Taranaki “club rugby” team hope to take on top rowers at Maadi
They might be going in as underdogs, but the Francis Douglas Memorial College team are hoping to turn heads at Maadi.
They may be underdogs, but do not count them out.
That is the message coming out of the Francis Douglas Memorial College rowing camp ahead of the regatta.
Coach Jason Williams, a former New Zealand rower, believes the boys have the talent and determination to turn a few heads.
“They’re up against it but we’ve got the athletes that are really committed and training well,” he said.
There are two crews coming to the regatta from FDMC.
The crew of Logan Olsson and Cobi McCook will be competing in the u16 double sculls, u17 double sculls and the u18 novice double sculls.
The school’s second crew Mason Porteous and Bodie Butler will be competing in the u16 double sculls and the u18 novice double sculls as well, with Porteous also competing in the u16 single sculls.
“It’s their first year rowing so they’re novices,” Williams said.
“They’ve put in a lot of hard work… [and] they’re actually really good kids to coach.”
Both crews competed at the North Island Championships at Lake Karapiro on March 6 with pleasing results.
Olsson and McCook missed out on finals, but Porteous and Butler made the A final in the u18 novice double sculls, and Porteous made the A final of the u16 single sculls.
“We went in there really tired. I gave them really hard workouts probably 10 days before it,” Williams said.
“I felt really happy with how they went.”
The same calibre of performance is expected at the Maadi Cup regatta, with Williams believing they can do the same – if not better.
However, there are still obstacles to overcome.
Williams said the increase in competition in comparison to the North Island Championships and the many schools who now have paid rowing coaches will make things harder for the FDMC boys.
Although the school takes an interest in their crews, they largely depend on volunteers to help with training.
“To make an A Final for any rower from Taranaki at the Maadi Cup is sort of like club rugby beating a Super 15 team,” he said.
“How much the boys want to put in is what they’ll get out.”
