Young Eastern Cape rowers to take on Germany’s best
Ten of the Eastern Cape’s leading U19 schoolboy rowers left for Germany this week to compete in the North German Rowing Championships in Hamburg on Saturday and Sunday.
The Eastern Cape Rowing Association (ECRA) team consists of Joe Kroon, Connor Moorcroft, Max Estcourt, Aiden Wood and Jared Hayes from St Andrew’s College in Makhanda, Isemihle Nonquane, Brynn Rawlins and Haydn Thompson of Selborne College in East London and Thomas Hobson and Duncan de Klerk from Grey High in Gqeberha.
The team will be managed by Janique Klingelhoeffer from Selborne and coached by Edward Goodier from St Andrew’s College.
ECRA’S tour co-ordinator, Murray Chandler, said: “In 2019 the idea of the tour came about when ECRA was approached by the department of sport, recreation & culture to co-ordinate an exchange programme between the Eastern Cape and Niedersachsen Landessportbund from Lower Saxony in Germany.
“Unfortunately Covid-19 got in the way of the planned tour in 2020 and it has been only over the last few months, with the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, that the tour started to gather momentum again.
“Part of the twinning arrangement will be that young German rowers will participate in the Buffalo Regatta in East London in 2023.”
The young rowers and administrators will be exposed to a world-class event in the North German Rowing Championships.
Team coach Goodier said: “ECRA has the responsibility to promote the transformation and growth of the sport of rowing in the province.
“In future, we hope to make a strong case to the department for the inclusion of a women’s squad as well as develop our selection pathways by setting up a development and selection process.
“This is key to the sustainability and widespread benefit of this partnership.”
The main aim of the tour is to expose the best junior rowers from the Eastern Cape to a high standard of competition and insight from their German counterparts.