Proud school, Mana college make colours for first their Maadi rower.
Young Jayde Thomas is his school’s only rower – so they had to make a rowing top especially for him
SIXTEEN year-old Jayde Thomas has returned to Maadi this year representing Mana College as their first and only rower at the regatta.
New entrant schools to Maadi are required to register under the New Zealand Secondary School Rowing Association (NZSSRA) for their colours.
Jayde’s mother, Rachel says that normally once a school has colours they stay with that school. “So when Jayde started, we had to get them (Mana College) some colours.”
NZSSRA have very strict rules, and regulations for assigning schools their colours. Once a school has been assigned colours they belong to that school.
Being the only representative rowing for Mana, the school had to modify a uniform from another code for Jayde. “They haven’t had a rowing team at Mana before, so they gave me a hockey top,” Jayde says, with a wry smirk.”We had to sew up the sides, so that it would match the colours that they have on the website.” he says, tugging at his top, showing his custom made colours.
Jayde first entered Maadi as a novice in 2012, since then he has been achieving good results.
Jayde trains with the Porirua rowing club, which has five other schools rowing for them. Coach Matt Hall freely speaks of Jayde’s dedication to the sport. Admiring his independence he says Jayde always gives 100 percent. “He turns up to training on time, and goes the extra mile. He trains independently really well, so compared to the rest of the squad, he probably trains 20 percent harder. In the mornings he will go down, and single row while the rest of the guys are still sleeping in,” he says.
Before rowing Jayde’s sport of choice was rugby, a game that he played since the age of six, until he hung up his rugby boots for the oars last year. Rachel said it took her by surprise at first, ” it kinda broke my heart,” she laughs “I loved being on the sidelines in my gumboots,”. The decision had come as a surprise to her. “It took me a little while to support what he was doing, but then, I saw how it changed him, and how good he was doing. He’s found a sport that he’s passionate about, and it’s really matured him, he is more focused on what he wants now, so I think its great,” she explains.
* Jayde came sixth in the U17 A final today.
