KEY POINTS:
While Rob Waddell and Mahe Drysdale fought out one and two in the single sculls at Lake Karapiro last weekend, there was a young bloke from Invercargill not far behind, watching his heroes and enjoying the fight for third and fourth.
Storm Uru won his singles heat and
finished fourth in the final behind his flatmate Nathan Cohen, then he and Peter Taylor finished second behind Waddell and Cohen in the double sculls.
New Zealand's depth in these boats has never been so good, with Uru one of four rowers already competing for a place in the double and either Waddell or Drysdale a chance to join them.
Beijing Olympics hopefuls Uru and triathlete Debbie Tanner are the latest elite athletes to join the Pinnacle Programme which provides mentoring, a coaching overview and financial assistance to juniors who are world title prospects.
While Uru has to earn a place in the boat at the national trials in March and then qualify for the Olympics at a World Cup regatta in Poland in June, Tanner is a definite starter in Beijing after being confirmed by the Olympic Committee last week.
The pair are both very positive about their focus and the uncertainty is not bothering Uru.
"I'm only 22. I'm just looking at March. Everything is just so much fun right now."
There is no Uru family history of rowing, though Storm's 19-year-old brother Jade is showing promise too. They started at James Hargest High School and Uru credits a hotly competitive atmosphere there that also included Cohen and Sam Renton, who has since represented Australia as a driving force.
Uru's father, Bill, decided on the unusual first name for his son after surviving a horrific storm while delivering a boat from Tahiti.
There has certainly been a family affinity with water - Storm was a representative swimmer in backstroke and part of an underwater polo team that finished second in the national secondary schools championships and was second in the Southland secondary schools surfing champs.
Uru is enjoying the two-man boat and doesn't mind the rotation policy NZ Rowing has in place. "I find it really enjoyable working with someone else. I think it's teaching me to row more efficiently."
Tanner, 25, said early selection in the Olympic team had given her "a real ramp up. It means we can really plan ahead".
Ranked fifth in the world, the Aucklander is part of a star-studded triathlon team which will carry much expectation in China next year but Tanner is unfazed at that.
"I think pressure mostly comes from myself. I'm trying to stay relaxed, I race these girls all the time and I know their strong points and their weak points, it's not like they're going to bring out something totally new. It's a matter of building on my strengths and improving on my weaknesses."
Tanner started in triathlons at age 13 and says she is "pretty excited about what I think I can achieve in the sport". She used to train with 2004 gold medallist Hamish Carter until he retired, now she swims with silver medallist Bevan Doherty, appreciating the knowledge they pass on.
The Pinnacle programme helps with that, too. It is run by an advisory board that includes boardsailor Barbara Kendall, Sport Auckland CEO and chairman of Paralympics NZ Simon Peterson, Ian Miles, who managed motorcyclist Josh Coppins' early career, and Howard Spencer, managing director of major sponsor Hyundai.
Athletes apply for backing and then enter a 12 to 24-month contract during which they are helped with personal, professional and organisational skills, motivation and psychological approach, mental preparation, handling the media and fame.
They get help with legal matters, insurance, sponsors and marketing.
Swimmer Moss Burmester was first graduate of the programme and Beijing laser sailor Andrew Murdoch the second. Others involved now are 3000m steeplechase prospect Kate McIlroy and world wakeboarding champ Andrea Fountain.
