Rowers do the city proud
Crew members who won at Karapiro put in strong performance at schools champs
Aramoho Whanganui has sent a contingent of 18 rowers, one coxswain, four composite members (rowers from other clubs) and two coaches to the Rocket Foods NZ Rowing Champs, at Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel this week.
They have 23 entries in 17 events and I will report next week on their results, including the much anticipated match-up in the men’s single sculls between Robbie Manson and Mahe Drysdale.
The Whanganui Rowing/ Secondary Schools Rowing Champs were held two weekends ago and although there was some good early racing over 1000m in the heats, once the tide turned the races were hard and long and with tide versus wind from about 2pm.
They progressively got rougher; eventually being cancelled after the boys’ under-18 coxed four event at about 4pm. The conditions were so bad for the last race that the winning Collegiate Boys crew of Leo Hanna, Blake Hogan, Jack Norman and Tim Haldane, with cox Hugo Dalgleish, had their boat just about completely under water by the time they got to the bank.
Aramoho/Whanganui High School entered 38 events with 13 cancelled, which was very disappointing for their build up to NZ Champs this week.
Their Whanganui titles (gold) came from the women’s open coxless quad with their under-18 Quad of Zeah Brewer, Niamh Monk, Jaimee Bridger, Ella Dudley and cox Campbell Monk having their second win against a throw-together Union/Aramoho composite coxless quad in several weeks.
Their women’s club coxed four of Niamh Murphy, Grace Hogan, Bridger, Mikayla Manville and cox Monk had a great win against Collegiate’s girls’ under-18 four of Charlotte McKinlay, Catherine Pearce, Lydia MacLean, Chloe Lennox and cox Dalgleish, although both won titles in the same race, but different divisions.
Monk clearly won the girls’ under18 single but it was a good race from Rochelle Lowe for second over Jayde Hawkes of Cullinane College. Luke Watts and stand-in partner Levi Carroll stormed home to win the men’s open double.
There were some nice silvers for women intermediate single, Mahina Barritt; men’s club single of Adrian Van Bussel, men’s combination club four of Van Bussel, M Cummings (Petone), Cameron Lawrence and Jack Pringle and a masters intermediate four of Richard Brock, Colin Wright, Tony Upchurch and Murray Stewart and cox, Sue O’Leary.
Also, the girls’ under-15 Quad of Georgina Ross, Messina Su’a, Perris Adam, Dana Grunwald and cox Jemma Tan raced well again for silver, along with the boys’ under-15 Double of James Clear and Michael Sturdy. Union/Cullinane/Whanganui Girls College entered 23 races, racing 18, with five cancelled.
Their best results were largely from single scull events with Cameron Daignault winning silver in the boys’ under-16 Single, silver for Tomasi Connor in the boys’ under-17 and Leigha Stormont of Whanganui Girls College, bronze in the girls’ under-17 single and Jaedyn Thompson and bronze in women’s intermediate single. Union also got bronze in the women’s novice coxed quad with the crew of Aaliyah Grant, Emma Harrell, Savannah Priest, Zara Gapes and cox Brittney Robertson.
Whanganui Collegiate entered 41 events, racing 30 but missed 11 events due to the regatta being cancelled.
They won seven gold with Jaime Maybery and Holly Lennox winning the girls’ under-16 double and teammates, Margy Hazelhurst and Ngatatau Tumango, winning silver.
The girls’ under-17 four of McKinlay, Phoebe Collier, Alyana du Fresne, Charlotte Robb and cox Dalgleish showed their class with a good win. Hanna and Hogan got three golds winning the under-18 double together, the under-18 quad with Sam Yorsten and Haldane and as previously mentioned, the under-18 coxed four.
Unfortunately, many big boats, which Collegiate enters, like the boys’ and girls’ under-16 eight’s, girls’ under16, 17 and 18 coxed quads were cancelled due to the weather.
For most of our school crews the next regatta is the North Island Secondary School Champs on March 1-8, a medal winning regatta and major dress rehearsal for Maadi Cup on March 25-31, both held at Lake Karapiro.