The march to Maadi Cup

It's a privilege to write a regular rowing column, similar to that written by the late Peter Irvine, who was a formidable rowing coach and historian, who I am told coached 13 Maadi Cup-winning rowing eights.

The 2017 Maadi Cup Secondary School Rowing Championships got underway at Lake Karapiro yesterday with 2200 rowers representing 127 schools in 52 events - including everything in both sexes from singles, doubles, quads to pairs, fours and eights.

Age group titles being raced for include Under 15, 16, 17 and 18, as well as Under 18 novice (for first year rowers) and over 15 lightweight rowing classes - girls with average of 57kg and maximum weight 59kg and boys with average 70kg and maximum 72kg).

There are 600 races planned over six days, racing from Monday to Saturday this week, with rowing starting 8am most days, competing at four minute intervals with the last race of the day going as late as 6pm.

Whanganui will be represented by Whanganui High School (13 events), Wanganui Girls College (six), Cullinane College (nine), Wanganui Collegiate (28) and Nga Tawa Diocesan (three).

From when I finished my international rowing career 20 years ago, where even at elite level most coaches and rowers were amateur, to now the advent of four regional performance centres (RPC's) and the Rowing NZ High Performance Centre, it is very difficult to perform at events like Maadi Cup without some level of professional coaching.

The WHS rowers are all members of Aramoho-Wanganui Rowing Club, who have had a semi-professional set up, with former head coach Ian Weenik there for many years, and recently went through a vigorous exercise to employ new head coach Pedro Figueira, former national Portuguese coach.

Of course, Collegiate committed two seasons ago to a professional set up, first employing Gus Scott as Master in Charge of Rowing and then Dave Lindstrom - a former Olympic rower, national selector and head coach of St Bede's in Christchurch for many years.

These two schools will be the ones to watch this week, with WHS's North Island medal winner WHS student Niamh Monk in the Girls Under 16 single perhaps their best prospect, while the boys Under 18 Double and Quad and the boys Under 18 lightweight double looking to press on for A finals.

Collegiate came away from the North Island champs with sixteen A final appearances, culminating in six medals, including two golds from their girls Under 17 rowing eight and Under 18 four.

A stunning result, since all are Under 17, with five girls gaining two gold medals each.
Collegiate is looking strong in all grades, both male and female, and has been concentrating on the smaller boats in recent weeks with their Under 18 boys, although they will be determined to keep up that amazing tradition to make the A final in the prestigious Maadi Cup Under 18 eights race.

The Cup is an event they have won a record 17 times, with no other school winning more than ten.

The Under 17 girls eight will also have a decent crack at the girls Under 18 eight event, after a nightmarish crab in the North Island final pretty much took them out of the race.

Cullinane, Whanganui Girls and Nga Tawa concentrate fully on sculling, with two oars each, and all these schools made mainly B and C finals at the North Island championships, with Cullinane's Over 15 boys lightweight double of K Browning and X Mohr fifth in their A final and now looking to push up into the medals.

I have a great feeling about the strength coming back to the spiritual home of New Zealand rowing in Whanganui.

Our Awa is a special place to train - hidden away, tranquil and always got some rowable water.

If at all possible, get out and support our young people this Thursday and Friday when Whanganui holds its first ever NZ Secondary Schools Triathlon championships, and then get up to Lake Karapiro to support our young rowers battling it out with the rest of New Zealand, trying to claim elusive Maadi medals in the largest secondary school event in the southern hemisphere - the 2017 Aon Maadi Cup.