Sacred Heart squad ready to take on the big schools
Ex-New Zealand rower and current head coach, Jason Williams, is keen to show Maadi competitors what his New Plymouth crews can do.
Some schools have a head coach, a deputy coach and possibly an assistant coach for their rowing squads. Jason Williams, however, is an unpaid volunteer head (and only) coach for three New Plymouth schools heading to the AON Maadi Cup regatta this year.
The three schools, Sacred Heart Girls’ College, New Plymouth Boys’ High and Francis Douglas Memorial College, together make up the Clifton Rowing Club.
This year Clifton had no coaches, until Williams stepped in to run the club.
Among those he coaches is his daughter, Jamie, who attends Sacred Heart.
Her school does not have rowing in its curriculum. “The school kids keep the club going,” Williams said.
Four girls from Sacred Heart will attend Maadi this year: Ella Toa, 17, Zoe Winks, 17, Jamie Williams, 16 and Georgia Keech, 15. They have been training since the beginning of September on the Waitara River which Williams said can be very rough at times.
The girls train twice a day: 30-40 minutes either running or on the rowing machine in the morning before school and then two hours rowing out on the river after school. Williams says depending on the week they do 10-12 sessions each week. They will have been training for a total of seven months when it comes time for the Maadi Cup.
Williams has a representative background to draw on for his coaching. He was just 19 when he first rowed at age group level for New Zealand in 1995. He rowed again in 1996 and 1997, each time at the World Rowing Championships, coming third in ’97 in the U23 men’s four. Since then he has coached on and off.
Jamie says being coached by her father “has its moments like any other father/daughter relationships, but he’s a really good coach so I HAVE to listen to him”.
His daughter’s team is ready to take on the big schools. Williams’ wife, Sally, said: “Imagine four girls competing against the bigger schools such as Rangi Ruru or Hamilton Dio!”
The girls will be competing in the U18 doubles and singles, the U17 doubles and singles as well as one competing in U16 singles.
