‘Halfway through the race she started yelling, ‘I am proud of you! I am proud of you!’’’
For Josh and Liam, their trick to winning was to be relaxed. ‘‘We’re probably the least serious competitors,’’ Josh said.
Liam added: ‘‘Everyone got hundy as when they were announcing the boats and we were just laughing.’’
But when it came down to the final 500 metres and the pair were tied between two other boats, Josh yelled out an expletive and they ‘‘just gassed it’’.
Liam won a second medal in the intermediate men’s single - a feat his coach is quite proud of. ‘‘He was up against guys as big as me,’’ Haskell said. ‘‘It hasn’t been an easy win for them, but they’ve worked hard and they’re finally finding the form within themselves.’’