Rowing: Rowers hard to retain

Photo / Sarah Ivey

The Maadi Cup is still the biggest New Zealand secondary schools sporting event with 2108 pupils and 125 schools registered at Lake Ruataniwha this past week - but retaining athletes beyond college remains a challenge for Rowing New Zealand.

Around 45-50 athletes will be named today to trial after Easter at Lake Karapiro.

New Zealand will send quadruple sculls crews, a men's coxed four and a women's coxless four to the world junior championships at Hamburg in August.

RNZ high performance director Alan Cotter knows they are competing against more lucrative professional sports like rugby and scouts offering scholarships to American universities.

"We can't offer too many incentives when we recruit, otherwise they might come for the wrong reasons. We need the right attitude - which means making a commitment. It generally takes about seven years to become a fully-fledged elite athlete."

Ross Tong is director of sport at St John's College in Hamilton and an Olympic bronze medallist in New Zealand's 1984 coxed four.

"When I look at the Maadi Cup, the parental support is phenomenal. They love their kids but that also means everything is done for them. When you leave school, reality strikes. If you turn up to a club, you're expected to put a boat together and help out. Sometimes that means rowing ends up in the 'too hard' basket."

Showcase events

Boys under-18 eights

Hamilton Boys' High defended their Maadi Cup title with nearly a boat length over St Bede's of Christchurch and Napier Boys' High School third. It was the eighth time HBHS had won.

Girls under-18 eights

The Levin Jubilee Cup was won by Waikato Diocesan two lengths clear of Westlake Girls'; St Margaret's College triumphed over Rangi Ruru in the Christchurch showdown for bronze.

Key silverware

Star Trophy (overall champion) - Hamilton Boys' High School

Executive Trophy (most points in sweep-oared finals) - Hamilton Boys

President's Scull Trophy (most points in sculling finals) - St Peter's School (Cambridge)

Bill Eaddy Cup (coach of the year) - Dan Kelly