Friday, June 10 2022
The Marlborough contingent at Lake Karapiro for the New Zealand Under-19 Team Rowing Trials.

Maxine Hughs/Supplied

The Marlborough contingent at Lake Karapiro for the New Zealand Under-19 Team Rowing Trials.

Marlborough continues to punch above his weight in the world of rowing.

Of 27 young rowers heading to the 2022 World Rowing Under-19 Championships in Varese, Italy in July, six will come from Marlborough.

The New Zealand Under-19 Rowing Trials took place at Lake Karapiro from April 24-29 and six of Marlborough’s seven rowers qualified.

The majority of those rowers were from the Wairau Rowing Club and coach Kaye Surgenor felt his club’s culture and training location had something to do with success.

“It’s a great community in Marlborough to look after young rowers and we have wonderful water on the River Wairau,” she said.

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Surgenor said all 12 Wairau Rowing Club rowers who took part in trials in New Zealand this year had made their age group squads.

Earlier in the year, four rowers from Marlborough also made the New Zealand U21 squad and three more traveled to Varese in July for the World Rowing Under-23 Championships taking place at the same time. time than the U19 regatta.

“We’ve had a pretty exceptional strike rate with our kids,” she said.

After winning gold in the Under-18 singles at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships this year, Queen Charlotte College and Wairau Rowing Club rower Charlotte Lightfoot will also travel to Italy.

Returning 18-year-old Dylan Burton with fellow Wairau Club rower Ethan Alderlieste, competing on the River Wairau late last year.

Brya Ingram / Stuff

Returning 18-year-old Dylan Burton with fellow Wairau Club rower Ethan Alderlieste, competing on the River Wairau late last year.

Surgenor had coached the 17-year-old all summer and was “absolutely” proud of Lightfoot’s continued success.

“She was very determined and she worked very, very hard to get to a place where she was part of the team,” she said.

Lightfoot said the trials had been “fun, but tiring”, as the week involved daily morning and afternoon sessions rowing against the country’s top talent.

She was thrilled to row on the U19 Women’s Quad team at the World Championships, although she had mainly rowed rowing this season.

“Yes, I’m a little nervous, [I’m] I don’t know how it’s going to be, but it should be fun,” she said.

“I’ve done my whole season in singles, but I was hoping to get any position in the team, whether it’s doubles or quads, I’ll take any spot I can.”

Charlotte Lightfoot, 17, is now part of the New Zealand U19 squad after a successful season.

BRYA INGRAM/STUFF/Marlborough Express

Charlotte Lightfoot, 17, is now part of the New Zealand U19 squad after a successful season.

Dylan Burton, 18, also from Wairau Rowing Club, was ‘abuzz’ for the regatta in Italy, after being selected as one of two U19 men’s traveling reserves along with fellow Marlborough compatriot Edward Botherway.

He said that although the trials had been difficult, the week had been “worth it”.

Currently studying at the University of Canterbury, Burton had been training with the Wairau Rowing Club all season and believed the culture of the club had contributed to their success at the national trials.

“We had a really good culture there this season, we had a lot of guys who came from all over the country to train with us who had already done quite well in rowing, so there was a lot of experience in the club, which was really good to have around,” he said.

A New Zealand rowing star will also take part in an event in Marlborough at the end of this month.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games gold medal-winning rower Emma Twigg and her coach Mike Roberts will be invited to speak at the Inspire Foundation Marlborough Grantees Awards Ceremony at the ASB Theater in Blenheim on May 31.

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