Hundreds of secondary school rowers will be making their way to Twizel this weekend in preparation for the Maadi Cup, starting on Monday at Lake Ruataniwha.
Otago schools shone at the South Island secondary schools regatta earlier this month and will be wanting to replicate their success at the national event.
Otago Boys’ are ones to watch after picking up a plethora of medals at the South Island championships.
Strong medal contenders are the under-18 novice coxed four of Seth Affleck, Toby Ollerenshaw, Jude Smillie, Ollie Scott and Hunter Ruxton, and the under-17 coxed quad sculls of Eddie Burgess, Jack Scott, Roland Ozanne, Harrison Thode and Noah Clarke.
Both crews won gold at the South Island regatta.
Affleck, Ollerenshaw, Smillie, Scott and Ruxton will join Carlos Dean, Hoani Kiwara and Jackson Templeton in an under-18 novice coxed eight also tipped to do well.
Georgia Graham has proved her potential to medal at the Maadi Cup as well.
The St Hilda’s rower earned gold in the girls under-16 single sculls and teamed with Perrie Hore for silver in the girls under-17 coxless pairs oars.
St Hilda’s also look strong in the under-15 double and fours.
Columba College’s Ciara Patterson has a real chance in the under-17 single sculls, as do Sophie Thode, Anika Leyser, Nova Whitson, Tayla Skevington, Isla Nicholson, Georgia Drummond, Matilda Sutton, Alice Porter and Isabelle Davey in the under-16 coxed eight.
Bayfield brothers Sebastian and Alexander Hattrell have been on the rise at the end of the season in the under-18 double sculls.
The Dunstan dynasty will again be challenging for the top, and expect Mt Aspiring College and Wakatipu High School to also be among the contenders.
Waitaki Boys’ under-18 novice double Ned Newlands-Carter and Jakob Rohrbach, Waitaki Girls’ under-18 novice four Emily Wainright, Tessa Wright, Bridget Spittle and Hanna Strachan, and St Kevin’s under-16 double scullers Kouper Lynch and Kobe Narruhn are also expected to do well.
