Wairau contingent make their presence felt at rowing champs

A small, and youthful, Wairau Rowing Club contingent punched well above their weight at the national rowing championships, which were staged at Lake Ruataniwha last week.

The 17-strong contingent from the top of the south returned with 12 medals, three of them gold and featured in a string of A finals over the final two days.

Kobe Miller was a double gold medallist, taking out the men’s under-22 single, then joining forces with Reuben Cook, Fred Vavasour and Logan Docherty to claim the men’s senior quad title.

The third gold went to a women’s composite senior eight, featuring Wairau athletes Brooke Pitchford, Emily Bowden, Kyla Otway, Orla Fitzgerald and Meg Flanagan, along with three Nelson rowers.

Wairau coaches Kaye Surgenor and Mark James were “very happy” with their charges’ efforts, especially given their relative lack of experience.

“Most of the athletes were school leavers,” explained Mark, “who had moved away from home and established themselves at another rowing club. So, Kaye and I had to remind ourselves several times that these people were actually quite young and they hadn’t experienced [rowing at this level].

“So, this week was an education for those athletes, at many levels. Learning to be self-driven rather than driven by a group ethos.”

“They have developed from being like possums in the headlights to having a lot better idea of how the process of continual improvement and self-analysis works.

“Everyone has continued to improve, from some mediocre racing to some very, very good racing by the end of the week.”

He was particularly pleased with the efforts of Cook, Docherty, who are both lightweights, Vavasour and Miller.

“All four of them look destined, I hope, to have New Zealand trials at some level this year and will go further with their rowing should they be able to put the time in.

“Kobe, in particular, has almost come of age … he has managed to cash in at the right time of the season and show his real ability.”

Kaye was particularly impressed by the work of the women’s premier and senior four, comprising Bowden, Pitchford, Otway and Orla Fitzgerald.

“They got second in the senior four and beat the crew that won the premier four … and two of those girls are under-18, the other two under-19. They really punched above their weight because they are a very young crew.

“They just got better and better as they went on.

“Combining to win the senior eight with the Nelson girls, in outstanding fashion, was another highlight, especially having all five of the Wairau girls rowing together.”

The national regatta was run under strict COVID protocols, with a couple of clubs having to isolate after being identified as close contacts, but Kaye said the Wairau contingent was unaffected and operated comfortably in their bubble.

Logan Docherty, who picked up a gold, silver and bronze, described it as “a pretty good week”.

“It was great for South Island rowing to allow us to run this event safely.

“While it was a weird atmosphere with no spectators, within each clique they each provided their own support to their clubmates, which was quite cool.”

Logan was one of several Wairau athletes named to trial for national teams at the conclusion of the champs. He joins Pitchford, Otway, Lopas, Miller and Cook as a trialist for the NZ under-23 team and the winter training squad. Chosen to trial for NZ under-21 is Pitchford, Otway, Flanagan, Lopas, Vavasour and Cook, while summer training squad members Kirstyn Goodger (WRC) and Tom Murray (BRC) are named as trialists for the NZ World Cup team.

Wairau Rowing Club medallists:

GOLD

Men’s under-22 single – Kobe Miller

Women’s composite senior eight - including Wairau athletes Brooke Pitchford, Emily Bowden, Kyla Otway, Orla Fitzgerald and Meg Flanagan

Men’s senior quad - Reuben Cook, Fred Vavasour, Kobe Miller, Logan Docherty

SILVER

Men’s premier double - Logan Docherty, Kobe Miller

Women’s senior four - Emily Bowden, Brooke Pitchford, Kyla Otway, Orla Fitzgerald

Men’s under-22 single – Reuben Cook

Men’s under-22 double - Kobe Miller, Fred Vavasour

BRONZE

Men’s premier double - Reuben Cook, Fred Vavasour

Men’s senior single - Edward Lopas

Men’s under-22 double - Logan Docherty, Reuben Cook

Women’s premier four - Brooke Pitchford, Kyla Otway, Emily Bowden, Orla Fitzgerald

Women’s senior composite quad - including Wairau athlete Meg Flanagan

Other Wairau crews in A finals

Women’s club single (Charlotte Lightfoot) 5^thin A final

Women’s senior pair (Kyla Otway, Meg Flanagan) 4^th in A final

Women’s intermediate single (Grace Waring-Jones) 4^th in A final

Women’s premier pair (Brooke Pitchford, Emily Bowden) 4^th in A final

Men’s senior four (Fred Vavasour, Dylan Burton, Edward Botherway, Edward Lopas) 5th in A final

Men’s under-22 single –Logan Docherty – 4th in A final; Edward Lopas – 8th in A final

Men’s senior double (Dylan Burton, Edward Botherway) 4th in A final