With one of the most scenic backdrops for rowing in the world, the New Zealand Rowing Championships will once again be contested on the glistening blue waters of Lake Ruataniwha. With silverware and prestigious titles on the line, the pinnacle of any New Zealand club rower’s season is undoubtedly the NZ Championships. Contested over the coming week, it will finally be time to showcase all that has gone into this year.
With the defending champions, Clifton Rowing Club, missing from this event this year, much is up for grabs for a new club to win the title. Among the favourites are Dunstan Arm, Canterbury, and Whakatāne.
Dunstan Arm Rowing Club
Champions of the South Island and posting the quickest time of any crew across the islands with a rapid 6:22.12, Dunstan Arm will be going into the final regatta of the season feeling confident in their abilities to perform. Undefeated this season across the Canterbury, Otago, and South Island Rowing Championships, this crew is a winner in many eyes already. Strengthened by the South Island champions in the double and medallist in the intermediate single, this quad has already had a very successful season and will no doubt be looking to cap off an undefeated year together as a quad. Across the women’s quad, the South Island times were significantly faster, and the same can be said for the men’s quad, with around a ten-second margin over the South Island quads. Closely chased by the Canterbury quad, who were a mere one second behind, Dunstan Arm will be confident but wary of their opposition, who will have built speed over the past few weeks.
Canterbury Rowing Club
Like their women’s quad, the Canterbury crew placed second at the South Island Rowing Championships with a close one-second margin to Dunstan Arm. With the stroke seat of this quad winning a silver medal in the senior double, there is certainly huge potential to pick up more speed. Second in the Canterbury Championships behind Dunstan Arm, there will be a thirst to finally step up to the top of the podium this week. Based on times relative to the North Island, this Canterbury quad is still ten seconds faster than the Whakatāne quad stacked with Maadi medallists.
Whakatāne/Taupo Rowing Club
Several well-known junior scullers feature for Whakatāne. The North Island champions in the club double, Schutz and Talpos strengthen the quad as the middle pair powerhouses. Stroked by the bronze medal-winning sculler of the U17 double and quad, Iremonger returns with his crewmates as part of a reformed composite crew to try and win the Club quad. Second at the Christmas Regatta to Waikato before winning the quad again at the North Island Championships, it will certainly not be a one-sided race with the South Island crews. Although considerably younger than the rest of the field, this quad has proved itself capable of competing at a high level through its performances at previous Maadi regattas and North Island regattas over this season and the last.
Prediction
Dunstan Arm will likely win this event with their large margin over the North Island Champions. Canterbury is not too far behind and will take a comfortable second place. Waikato, Avon, and Whakatāne will fight over the final medal.
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