New Zealand Junior Rowing Team announced
Today 28 athletes were named as part of a squad of junior New Zealand rowers to take part in the 2016 World Rowing Junior Championships being held in Rotterdam, Netherlands from 21 - 28 August.
These junior athletes have been selected to represent New Zealand following a six day trial that included a 2km ergometer test and rigorous seat racing.
Rowing New Zealand will send a total of eight crews made up of a women’s coxless four, women’s quadruple scull, men’s double scull, men’s quadruple scull, men’s eight as well as a reserve women’s double scull, reserve men’s pair and reserve men’s single scull to Rotterdam. The juniors selected to represent New Zealand will gain a unique experience competing in an environment similar to the elite World Cup and World Rowing Championship regattas.
The World Rowing Junior Championships will be held in a combined regatta with the Under 23 and Senior World Rowing Championships and provide the young athletes with the unique experience of competing in a large world championship regatta.
Junior representation is considered an important part of the Rowing New Zealand high performance pathway. Many of New Zealand’s top rowers began their rowing careers at the junior level and have gone on to be successful elite athletes competing at the World Rowing Championships and Olympic Games.
Alan Cotter, Rowing New Zealand High Performance Director acknowledged the strength of the junior team selected for 2016 “It’s been a good week of racing and the athletes have performed to a very high level, the best that we’ve seen in recent years. Rowing New Zealand is confident that the athletes selected have the ability to perform at the highest level. The junior team is an important part of the pathway to representing New Zealand at the elite level and it’s heartening to see such promising athletes joining the programme.”
The men’s double scull is made up of returning New Zealand junior athletes Jack Lopas and Lenny Jenkins. Lopas is looking forward to the campaign ahead, “We’re really excited to be named in this crew together. We need to keep working and aim to go even faster. We think we have the potential to win and will need to put the hard work in and aim high and see if we can make it up on the podium.”
Veronica Wall was happy to be named in the junior team following her stunning results at the 2016 Aon Maadi Cup “I’m so excited to be named in the team, it’s been a really tough week but it’s really great to get the results that we needed. The quad is real change from the single but it’s going to be really fun and it’s also a great group of girls.”
The junior team will commence training at Lake Karapiro at the Rowing New Zealand High Performance Centre from 19 June. This requires many of the athletes to relocate to Cambridge. As the juniors prepare and train for the Championship regatta they will continue their secondary school studies at St Peter’s School in Cambridge and will be accommodated at the Rob Waddell Lodge at Lake Karapiro.
The young New Zealand rowers will compete against hundreds of top junior athletes from around the world at the Championships. To be classed as a junior rower, athletes must be 18 years of age or under to compete. Juniors can compete in the following boat classes at the world championships: Men – single scull, double scull, coxless pair, quadruple scull, coxed four, coxless four and eights, and the junior women in the single scull, double scull, coxless pair, quadruple scull, coxless four and eights.
The crews depart on 12 August for Rotterdam for pre competition training prior to the World Senior, U23 and Junior Rowing Championships in Rotterdam.
New Zealand Junior Rowing Team
To attend Junior World Rowing Championships
Rotterdam 21 - 28 th August 2016
Junior Women’s Quadruple Scull
Brylie Gordon (Hauraki Plains College)
Veronica Wall (Ashburton Rowing Club)
Claudia MacDonald (Fraser High School)
Jessica Turfrey (Hastings Girls High School)
Coach: Martin Simoncelli
Junior Women’s Coxless Four
Charlotte Spence (Auckland Rowing Club, Auckland RPC)
Kate Haines (Diocesan School for Girls)
Ella Simanu (Diocesan School for Girls)
Georgia Smith (Waihopai Rowing Club, Southern RPC)
Coach: Rachel Arbuckle
Junior Women’s Double Scull (Reserve)
Georgia King (Napier Girls High School)
Grace Shaw (Canterbury Rowing Club, Southern RPC)
Coach: Rachel Arbuckle
Junior Men’s Quadruple Scull
Oliver Maclean (Kings College)
Sam Monkley (Cambridge High School)
Thomas Cummack (Star Boating Club, Central RPC)
Mark Taylor (Waitaki Boys High School)
Coach: Ian Bright
Junior Men’s Double Scull
Jack Lopas (Christchurch Boys High School)
Lenny Jenkins (Whakatane High School)
Coach: Martin Simoncelli
Junior Men’s Eight/Men’s Pair (Reserve)
Jim Aimer (Auckland Grammar Rowing Club, Auckland RPC)
Ethan Blight (Saint Kentigern College)
Braeden Camp (Cambridge Rowing Club, Waikato RPC)
Lucas Clarke (Hamilton Boys High School)
Reuben Houghton (Hamilton Boys High School)
Angus Macfarlane (Marlborough Boys College)
Carl Pracey (West End Rowing Club, Auckland RPC)
Thomas Russel (St Andrews College)
Cameron Smith (Christ’s College)
Jonathan Winter (West End Rowing Club, Auckland RPC)
Coxswain - Jonty du Toit (Auckland Grammar School)
Coach: Bruce Jones
Junior Men’s Reserve (Single Scull)
Angus Foster (Christchurch Boys High School)
Coach: Ian Bright
Team Manager
Janey Wackrow