This article was written before the release of the entry draw due to the late release of supplementary entries.
As the weather and the season begin to heat up, crews from across the North Island gather once more before the Christmas break at Lake Karāpiro for Christmas Regatta. As the final event of this half of the season, this event promises the rise of dominant contenders and the possibility of unexpected race leaders. As many of these contenders enter their final season of their school rowing careers, the Girls’ Under-18 Quadruple Sculls promises a lineup bursting with talent set for an exciting series of races.
St Paul’s Collegiate
First up, known for their sculling excellence, St Paul’s Collegiate have once again had a strong first half of the season. Following a win in the U18 Quad at Karāpiro Memorial Regatta, Olivia Carruthers, Sophia Mason, Olivia Waddell and Hazel Church were led by coxswain Hugh Trower to a repeat of their stellar performance to claim victory in the event once again at Karāpiro Club Regatta a few weeks later. A successful weekend all-round for the group, Waddell finished second behind Hamilton Girls High School’s Ayla Klein in the U18 Single sculls, as well as Carruthers and Mason, who joined forces again to finish fourth in the Womens’ Club Double sculls. Coxswain Hugh Trower demonstrated his ability to adapt well to his crews needs, leading the Boys U18 Quadruple sculls to a win on top of his performance in the girls event. Moving into their final season, these girls have plenty of sculling experience to back them as potential favourites. Maadi Regatta last year saw Carruthers and Mason together again, gaining a bronze medal in the U17 Coxed Quad while Church took home a silver in the U16 Coxed Quad along with a North Island gold in the same event, with the help of Polly Hunter, part of their winning Memorial Regatta crew. Already proven to be following in the trend of St Paul’s Collegiate’s highly consistent reputation for dominant sculling performances, this squad is well-prepared to continue their streak ahead of this weekend and beyond.
Cambridge High School
Hoping to keep themselves within the mix of the top position holders, Cambridge High School have also shown promise in the early stages of the season. Club Regatta saw Cate Kuggeleijn, Pippa Peacocke, Taylor Ewen and Stella Harrop, along with coxswain Maddy Peacocke finish third in the U18 Quad event, with a couple of lengths to spare back to Kings College. However, not ones to limit themselves to one discipline, Ewan, Peacocke and Kuggeleijn were led, again by Peacocke, through another impressive race, finishing third in the Womens’ Club Coxed Eight. Following their silver medal in the U16 Double sculls, Kuggeleijn, paired with Lily Cameron, also made the leap up to Club grade to finish second amongst a talented field. With their capabilities evident, this team are still well within reach of another top-three finish in their events this weekend, and no doubt we shall see them demonstrate strength across the disciplines yet again.
Hamilton Girls High School
Armed with rising star Ayla Klein, the team from Hamilton Girls High School will be ready to put significant pressure onto the frontrunners yet again in this weekend’s Quadruple sculls. After only starting her competitive rowing career last season, Hamilton Girls’ Ayla Klein immediately showed promise in the sport, securing silver medals in both the Novice Double and Quadruple sculls events. Now part of the U18 squad, Klein joined Mirella Singleton, Amber Alcock, Kaitlyn Ross and coxswain Sam Gardiner for the U18 Quadruple sculls at the recent Club Regatta, to repeat their second-place finish from Memorial Regatta. The crew were able to keep a decent distance between themselves and third-place Cambridge High School but will no doubt be hungry to rematch with St Paul’s Collegiate for that all important victory. On top of this, Alcock, Ross and Singleton joined forced again to secure third in the U18 Coxed Four, leaving Klein to focus on seizing wins in both the U18 and Intermediate Single sculls. A strong group, Hamilton Girls are in close contention for the U18 Quad title this weekend, making this rematch a definite one to watch.
Kings College
Last but not least, Kings College have shown some development throughout the season which could see them push into the top positions as the season progresses. Memorial Regatta highlighted the strength of the crew with Ogilvie and Dryden placing third in the U18 Double sculls, on top of Ogilvie’s win in the single. Club Regatta saw the team continue to perform strongly, with consistent third-place finishes across the team including both the U18 Double and Single sculls events for Lorch-Church and Ogilvie, and the Intermediate Double sculls for Dryden, who teamed up with Ivy Lundon. The strength of Kings’ programme has been increasingly evident over the past few years, so the crew’s talent coupled with team’s preparation means this squad cannot be counted out for this event ahead of the weekend.
Prediction
Despite significant pressure that could come from the other crews, I believe St Paul’s Collegiate and Hamilton Girls will continue to be the two in contention for the top spot. Given the speed we’ve seen from both crews, this race has potential to either be a commanding lead or a blistering close-finish, so we wait in anticipation for the weekend to come.
