International scouts at Maadi seek rowing talent

Talent scouts were at the Maadi Cup rowing regatta this week to find potential recruits for overseas universities, says Ohio State University recruiter Robbie Tenenbaum.

Tenenbaum, in New Zealand seeking stand-out rowers at the high school regatta, was impressed by the level of performance shown by the young rowers, and says the event was a good opportunity for competitors to catch the eye of international universities.

”We’ve just come to be able to see people in their environment, and get a feel for the level of competition at Maadi cup.

“There’s a lot of great rowing here in New Zealand, the people are great and I always love being able to come to New Zealand.”

The largest high school rowing event in the country, the Maadi Cup featured around 2000 high school-level competitors over six days, from 120 schools around New Zealand.

Tenenbaum says many universities were there to offer scholarships to high schoolers looking to row outside of New Zealand, and some universities would be offering financial support to ensure young rowers were supported overseas.

“There’re great opportunities to be able to row and study in the States, whether that’s on a scholarship or academic aid.

“It offers people a chance to expand their global horizons and study overseas and be able bring the things they’ve learned back or take them to other countries, and make the world a little bit smaller.”

Tenenbaum also praised the coaches of the rowing squads, who he says also impressed him with their level of dedication and drive.

“There’s some great talent here, but more than that, the people and the coaches are all very high quality, which is what’s really cool about it.”