Hot weekend temperatures at Lake Ruataniwha made for challenging racing at the Canterbury Championship Rowing Regatta at Twizel last weekend (January 15-16) yet Wānaka rowers still succeeded across all divisions.

The Wānaka Rowing Club (WRC) attended the regatta with a squad of 20 competitors, more than half of whom were novice rowers, up against 33 South Island teams from as far north as Christchurch as far south as Invercargill.

WRC liaison Angela Rickard said it was a superb weekend: All the crews worked hard and “came away with some outstanding results”, particularly the novice rowers who “stepped up and enjoyed getting out on the water to race”. 

“This was the second time the novice girls have raced competitively. As first year rowers they performed extremely well against the other novice crews - and ​no one went swimming,” she said. 

Novice rowers Lola Ritchie and Isabella Nobel-Kirkbride won second placing in a B final.

Novices rowers singled out for their stellar performances in the A finals included Lucy Maibach, Annie Wells, Lola Ritchie and Isabella Noble-Kirkbride who, guided by experienced coxswain Thomas Mitchell, took the lead in the Woman’s Novice Coxed Quad Sculls and won comfortably.

Lucy and Annie then combined in the Women’s Novice Double Sculls and pulled off a “spectacular” race to come home in second place, Angela said. 

In the B finals, Lola and Isabella also combined to earn second place in the Women’s Novice Double Sculls and Lucy Radford, Ashley Peat, Chloe Murray and Jess Gould, with Thomas once again as cox, rowed to a seventh placing in the Woman’s Novice Coxed Quad Sculls B finals. 

Thomas Mitchell switched roles to join forces with Phillip Massey in the Men’s Novice Double Sculls and earned a commendable ninth placing in the A Final.

Intermediate rower Jem Curtis “absolutely blew everyone away” with his performances initially in the Boys U17 Single Sculls where he gained seventh place, and then promptly returned to the water for the Men’s Intermediate Single Sculls “where he smashed out a first” in the B final, Angela said.   

Jem Curtis “blew everyone away” with his performances on the water.

Wānaka’s Masters rowers (athletes over 27 years of age) were not to be upstaged by their younger squad members either.

Novice rower Kahn Cawte earned fourth in the Men’s Masters Single Sculls (1000m) had novice Kahn Cawte gain a 4th position while WRC Master’s coach Shane Gibson took home an impressive second place.

These two then teamed up to compete in the Men’s Coxless Double Sculls (1000m) A final where they came home in second place and Kahn also joined Dana Leishman in the Mixed Masters Double Sculls (1000m) A final to  bring home another second placing. 

Another second placing was also achieved by Chelsea Lodge, Sandra Booth and Dana Leishman who combined with Shane Gibson in the Mixed Masters Coxless Quad Sculls (1000m) A final. 

Chelsea and Sandra also combined in the Woman’s Masters Coxless Double (1000m) A Final to bring  home a respectable fifth placing.

WRC coaches had hoped for good performances, Angela said, “but this early in the season it's sometimes hard to know exactly where crews are sitting so these results were great to see”.

She said the number of novice (or first year) rowers competing was indicative of the club’s growing popularity as its annual ‘learn to row’ intakes continue to attract many Mount Aspiring College students as well as adults.

“It is great that most of them have continued in the sport and have joined our competitive racing squad this season,” she said.  

Club rowers are now focussed on training in preparation for a return to Twizel and the South Island Rowing Champs in two weeks. 

PHOTOS: Supplied