Novice girls paddle to glory at Waikato regatta
Whangārei Rowing Club is celebrating a spectacular weekend after winning several races at the Karapiro Club Regatta against many of the top clubs in the country.
The commentators at the Waikato competition over the weekend called Whangārei Rowing Club president Chris Williams ¨Super Coach” after his novice girls’ squad cleaned up in their races.
Williams had 14 novices in this crew this year, meaning they have never rowed before. Five of these crews made it into the A and B finals.
“They’re very focused on what they want to achieve, I’ve got them having a journal and . . . writing about what they want to achieve out of each regatta and setting up some goals for themselves,” Williams said.
The squad of girls, mainly from Whangārei Girls’ High School and Pompallier College, train five days a week and have been training for over a year without competing in a race due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Being such a demanding sport, if you don’t do the training you’re just not going to be there,” Williams said.
Georgia Candy and Rennee Le
Clerc took out first place in the novice double sculls, Abby Armstrong and Lizzie Gould came in second, with Grace Lasenby and Alice HendersonBiss finishing in sixth place.
The B final saw Hinewai Baltus and Lola Eiliering place second and Brooke McAsey and Angelique Austin-Powell finish fifth.
The novice squad was where the Whangārei club really showed their talent — Abby Armstrong, Lizzie Gould, Georgia Candy, Alice Henderson-Biss and cox Ella Burgess streaked away to a massive lead and won convincingly.
A few minutes later Millie Powell, Brooke McAsey, Renee Le Clerc, Angelique Austin-Powell and cox Maya Harold took out the B final.
The only boy rowing under the Whangārei banner, Casey Podesta, raced strongly to take third place in the boys’ under-16 single A final.
Esther Wiegersma finished a strong third in the under-16-girls’ single and Maya Harold and Issy Hunter-Willets finished fourth in the women’s club double.
Whangārei is the only rowing club in Northland, and club president Williams is assisted by coaches Stuart Widger and Spencer Nichols.
“It’s a long way to travel down to Karapiro so the funding and support we get from the schools is great,” Williams said.
Chris Williams