Maadi Regatta: Great success from local schools

Rick Grobecker, Harriet Douglas, Ashleigh Morton, Niamh Rabbitte, Alaska Humphrey, Abby Shaw – cox, and Kit Croxford.

If anyone doubted the ability and opportunity of Whanganui School crews to still be dominant in the huge world of New Zealand School’s rowing, that illusion was ripped apart at the 2024 Aon Maadi Regatta held from March 18-23, at Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel.

Whanganui High School Girls' U15 coxed quadruple sculls - Silver Medal: Addison Jenkins, Bailey Barnett, Ruby Bullock, Isla Jones, Morgan Wood (cox) with coaches Dave Dudley and Axel Dickinson.

There were 104 Schools, with a total of 2112 competitors, 344 coaches, hundreds of volunteers and supporters and approximately 10,000 spectators who gathered for a magnificent week of racing weather.

Whanganui High School Gold Medal - Boys' Novice U18 coxed quadruple sculls (coach) Axel Dickinson, Cristian Kiriona, Achilles Paikea, Kynan Brewer, Jordan Hallett, Lauren Davies (cox) and Adrian Van Bussell (coach).

With six schools from our Whanganui Rowing region competing (four from New Plymouth), just two of our local schools attended this Maadi regatta but what a significant impact they made.

Whanganui Collegiate School's Toby Corcoran, Benjamin Poulton, Tyler Weyburne, Keagan Hanekom, Jack Walker – cox, Dan McSweeny, and Tyler Scott.

Whanganui High School’s (WHS) 30 competitors and Whanganui Collegiate School’s (WCS) 33 competitors took 4th equal overall points for the Star Trophy on 20 points each, with Hamilton Boys High School winning with 29 points. WHS was third overall on 19 points for the President’s Scull for sculling points and WCS fourth on 17 points, won on 20 points by Wakitipu High School.

Whanganui High School U17 Boys' Double sculls - Silver Medal: Adrian Van Bussell (coach) Jake Newton, William Herd, Axel Dickinson (coach).

WCS made nine A finals and five B finals, led by its head coach, Tyler Scott, winning two gold medals, both from novice (first-year crews). The Boy’s Under 18 Novice Double Scull crew of Toby Corcoran and Matthias Pa’A had one of the dominant displays of the regatta, winning by a distance. The Girls Under 18 Novice coxed Quadruple Scull of Harriet Douglas, Ashleigh Morton, Niamh Rabitte, Alaska Humphrey and Abby Shaw fought throughout the final to grab the gold medal.

WCS Silver medals were won in three events, the Girls Under 17 Coxed Four crew of Ottalie Morrah, Olive Strahan, Elizabeth Adrole, Eva Van der Zouwe and Hunter Rowland (cox), Girls Under 18 Novice Double Scull of Douglas and Morton and Boys Under 17 Coxed Quadruple Scull of Keagan Hanekom, Ben Poulton, Hunter Thompson, Toby Corcoran and Jack Walker (cox).

Rick Grobecker, Ottalie Morrah, Olive Strahan, Elizabeth Adrole, Eva van der Zouwe, Hunter Rowland – cox, and Tyler Scott.

WCS Bronze medals were won by the Boys Under 18 Coxed Quadruple Scull of Hanekom, Poulton, Corcoran and Tyler Weyburne, J Walker (cox), who lead the field for 1500m of the race before being pulled in by St Peters College and Wakitipu.

WHS made 14 A Finals and 7 B Finals, winning one Gold, four silver and three bronze medals under their former NZ Elite rower and Head Coach, Axel Dickinson.

WHS Gold medal again came from a novice crew; the Boys Under 18 Novice Coxed Quadruple Scull of Cristian Kiriona, Achilles Paikea, Kynan Brewer, Jordan Hallet and Lauren Davies (cox).

WHS Silver medals came from the Boys Under 18 Novice Double Scull crew of Paikea and Brewer, Jake Newton who raced a courageous Boys Under 17 Single scull, Newton and William Herd in the Boys

Under 17 Double Scull and the Girls Under 15 Quadruple Scull crew of Addison Jenkins, Baily Barnett, Ruvy Bullock, Isla Jones and Morgan Wood (cox).

WHS Bronze medals came from the same Gold medal novice quad scullers but with Morgan Wood coxing their Boys Under 18 Coxed Four (sweep), Boys Under 15 Double Scull of Nicky Maxim and Joseph Dudson and Boys Under 16 Double Scull of Maxim and Bryn Morgan.

Toby Corcoran and Matthias Pa’a.

Collegiate’s Toby Corcoran and Whanganui High School’s Achilles Paikea and Kynan Brewer took home an impressive full complement of medals, all winning a Gold, Silver and Bronze medal.

It should be noted that getting through to a B Final is very hard and to an A Final is a significant achievement at the largest Secondary School event in the Southern Hemisphere, the Maddi Regatta, so congratulations to all involved and all those that competed hard and gained from the experience.

Finally, the rising success of Whanganui schools and clubs has been rewarded with some age group NZ Trialists from our region. Aramoho-Whanganui Rowing Club’s Madeline Cox and WCS coxswain, Hunter Rowland will trial for the NZ Under 19 (Junior) Team to attend the 2024 World Junior & Under 23 Championships in Canada in July and AWRC/WHS Jake Newton, William Herd and Robyn Van Dijk, as well as WCS Ben Poulton, Elizabeth Adrole, Olive Strahan and Ottalie Morrah, will trial for the North Island Under 18 Team to race the South Island Under 18 Team at Lake Karapiro in April 2024.

Whanganui Rowing Association is proud of all our clubs and schools and encourages anyone interested in getting involved to contact e:whanganuirowing@gmail.com for further information.