Te Awamutu Rowing Club backs college rowers
Te Awamutu College rowers take on Maadi regatta.
Despite coming from a school of more than 1200, there are only 16 students in the rowing squad from Te Awamutu College.
Twelve rowers and two coxens from Te Awamutu College are competing in this year’s Maadi regatta. So far they have rowed every day of the regatta.
Te Awamutu Rowing Club Captain Sue Swinerd said the school and community are very rugby orientated which may have something to do with why their low numbers.
“We work really hard with the school to get rowing out there,” she said.
The squad itself rows out of the Te Awamutu Rowing Club. There is no teacher involvement however, the students still represent the school at regattas.
The Te Awamutu Rowing Club is run completely by volunteers. The coaches are unpaid though there is a running joke that their pay will be tripled this year. They donate a huge amount of time out of their love for the sport, and many of the volunteers and coaches are “lifers”.
The club also works hard to find funding to keep fees down for the rowers. Te Awamutu College rowing fees are $620 for each rower for the whole season. That includes club fees, use of club boats, and entry fees for regattas. (See related story on rowing fees.)
This season the girls under-18 coxed quad received a new boat, paid for with funding from the Lion Foundation.
The boat was used for the first time in their heat earlier this week when the girls placed second. They went on to place second again in the repechage and will compete in the A-final tomorrow.
Three rowers from the squad are in their final year at the college, and will be leaving at the end of the year.
“Yeah I guess I will keep on rowing, because I enjoy it,” under-18 novice double sculler Chris Davison said. Chris also rows in the under-18 novice coxed four.
