The next regatta was the Canterbury championships. As is now customary for College rowing, a training camp is held prior to all major regattas in the school holidays. This January camp proved to be another resounding success, as it helped “shake” the boys out of their holiday mentality and reawaken their training desire. Unfortunately, once again the weather gods decided not to play ball and we managed to only get racing in on Saturday before the regatta was abandoned. The results achieved on the Saturday, however, showed that the hard work the boys had put in during the training camp had paid off, with several top results recorded, including a resounding win by the open men’s eight and an encouraging win by the U17 eight in the U19 division. The following week the boys were back in Twizel for the South Island championships. Finally, the weather held and we managed to get through two complete days of racing. Several good performances were recorded across the club, with notable performances coming from both the U17 eight and U17 four, who recorded resounding victories. The U15 octuple also started to show its class, with a stellar 10 second victory over its closest competitor Marlborough Boys’ College. The U18 eights once again competed in
the open men’s grade. After a win in heat 1, the boys followed up with a close 2nd place finish behind the Avon Rowing Club in the final. This defeat seemed to do the boys a world of good, as when the club returned to Kerr’s Reach, a more focused and determined group of boys arrived ready to train. The South Island secondary schools’ regatta was the next big target on the regatta radar. This was the first time the entire boat club had attended a regatta this season, with 90 boys descending on Twizel. Saturday proved to be a busy day with over 48 different College crews requiring boating and the gap between races being no more than four minutes per race. Sunday, on the other hand, proved to be a lot more manageable, due to the absolutely stunning conditions and the fact that all crews had had a trial run the day before. Many notable performances were recorded at this regatta, with the highlights coming from the U15, U17 and U18 age groups. The U15 boys won the U15 octuple sculls title by a whopping 15 second margin. The U17 eights placed 1st and 2nd in their events, and the U17 four won a very close race over St Andrew’s College. In the final event of the weekend, the 1st eight reversed a narrow loss in the heats to Christchurch Boys’ High
School to win the South Island title and the Fred Strachan Cup. Unfortunately, after this hugely promising regatta, the rowing season came to an abrupt halt due to Covid-19 restrictions and the subsequent lockdown. As devastating as this was, I am immensely grateful and proud of the way the boys handled the news. A huge thanks must go to coaches Malcolm McIntyre, Andrew Taylor, Jimmy Healy, Liam O’Leary, Max Goodwin and Bryn Hassan, who set out the blueprint for all the success College rowing experienced at the start of the season when they rearranged how the various squads were going to look. A final acknowledgement must go to the parents who spend countless hours assisting the club in many capacities. From raising money to help fund plant and equipment purchases, through to cooking over 4000 meals for the boys while they are away at the various training camps, their support and assistance has enabled the Christ’s College Rowing Club to be the club it is today. Thank you.
Henry Smith MiC Rowing
244
Christ’s College Canterbury
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs