Hamilton Boys High up for the Maadi challenge
Hamilton Boys High are strong contenders for the Maadi Cup
The 72-strong Hamilton Boys High School rowing team is on course for the 67th Maadi Regatta starting on Monday.
After winning overall team and taking out 11 placings at the North Island Champs – including all the eights – HBHS are “in a good space going forward” coming up to Maadi, says HBHS director of rowing Glenn Ross.
They also set New Zealand’s fastest school boys’ time at the champs of 5 minutes 42 seconds in the under 18 eights, making them strong contenders for the Maadi Cup.
Ross says their main priority is “to keep the boys focused but keep them relaxed and let them perform what they are capable of”.
Part of success is based on building the teams from the early years allowing them to make the gains needed to make top crews. “What we are doing with our programme is we have a number of boys coming through it and they grow as the programme grows with the more time they spend in it.” Some of the team members will finish with secondary rowing this year but there are good prospects for New Zealand crew selection, Ross says, with more coming up the ranks.
One of Ross’ novice rowers Drikus Conradie is crew in two elite events, the Springbok Shield and Maadi Cup.
HBHS training waters have changed from the usual current of the Waikato River to the Karipiro Lake for the week.
“A good lesson for young people is to persevere and to stick with something they enjoy doing and work hard at it. If they do that the likelihood of getting the result they are looking for will come from that.”
