The South Island Secondary Schools regatta was the next big target. It was the first time that the entire boat club had planned to attend a regatta this season, with 90 boys descending on Twizel and again having to operate in school bubbles. With this system operating, the first view that some U15 boys had of the lake and the regatta course (not to mention the other schools) was when they were rowing to the start to race. College produced several good performances, with eight crews winning medals. The U15 octuple sculls again led the way, winning its final by 2.5sec over a strong crew from Otago Boys’ High School. The U17 eights race featured a tight battle, with both College crews winning medals. The A U17 eight placed 2nd and the B U17 eight placed 3rd. College crews won five other silver medals, including the U15 coxed eight, U16 coxed eight, U18 coxed eight, U17 coxed four, and the U18 coxed four. At the end of the regatta, it was decided to keep the entire Maadi squad in Twizel to continue their studies and train in preparation for Maadi. The aim was to try and remove the risk of Covid-19 entering the camp. Earlier, it was decided if a rower contracted Covid-19 before Maadi, they would be ineligible to compete at the regatta. This provided clarity and also reinforced
the position of Rowing New Zealand, which provided the evidence that an athlete could not recover in time to compete properly at a major regatta. Unfortunately, despite our best-laid plans, Covid-19 managed to infiltrate our camp and struck the U16 group hard. Of the 16 boys at the training camp, only four managed to avoid catching the virus. The 2022 New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Championships – Maadi Cup regatta – will be remembered for a myriad of reasons, from wonderful rowing to winning medals, through to the challenges of getting the boys to the start for their races in a healthy state and free of Covid-19. It was the smallest College squad in recent history, with only 24 boys competing. Random RAT tests were also introduced at the regatta, so we could ensure that the athletes were Covid-free. The Monday and Tuesday of Maadi week were designated heat days. These can be stressful, with some fields having more than 75 schools entered. Depending on where you finish in your heat, crews can find themselves eliminated. Needless to say, the pressure is on the boys to perform. College’s performances were sound, with all crews progressing directly to the following rounds and several going straight to either the semi- finals or A finals. The U17 eight
continued to show great promise, going bow ball to bow ball with St Bede’s College for the duration of the 2000m course, before having to settle for a gallant 2nd place. The four remaining U16 athletes combined to row a makeshift four. This boat performed exceedingly well, placing a creditable 4th in its heat and moving through to the next round. Both U18 coxed fours rowed well, and finished 3rd in each respective heat. Both crews progressed through to the repechages, but what was pleasing, was that the crews were only separated by 1sec. Finally, in the final race of the heats programme, the U18 A eight won its heat over Mount Albert Grammar School and progressed straight to the A final. This was a very pleasing result, finishing as the second-fastest qualifier, as well as ensuring that College’s unbroken 38 years of racing in the Maadi Cup final continued. A very satisfying achievement. As the end of the week drew near, the excitement was building. College had qualified 11 crews for either A or B finals and that meant 23 out of the 24 boys were going to be racing for medals or places. It was great to see the way that the 2nd eight picked itself up after racing poorly in its U18 heat to row well in the repechage to also progress to the A final. It was the second year in a row that College
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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