With the season finale imminent, teams are already gathering at the iconic Lake Karapiro to take on the ultimate challenge at club rowing level. The New Zealand Rowing Championships lure the best of the best yet again to see who will be crowned the national champions, with the Intermediate women’s categories set to be an exciting, potentially unpredictable set of races to watch.
Dunstan Arm Rowing Club
A well-known name across the New Zealand rowing community, Dunstan Arm Rowing Club looks to extend an already extensive list of accolades from this season and beyond. The club, best known for its highly successful sculling regime, has seen its Intermediate squad improve steadily so far this season. At both Otago and Canterbury Championships, their crews were able to secure top positions across multiple events, including the coxed four, eight and double sculls. Ahead of this week, they sent a statement at the South Island Championships, collecting not two but three gold medals. Otago representatives from the Mainland Interprovincial Championships, Jemma Mead and Maria-Theresia Schrems, joined forces following their win in the double sculls with teammates Alyssa Wilson and Liesel Tolsom. They were led by coxswain Kate Baskerville to another gold in the intermediate quad, whilst the team also secured gold in the Club coxed event to top off the weekend’s racing. With their results showing consistent improvement throughout the season, it would be amiss not to consider Dunstan Arm amongst those in contention for medals or championship titles over the next few days, with the athletes hoping to follow the club’s successful legacy with another strong set of performances.
Avon Rowing Club
Another crew whose name is no surprise on this list is Avon Rowing Club. As one of the biggest clubs in the country, they are no stranger to a national appearance and success. At the Intermediate level, a surprising crew has emerged as a potential wildcard for the week ahead. The crew of Isabella Galvan, Zara Ford, Natalie Sherman, and Nina McKay, coxed by Eliza O’Meagher, has only a small amount of experience under their belt as a mainly novice crew, yet have already secured significant places this season. Most recently, they took home gold in both the Novice and Intermediate coxed fours at the South Island Rowing Championships, with Isabell Williamson and Isabella-Hope Murray switching in for McKay and O’Meagher, respectively. This crew, despite its lack of experience, have shown promise already on the South Island stage and could be looking to extend to some national top spots in what will be an incredible end to a stellar first season.
Whanganui Rowing Club
With mixed results across intermediate events, the emerging potential frontrunners on the North Island circuit are more difficult to pin down. Memorable performances that could indicate a push for a strong position in the final comes from Whanganui Rowing Club, who have steadily been creeping into higher positions since the Karapiro Christmas Regatta. At the North Island Championships, the team of Ruby Horner, Alex Dreyer, Sophie Duncan and Alaska Humphrey were led by coxswain Alex Pedley to a gold medal in the intermediate coxed four. On top of this, they were able to secure a commendable second-fastest qualifying time in the four again at Club level, though unfortunately, the conditions meant they could not see the event through. Unphased, the club returned last weekend to the Junior Regatta, an event combined with the CollegeSport Auckland Championships, where Ottalie Morrah and Eva van der Zouwe replaced Duncan and Humphrey, and the pair secured a first-place finish in the U18 coxed four, following a commanding final. Though we have only seen them come into the spotlight in the past few competitions, Whanganui could be set to surprise and establish themselves as a name to watch on the National stage amongst the best.
Auckland Diocesan School for Girls
Another team that has shone amongst some events in the North Island has been Auckland Diocesan School for Girls. Though a young crew, the team from Auckland Dio have no shortage of race experience; evident through their sweep of Auckland school champion titles across the Under-16 coxed eight and four, as well as the U18 eight. Whilst school crew success doesn’t always translate into club success, the team went on to take home gold in the Intermediate coxed eight and silver in the coxed four at the North Island Championships. Despite their experience, Auckland Dio could still have potential to be amongst the faster finishers this week, should they choose to try their might against the club rowers yet again.
Prediction
Given the inconsistency of the North Island’s season results, I feel confident in leaning towards success for the South Island teams. While Dunstan Arm is often dominant, mainly in the sculling boats, I would not count them out of sweep events, given their recent high placings. However, due to previous success and the historical depth of squad talent, I am keen to see if Avon will continue to shine across the disciplines at this season’s finale.
