Rowing: Buzz at NZ finals sweep

By DAVID LEGGAT

ATHENS - The buzz around the New Zealand rowing camp in the past couple of days of the Olympic regatta was not entirely about the impending gold medal for Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell.

You didn't need to dig deep to discover there was a bucketload of satisfaction that New Zealand, in baseball parlance, batted .1000. All five crews made the A finals.

Even though just one collected a medal, it was New Zealand's biggest finals turnout at an Olympic regatta. At a course which baked like an oven, there were plenty of warm fuzzies about the range of crews who proved that New Zealand sit at rowing's top table.

When the squad arrived, world double sculling champions the Evers-Swindells were the only crew seemingly assured of a finals place. Single sculler Sonia Waddell and coxless pair Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater were thought to be on the cusp of a finals spot.

What followed was testimony to an impressive leadup programme, sound coaching and plenty of spirit and skill from the rowers.

And Rowing New Zealand will be hoping the sight of men and women in black slashing down the Lake Schinias course will light up youngsters' eyes back home. Just ask a not-so-young Caroline Evers-Swindell.

"I think it's awesome what the other crews have done," she said.

"They are new combinations. It's a young team. Everyone is at their first Olympics apart from Sonia Waddell.

"It gave me goosebumps to see them all qualify. This was a pretty awesome day for New Zealand rowing."

Rowing is among the most popular secondary school sports. The annual Maadi Cup regatta is one of the standout events on the secondary schools sports calendar.

The key, as Caroline accepted, is retaining people in the sport.

Twaddle can see the sport benefiting from the exploits of this Olympic squad. "Having all five in finals just lifted the whole atmosphere of the group.

"I hope back home the young rowers coming through can see it's possible for Kiwis to get up with the rest of the world."

He is also keen to see the nucleus of this squad stay on in the sport.

Of the 11 rowers in Athens, eight are 25 or younger, the exceptions being Waddell, 31, coxless pair rower Nicky Coles, who is 32, and Twaddle, who was 28 on Saturday and is fit as a flea and determined to carry on.

"Most of the squad are a heck of a lot younger than I am, and if an old fella like me can keep going those boys have got a few more years in them yet," said Twaddle.

Georgina Evers-Swindell admitted that rowing did not strike her as an obvious pathway to fulfil her sporting dreams. She and her sister had a wide range of sporting interests.

"We just loved sport. Someone asked me a while ago, has your Olympic dream changed?

"My first reaction was, 'No it hasn't'. I've always wanted to go to the Olympics.

"Well, actually it has. Once I went, I wanted to go and win well and that is where the dream has changed a bit."

Apart from living out that dream in golden colours, her comments strike at the heart of the participate-for-fun versus play-to-win argument running through New Zealand sport.

Take the twins' pre-eminence in their sport a stage further and you have an intimidation factor which few New Zealand sports teams possess on the international stage.

They haven't been beaten for three years. What message does that send their rivals?

"I'm not sure what they think and how they deal with it," Georgina said. "I know it gives us a lot of confidence in our training and our racing ability. That's what we've taken with us over the last couple of years."

They have emulated Rob Waddell, who won the single scull gold at Sydney in 2000. In the process they have added another chapter to a proud Olympic record.

Theirs is the fifth gold won by New Zealanders in Olympic regattas, and first by women, following the coxed four of 1968, the eight at Munich in 1972, the coxless four in Los Angeles in 1984 and Waddell.

The twins have set a new standard, but it hasn't come easily.

Their coach, Dick Tonks, reckons it has been a gruelling four-year slog. But the reward came on Saturday and even their rivals are making noises about testing themselves against the best.

NZ rowing golds

Mexico, 1968: Men's coxed four

Munich, 1972: Men's eight

Los Angeles, 1984: Men's coxless four

Sydney, 2000: Men's single sculls

Athens, 2004: Women's double sculls