This article was written before the release of the entry draw due to the late release of supplementary entries.
As one of the first major regattas of the season, Karāpiro Club Regatta expects to bring together a mixture of new and established combinations, along with its potential for some rain and thunder. Taking to the lake, the North Island’s teams assemble in hopes of establishing themselves as a pacemaker for the races ahead. This early in the season, it’s anyone’s game, so all the more excitement for the events across the women’s open category.
Single Sculls – Waikato Rowing Club & West End Rowing Club
Coming off the back of a highly successful first club season, Tegan O’Dwyer already has plenty of experience and success to her name. After bookending her high school career with a double bronze in the U18 single and double sculls events, O’Dwyer has already gone on to secure her first redcoat as part of the premier coxed eight at the New Zealand Rowing Championships, on top of a silver in both the senior coxless four and eight. O’Dwyer shows consistency in both sculling and sweep events, moving into the current season with a win in the open coxless quad as well as a third-place finish in the single scull. Rarely slipping below a top three, O’Dwyer will be hoping to continue her streak ahead of this weekend.
Also hoping to return to her winning ways, West End Rowing Club’s Holly Chaafe is a top contender in the singles events. Along with contributing a remarkable five podium finishes for the Auckland team at the recent North Island Interprovincial Regatta, Chaafe maintains a strong record of success in the single. Following wins in both the U22 and senior single scull events at the 2024 New Zealand Nationals, Chaafe took on the challenge of the premier categories last season. More recently, she established herself once again as a frontrunner for the season at Karāpiro Memorial Regatta. Chaafe secured victory in the women’s open single scull with a dominant lead ahead of Waikato‘s Angalla Carney, who, as she steps into her first club season, has already begun to make a name for herself on the circuit.
Carney rounded out her school rowing career with a fantastic finish, taking home the Stephanie Foster Cup for the U18 single scull, as well as playing a part in Waikato Diocesan School’s runner-up performance in the iconic Levin Jubilee Cup for the U18 eight. Already in the early days of her senior career, Carney has stepped out on the world stage, representing New Zealand at the U19 World Rowing Championships held in Lithuania earlier this year, with a very respectable international debut. Hot on the heels of Chaafe, Carney is not to be counted out ahead of the weekend for that winning spot.
Double Sculls and Coxless Pair – Waikato Rowing Club
Expected to dominate across the women’s categories is Waikato Rowing Club. The depth and calibre of their squad is evident across the red, yellow and green-covered top spots at the recent Memorial Regatta, securing a whopping 13 of 17 available top-three positions across the women’s open categories. To name only a few, key names to look out for include the aforementioned Carney, who, along with Molly McClintock, were runners-up against teammates Amelia Barrell and Mollie Nicol, as well as multi-time New Zealand representative Isobel Eliadis-Watson.
Already this year, Eliadis-Watson has added two more redcoats* to her already impressive collection, medalling in all four of her premier-level events across the pair, four, quad and eight. Eliadis-Watson was in no mood to slow down, as she went on to represent New Zealand on the world stage for the fourth time in her career. Teaming up with Frances Casey, she placed third in the open coxless pair as part of the New Zealand Universities team, rounding off a stellar season. It is almost sure to say we have not seen the last of Eliadis-Watson’s determined performances, and she is likely a name to look out for this weekend.
Coxless Four and Quadruple Sculls – Waikato Diocesan School & Waikato Rowing Club
Waikato Diocesan comes into the season off the back of a strong finish at Maadi Regatta, which saw them finish second, a mere length behind St Margaret’s College. A consistent force in the school rowing circuit, Waikato Diocesan has already proven to hold its own among senior athletes; most recently, at the Memorial Regatta, finishing second in the women’s open coxless four. After a ferocious battle in the final stages of the race, Waikato Diocesan edged ahead of Waikato Rowing Club‘s Casey, Dutton, Timpson and Markgraaff by a splintering quarter of a second, establishing themselves as contenders at both school and club level. Following their performances this year, there’s no doubt the girls from Waikato Diocesan will be back and hungry for more as the new season gets well and truly underway.
It would be naïve to suggest that Waikato RC would not again be the top contenders in these categories. Following a dominating performance in the coxless four at Memorial Regatta on top of their various national and international accolades, the team of title holders and New Zealand representatives, including the likes of Katie Lush and Alice Fahey, is sure to provide more than enough talent to set the bar high for the women’s events.
Coxed Eight – Waikato Diocesan School & Waikato Rowing Club
A similar story unfolds in the eights, with key programmes from Waikato RC and Waikato Diocesan likely to produce multiple teams, demonstrating the depth of their squad’s talent. As it’s early in the season, there is potential for other schools to challenge themselves in these senior events; however, we will not have a clear idea of this until the weekend. Going off the limited results so far, and with no North Shore Rowing Club present this week, it could be down to the crews from Hamilton alone to set the pace.
Predictions
Based on the limited results we’ve seen of the season so far, it would be a pretty safe bet to suggest Waikato RC are likely to be a prominent programme across the women’s open events, though for the sake of keeping the season interesting I’d be keen to see if the clubs involved in the events diversify as we move forward into the season. With the rowing community in New Zealand growing increasingly rapidly, the question remains: will Waikato dominate yet again, or will a dark horse rise from the North Island circuit?
