Rowing has the pulling power

Ellen (left) and Abbey Wilson of Wellington hope to emulate the Evers-Swindell sisters. Picture / Amos Chapple

Rows of tents proudly emblazoned with high-school names line the grassy slopes of Lake Karapiro this week for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Championships.

Nearly 1800 rowers from 104 schools have come from around the country to the sparkling Waikato waterway for the week-long event, known as the Maadi Cup after the premier prize for the under-18 boys eights.

Many of New Zealand's greatest rowers have been discovered at "Maadi", as it is affectionately called by competitors, but the event is not just about the action on the water.

"To be honest, it's very good viewing," said Otago Boys High School student David Waddell, as he stared appreciatively at several teams of bronzed young ladies at the lakeside yesterday.

The 16-year-old is no relation of Olympic rowing couple Sonia and Rob Waddell but has hopes of his own success later in the week.

One of his mates said it was impossible to avoid the girls.

"I heard rumours we're outnumbered two to one," said Craig Deblecourt, also from Dunedin.

As it turns out, the rumours are not far wrong. Sixty per cent of competitors at Maadi this year are female, and the overall number is 30 per cent up on last year.

Rowing New Zealand chief executive Craig Ross said the event's growing popularity was largely attributable to two influential young women - Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell.

The gold medal-winning twins were liked not just for their prowess on the water.

"Young girls are seeing that rowing is a sport that doesn't turn you into being big and ugly," he said.

Ellen Wilson, 16, from Onslow College in Wellington, admired the Olympic champions for their smiles and graceful style.

She and her 15-year-old sister and rowing partner, Abbey, hope to emulate them. Known as "the Wilson twins" to their friends, they train twice a day, six days a week, in the hope of becoming Olympic and world champions.

They were buoyed by making three finals at the nationals in Twizel earlier in the year.

Like many other young rowers at Maadi, they hope to catch the eye of a team of nine selectors who are scouring the event for talent to take to world championship events overseas.

Mr Ross said the selectors looked for long arms, long legs, big feet and, most importantly, "a motor", or strong heart.

He said Maadi, which dates back to World War II, was crucial for finding the champions who have made New Zealand a force in world rowing.

The Maadi Cup was a gift from the Cairo Rowing Club to New Zealand troops who competed in rowing regattas down the Nile while stationed in Egypt during the war.

The cup was first contested in New Zealand in 1947, in Wanganui. Now, the annual event alternates between Karapiro and Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel.