Rowers can beat the heats but can’t beat the heat
St John are pleased they have not been busy so far at Maadi
St John reported a quiet week Thursday morning with a smooth flow of minor aches and pains – with the exception of the heat.
Volunteer Thomas Rannala says they get the odd bee sting or stiff back, but the only real danger has been the heat.
Thomas says they have had many rowers collapsing in the heat simply because they push themselves so hard.
When this happens Thomas says, “we just let them rest, take it easy, get them some fluid and send them on their way”.
Most days this week you will find a few rowers hanging around the treatment room.
One will be rubbing cream into a rash on her legs, another will have just applied plasters to his blisters.
Some rowers say they spend their spare time at the St John treatment area.
“If they weren’t here I would just get more and more injured,” Izzy Kippenberger from Napier Girls High School said.
The Napier crew thought the St John team were wonderful. If they needed ice it was there, if they needed pain relief it was there, if they needed somewhere to rest it was there.
Located at the bottom of the Don Rowlands Centre at Lake Karapiro this year St John is all set for support. Tracey Hopkins, St John volunteer said, aside from the heat, “The day has been good so far, the weather conditions have been good which really helps.”
Hopkins and the rest of the St John’s crew are providing support and first aid treatment for not only the competitors, but the crowd as well.
