Green, lean and mean Rangiora High brings its best to Maadi
Rangiora High School’s Maadi team is going for quality over quantity this year. The team may be small but they are aiming big, hoping to better last year’s medal haul.
Canterbury’s Rangiora High School is focusing on quality over quantity with its team for the Maadi Cup Regatta this year.
From a pool of 25 rowers Rangiora is only taking four: George Howat, Josh Sims, Alice Pallister and Rose McEwan. They’ll be competing in the U18 coxless pair, double sculls and single sculls events.
Rose McEwan (left), George Howat, Armin Svoboda (coach), Josh Sims, Alice Pallister.
The school’s rowing coach Armin Svoboda said the team was chosen based on this season’s results, and was finalised in January, after the South Island Rowing Championship.
“The trip to the North Island is quite expensive so we decided to focus on quality,” he said
Because of that expense Svoboda felt he could only justify taking the students most likely to make the finals.
Pallister and McEwan took the gold in the U18 girls lightweight double at last year’s Maadi, with McEwan also winning silver in the U18 girls singles.
Howat and Sims got second place in the B finals of the U18 boys coxless pair at the same regatta.
Howat also has some recent experience on the winner’s podium. He was the bowman on two seniors teams that won gold at the National Rowing Championship last month.
The team is looking to up their game at Maadi this year.
The girls are stepping up to the heavyweight doubles this year, hoping to repeat their win in the lightweight grade.
“They’re competing against much bigger girls, but they’re pretty gutsy,” Svoboda said.
The boys are looking to better their time in the pairs event, aiming to get down to 07.20.00 minutes from last year’s 07.32.12.
“We just want a competitive time really. [A lot] depends on the weather,” Howat said.
Howat is looking for the win, but there was one rower in particular he wanted to beat.
“Riley Bruce, he’s my mate. He’s always been real quick, so he’s a good marking point,” he said.
Each of the students will be on the sidelines supporting their team-mates whenever they can.
“We’ve been training together for ages, and it’s our last regatta together, so we’ll all be cheering each other on,” Howat said.
The team has been in training since the end of the last Maadi Cup.
They are often up early in the morning, training on the Waimakariri River, a tidal river just north of Christchurch.
Svoboda said the conditions on the river have not been ideal this year.
“It’s been very windy and, with the drought going on in the South Island, there’s very little river flow. It’s impossible to row at low tide, so we have to be flexible with training times.”
