Sammy Murphy and Georgia Nugent-O'Leary. Photo/File
The momentum from the Aramoho Wanganui senior rowing squad's success at the North Island championships has continued at the Bankstream NZ Rowing Champs at a very hot Lake Karapiro over the past three days.
Club members picked up gold in three events on Friday morning and afternoon, to go with two silvers and two bronze, and following on from the club's men's and women's rowing eights setting the ball rolling with silvers on Thursday.
Entering today's events, the tally is likely to grow with Aramoho members qualifying for six A Finals.
In the warm conditions, the water was perfect for competing but many crews opted to bus in and back out of the lake during their events, in order to stay out of the heat.
The younger AWRC members did watch some races, and may even have seen their Olympic Games contemporary Rebecca Scown make her way to the winner's podium with two gold medals.
Scown won gold with Louise Trappitt (WRAC) in the women's premier pairs final, and teamed with Ruby Tew (STAC), Linda Mathews (STAC), and Holly Greenslade for another gold in the women's premier four.
For Aramoho, the emergence of a competitive men's Club Eight is a renaissance as it was the first time a AWRC crew had entered the national event since the early 1980s.
Martyn O'Leary, Gus Pawson, Hugh Pawson, Jack van Bussel, Tyler Scott, Tom Mongahan, Adrian van Bussel, Patrick Reynolds and cox Logan Campbell would win silver from a very competitive 32-crew division, finishing in six minutes, 5.72 seconds, in between the Waikato Rowing Club first and second teams.
AWRC secretary Anne Pawson said the men managed to break the six- minute mark over the 2km in their race before the final.
"It all depends on winds and weather. In their heats, it was only 1st who goes to the final and the rest had to do repechage. They actually got the fastest time, the repechage was a different day to the heats."
It was the second silver of the day after the AWRC women's team of Kayla Spencer, Sammy Murphy, Jackie Gowler, Georgia Nugent-O'Leary, Heather Gee Taylor, Nicole Millar, Kate Dawson, Ella Cvitanovich and cox Savanna Gaskell came runner-up in the straight final of their division, finishing in 6m 49.07s behind Waikato RC and ahead of Petone RC.
But all that only served as a warm-up to a great Friday on the water as 21-year-old Luke Watts confirmed his status as the top competition in the Men's Senior Singles, following up his North Island victory with national gold.
Watts won his heat and then took out the afternoon final in 7m 24.49s, ahead of Otago RC's Jack O'Leary and Gisborne's Alex Hyland, the defending champion.
Earlier in the day, Nugent-O'Leary, Gowler and Spencer had been joined by Union BC member Jamie O'Keefe to win the Women's Quad gold medal
"The quad was about working together a composite crew," said Pawson.
"That's good because they're young girls."
In another very strong field, the AWRC/Union team won their heat and were second in the semifinals, before taking out the big race in 6m 46.30s, ahead of the Bay of Plenty 2 and Waikato RC 1 crews.
The Men's Club Quad final saw the AWRC crew of Monaghan, Gus Pawson, O'Leary and Adrian van Bussel win bronze, finishing in 6m 5.81s behind the Nelson and Whakatane crews.
AWRC success continued in the Elite classes, as Chris Harris had a brilliant Friday.
He teamed with James Hunter (WELC) to win silver in the Men's Premier Pair and then later in the day the two of them claimed the gold medal (and the Red Coast) with Ian Seymour (WRAC) and Tufi Sele (WELC) in the Men's Premier Four.
Club mate Kerri Gowler likewise had a profitable day, claiming bronze with Erin-Monique O'Brien (PETC) in the Women's Premier Pair, which followed on from them combining with Linda Mathews (STAC) and Louise Trappitt (WRAC) to claim silver in the Premier Four behind the winning teams which included Scown.
Today, AWRC members are in the men's and women's club four finals, the men's senior quad and double finals, and the under-19 women's four and double finals.
O'Keefe will also fly the Union flag in the women's senior singles final.