After weeks of preparation and hours spent on the water, the time has finally come for the main event, rounding out the club rowing season in New Zealand. Hosted this year at the North Island’s Lake Karapiro, the New Zealand Rowing Championships are heating up to be a fierce four days of racing. The women’s Club events have highlighted a wide range of potential emerging talent, from familiar names to some potential new faces destined for the podium.
Dunstan Arm Rowing Club
As a name no stranger to anyone who knows New Zealand rowing, it is no question why Dunstan Arm are listed amongst potential frontrunners this week. The club maintains a legacy of high-quality performances year-on-year both on the South Island and national stages, and their crews return hoping to add their name to the club’s long list of proud contributors. With a set of consistent quality performances behind them this season, the team’s coxed eight has led the Club event across various championships. Outside of their lowest ranking, sitting at a still commendable third-place finish at the Canterbury Championships, the crew has not slipped from first place at the majors since. Following a win at the Otago Championships, the club solidified their position amongst the top crews at the recent South Island Championships, taking home a gold medal for their efforts. Never a club to settle for one event, the team has had its rising stars shine across other club-level events, including Ella and Macey Barnes finishing second after an impressive performance in the Club coxless pair final, before joining Lucy Clark and Amy Peterson for another gold medal victory in the coxless four. With top talent and the promise of a club known for its ability to produce gritty racing when it counts, Dunstan Arm are likely to be a name seen a lot amongst the A-final lineups over the next few days.
Waikato Rowing Club
Inconsistent placings and rained-off results make emerging crews from the North Island more difficult to identify. In the case of larger boats, previous years would point towards Waikato Rowing Club as a likely favourite. The club has a long history of success in North Island events and of collecting national titles, which would make most confident in seeing their name amongst the finalists. However, their recent results this season have seen them finish outside of medal positions on more than one occasion. Most recently, the final of the coxed eight at the North Island Championships saw them finish an uncharacteristic fourth place behind Auckland Diocesan and Epsom Girls’ Grammar schools, surely putting a spanner in their predictions for the event. Prior to that, similar performances occurred at Karapiro Christmas and Memorial Regattas, where the crew finished fourth on both occasions. Despite this unfortunate streak for the group, a comeback could still be in the works for Waikato. Given the club’s size and depth of talent, it would be unlikely not to see their name appear amongst the lineup for finals, and having had a few weeks of training in preparation for the week, it will be interesting to see if fortune favours them in their last chance this season.
Avon Rowing Club
Another well-known name I’d be surprised not to see leading the charge in Club events again is Avon Rowing Club. A club of large membership and consistent strong performances, Avon have produced winning outcomes consistently over recent seasons, particularly on the national and South Island stages. This year, its ranks include the likes of Emma Gardiner and Olivia Studholme, who most recently acquired a bronze medal at the South Island Championships before teaming up with Kate Ryall and Sienna Godfrey-Chatterton to collect another in the coxless four. The group, also a part of the silver-medal adorned eight crew, are amongst those eyeing up the medals again this week. Following an earlier win in the event at Canterbury Championships, it is not out of the question for Avon to return victorious in the upcoming final, with the potential to accumulate more silverware in the sweep events if all goes their way.
Prediction
While many clubs have shown promise in individual events, Dunstan Arms have demonstrated the most consistency across categories and has maintained the most first-place finishes among the teams involved. Can they continue their dominant streak for one more week, or will the change of scenery open the door for another team to etch their name on the trophies up for grabs?
