 Shakira Mirfin after winning U16 Single ScullsMaadi Cup gold in March this year. There aren’t too many more diverse sports than BMX racing and rowing. Both involve hours of commitment, strong motivation and the will to win, but the similarities end there. Shakira Mirfin has been on the winner’s podium several times over the past few years in both sports. The year 11 Southland Girls’ High School student is a former national champion and international BMX rider and now a national champion Maadi Cup Single Sculls rower. At the Aon Maadi Cup regatta in March, Shakira won gold in the U16 Single Sculls and was second in the U17 Single Sculls as well as finishing fourth in the U16 Double Sculls with school teammate Anna Rikiti. She powered to victory in the U16 Single Sculls, beating second placed Holly Chaafe of Mount Albert Grammar School by over eight seconds, with Alice Fahey of Wellington Girls’ College coming in third. Prior to Maadi, she had also won the Single Sculls at the SISS Championships. At that point she was hoping to do well at Maadi but not getting ahead of herself. “I didn’t know what to expect, I was just ready for whatever was going to happen. I didn’t know the North Island competition so I just concentrated on doing my best.” Following Maadi, she also won the Single Sculls and the Quad for the South team in the North v South regatta on Lake Karapiro. This all followed up her second placed finish in the U16 Single Sculls and third in the over 15 Double Sculls in her first Maadi Cup last year. In the 2017 Single Sculls final she cleared the field with Ashburton College’s Mollie Gibson with 750 metres to go and pushed the Ashburton sculler right to the finish line. The two rowers finished first and second at this year’s U17 Single Sculls final.  Two years ago - at about the same time in March - she was at the BMX nationals where she won the U14 title in Christchurch. She also represented New Zealand in Auckland and Sydney in series against Australia and then in Belgium in July 2015 at the BMX World Championships where she finished sixth in the semi-finals. She got into BMX racing through family, with her uncle running a track in Invercargill and her cousins and brother also into the sport. Rowing has taken over now. “I do a little bit of road biking, but I don’t really do any BMX anymore,” she says. ”Now I just row fulltime and that is my main sport, except for some social football when I can.” She followed in the wake of her family members in starting rowing. “My sister and brother both rowed, so I was watching them and decided to try it as well.” Her older brother and sister are both former medallists at the club rowing and university rowing nationals respectively.  The days are getting shorter and colder now, but off-season training isn’t just confined to indoors. “We go for long rows on the water once a week on Sundays to keep the endurance up.” Shakira has also recently been selected in the Southland Sports Academy as a foundation member. The Academy Southland athlete programme includes a foundation level in the first year and a focus on leadership in the second. Athletes are given a solid grounding in mental skills, athlete life, nutrition, and strength and conditioning in order to prepare them for a high performance environment. This programme has seen many local athletes going on to compete in Commonwealth and Olympic Games – with two SGHS old girls recently returning with medals from the Commonwealth Games in cycling (Emma Cumming) and rugby sevens (Alena Saili). “It’s good to be part of this, everyone is very experienced and I am already getting a lot from it,” says Shakira. Unsurprisingly, Shakira lists PE as her favourite subject at school. Southland Girls’ High School Maadi Cup success In winning the U16 Single Sculls this year, Shakira became the second SGHS rower since as far back as 2004 to win a Maadi Cup sculling gold, after Michaela Townshend won the U18 Single Sculls in 2015. A list of A final SGHS medallists at the Maadi Cup since 2010 is below (no medallists between 2005-10): 2018 1st U16 Single Sculls: Shakira Mirfin 2nd U17 Single Sculls: Shakira Mirfin [Plus] 4th U16 Double Sculls Shakira Mirfin Anna Rikiti 2017 2nd U16 Single Sculls: Shakira Mirfin 3rd U15 Double Sculls: Shakira Mirfin Anna Rikiti 2015 U17 Single Sculls: 2nd Moira Macdonald (No relation to Olivia MacDonald below) U18 Single Sculls: 1st Michaela Townshend 2014 1st U17 Coxed Quad Sculls: Michaela Townshend, Kerri-Anne Sinclair, Georgia Smith, Rhianna Maxwell cox Reeney Souness 3rd U16 Coxed Quad Sculls: Maiah Hegarty, Kerri-Anne Sinclair, Georgia Smith, Rhianna Maxwell cox Reeney Souness 2nd U17 Double Sculls: Michaela Townshend, Kerri-Anne Sinclair 2013 3rd U18 Coxed Quad Sculls: Oliva MacDonald, Georgia Yaxley, Katie Moffatt, Annabel Ronald, cox Eden Cross 3rd U16 Double Sculls: Kerri-Anne Sinclair Michaela Townshend 2012 2nd U17 Coxed Quad Sculls: Jessica Hayes, Olivia MacDonald, Amy Jenkins, Annabel Ronald,cox Charlotte Bell 1st U18 Coxed Quad Sculls: Jessica Hayes, Olivia MacDonald, Morgan Shepherd, Annabel Ronald, cox Penny Barnsdale 3rd U18 Double Sculls: Morgan Shepherd Jessica Hayes 2010 1st U16 Doubles Sculls: Morgan Shepherd Jessica Hayes  28/3/2018 Rowing NZ Announce Junior Trailists PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE MCARTHUR/ROWING NZ This is a great opportunity for NZ's top young rowers! Girls Briana Perry, St Peter's School, Cambridge Brooke Kilmister, St Peter's School, Cambridge Grace Watson, St Paul's Collegiate School Holly Mills, Waikato Diocesan School for Girls Isabella Carter, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School Jamie Harris, Wanganui Collegiate School Kate Littlejohn, St Paul’s Collegiate School Kathryn Glen, Villa Maria College Kayla Baker, Nelson Rowing Club Mahalia Shand, Nelson College for Girls Megan Bol, Baradene College Mollie Gibson, Ashburton Rowing Club Niamh McHugh, West End Rowing Club/Auckland RPC Olivia Clark, Onslow College Phoebe Trolove, Craighead Diocesan School Poppy Newall, Petone Rowing Club Rebecca Leigh, St Peter's School, Cambridge Sophia Meldrum, Baradene College Sophie Egnot-Johnson, Westlake Girls’ High School Stella Clayton-Greene, Hauraki Plains/Waikato RPC Veronica Wall, Ashburton Rowing Club Boys Alex Todhunter, Christ’s College Angus Shotter, Westlake Boys’ High School Blake Bradshaw, Westlake Boys' High School Campbell Crouch, Hamilton Boys’ High school Elliott Jenkins, Hamilton Boys’ High School Fergus Ritchie, Lindisfarne College Flynn Watson, Hamilton Boys’ High School Harry Church, Saint Kentigern College Jack Chapman, Christchurch Boys’ High School Jack Gibbs, Roncalli College James Hall, Auckland Rowing Club/Auckland RPC Jamie Batchelor, Christ’s College Jonte Wright , Wanganui Collegiate School Manawa Mclaughlin, Clifton Rowing Club/Central RPC Matthew White, Christchurch Boys’ High School Max Goodwin, Christ's College Ryan Campbell, Hamilton Boys’ High School Sam Cummins, King's College Thomas Woelders, Christchurch Boys’ High School Will Gilbert, Christchurch Boys’ High School Will Thompson, Hamilton Boys’ High School Zackary Rumble, Canterbury Rowing Club/Southern RPC  27/3/2018 Max Goodwin - big decisions Photo credit: Steve McArthur/Rowing NZ Max Goodwin is accustomed to making big decisions, but in the past week Goodwin has been forced to make two of the biggest of his life. Goodwin is the head prefect at Christ’s College. On Saturday, Goodwin was a central figure in his schools’ Aon Maadi Cup triumph, a success which has enhanced his considerable reputation in rowing and earned him a chance to train permanently in the New Zealand high-performance programme in Cambridge. “I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I have to settle it this week. I’ve got extra responsibilities as head boy of Christ’s and I love Christchurch, but moving up north to train is a big opportunity,” Goodwin reveals. Three days earlier Goodwin was one of only two returning members from Christ’s College’s eight in the 2017 Maadi Cup regatta. Goodwin was positioned in the sixth seat or ‘the powerhouse’ section of the boat. Goodwin’s role is to literally row as hard as possible as he is the heart of the boat’s engine. Christ’s needed a big heart to topple North Island champions, Hamilton Boys’ High School. Goodwin provides an insight into Christ’s tactics. “We knew Hamilton would come out hard, they are big, strong boys and that had been their approach all week. We knew if we could hold them to a lead of less than a boat length early on we could take them at the end,” Goodwin explains. At what point did Christ’s choose to accelerate? “Hamilton Boys’ led from the 500m mark, but we weren’t far behind and starting pulling away at the 750m mark. We just rowed quicker as the race went on and it was pretty special to win,” Goodwin answers. Christchurch Boys’ High School finished third, but had beaten Christ’s in the South Island Championships. What did Christ’s learn from that defeat? “We learned we can be behind and still win. The key is to know your strengths and ours was endurance. The whole crew was outstanding; rowing is one of those sports where you can't hide,” Goodwin concludes. The winning Christ's College Maadi Cup crew was: Alex Todhunter (stroke), Max Goodwin, Sam Darry, Jack Elvy, Zac Cran, Will Chaffey, Jamie Batchelor, Sean Swanson + Guy Flynn (cox)   The St Peter's School U18 coxed eight, after their maiden title. PHOTO CREDIT: Conrad Blind from Pictureshow.co.nz It was a super Saturday on Lake Ruataniwha for St Peter’s School rowers. The Waikato school was flushed with success on Saturday evening, after their best ever performance at the Aon Maadi Cup, winning eight gold, six silver and two bronze medals. After a week of weather disruptions and stiff competition from other schools from throughout the country, it was a stellar last day for St Peter’s who won the Star Trophy for the champion school of the regatta for the third time. St Peter’s finished with 52 points, ahead of Hamilton Boys’ High School on 39 and Christchurch Boys’ High School on 31. Leading the way were the U18 girl’s rowers, who won the A finals of the pair (Garry Robertson Cup), coxed four (Dawn Cup) and the coxed eight (Levin 75th Jubilee Cup) - winning the eights for the first time in the school’s history. Girl’s rowing captain and two-seat in the U18 eight, Amy Butler, said was a day to savour for the crews. “It was pretty special winning in front of so many people and having all our St Peter’s teammates cheering us, and being on the podium they were very loud," she enthused. The pair final was in the morning, the coxed four was at midday and the coxed eight was the penultimate event of the regatta later in the day - immediately before the boys coxed eight final for the Maadi Cup itself, which was won by Christ’s College. The Levin 75th Jubilee Cup final itself was no contest. St Peter’s established a comfortable lead from the 1000m mark and maintained their advantage to win in 6:55.10, ahead of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School in second, Waikato Diocesan School in third and Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in fourth. “We knew that before going into the final we knew we could do it, but there is always that uncertainty in the U18 race because it is always so close. But our aim was to get out fast from the start and to hold the lead. We gained a boat-length lead and held it to the finish so it worked. “Waikato Dio were always going to be strong, they beat us at the start of the season, although we had beaten them in the North Island final two weeks before," added Amy. The crew that won the Levin 75th Jubilee Cup was: Amy Butler, Brie Perry, Brooke Kilmister, Morgan Blind, Anna Cairns, Beckie Leigh, Katie Bell, Kaylin Wren and coxswain Lauren Gibb. Two rowers, Brie Perry and Brooke Kilmister, were part of all three crews that won the U18 titles on Saturday, while Morgan Blind, Katie Bell joined them in the four that won the Dawn Cup. Amy Butler and Beckie Leigh also won the U17s coxed quad on Saturday. The St Peter’s girls also won Silver’s in the U18 novice coxed eight and U18 novice coxed quad.  Jason Nel and Patrick Griffin. PHOTO CREDIT: Conrad Blind from Pictureshow.co.nz Not to be outdone, the St Peter’s boys produced one of the highlights of the day by roaring to a commanding win in the U17 Boys coxed quad. Jason Nel and Rebecca Leigh both had very hard fought races in the U17 Boys and Girls single skulls races, with the margins for the medals being decided by only centimetres, with Jason picking up silver and Beckie picking up bronze. The Novices carried on from their successful North Islands with both the boys (Alister Jenkins and Carter Grey) and girls (Holly Williams and Madi Fuller) both winning gold in the U18 novice double sculls, with the boys teammates Fletcher Pearson-Riley and Harrison Lynch winning silver in the double as well and then combining the two doubles to win gold in the U18 novice coxed quad. Rowing Captain Amy said the nucleus of the winning U18 Levin Jubilee Cup and Dawn Cups has been together for four seasons. “Most of us have been racing together since U15s and we won the U17s girls eight last year. So it had been a long-term goal for us to win the U18s eights,” she said. “We have all stuck at it and it is a great way to finish our school rowing careers in our last season together.” Three of the rowers, Brie, Brooke and Beckie, have been selected to trial for the national junior rowing team, while Amy has got a north-south trial coming up. The future of St Peter’s rowing is in good shape – an unexpected results was from the St Peter’s U15 Girls coxed eight, who under the leadership of senior coxswain Charlotte Siermans, stormed through the field to take an incredible silver medal with only two seconds separating the top three crews. Then six of the girls jumped straight in the U15 coxless eight and raced home to pick up silver behind a very strong Dunstan High School crew. In the final regatta presentations one of St Peter’s long standing coaches, Norm Charlton, was recognised as the best coach of junior crews winning the Bill Eaddy Cup. St Peter’s also won the Presidents Scull for the Top Sculling School for the 8th time in the past nine years with 31 points to Ashburton’s 21 points back in second. St Peter’s School Aon Maadi Cup medals: Gold U18 Girls 8+ (Brie Perry, Brooke Kilmister, Morgan Blind, Anna Cairns, Beckie Leigh, Katie Bell, Amy Butler, Kaylin Wren and coxswain Lauren Gibb) U18 Girls 4+ (Brie Perry, Brooke Kilmister, Morgan Blind, Katie Bell and coxswain Charlotte Siermans) U18 Girls 2- (Brie Perry, Brooke Kilmister) U17 Boys 4X+ (Patrick Griffin, Jason Nel, Calum Henderson, Ed Clarkson and coxswains Brooke Houston) U17 Girls 4X+ (Clare Milne, Beckie Leigh, Amelia Barrell, Amy Butler and coxswain Brooke Houston U18 Nov Boys 2X (Alister Jenkins and Carter Grey) U18 Nov Girls 2X (Holly Williams and Madi Fuller) U18 Nov Boys 4X+ (Harry Lynch, Fletcher Pearson- Riley, Carter Grey, Alister Jenkins with coxswain Ruby Hosking) Silver U18 Nov Girls 8+ (Samara Mockford, Fran Pollock, Aaliyah Brown, Holly Williams, Millie Baker, Caitlin Huxtable, Kari Loveridge, Madi Fuller and coxswain Ruby Hosking) U18 Nov Boys 2X (Fletcher Pearson-Riley, Harrison Lynch) U18 Nov Girls 4X+ (Aaliyah Brown, Holly Williams, Madi Fuller, Kari Loveridge and coxswain Alyssa Sherry-Middlemiss) U17 Boys 1X (Jason Nel) U15 Girls 8+ (Samara Mockford, Fran Pollock, Atlanta Bruce, Tobi Oldham, Millie Baker, Caitlin Huxtable, Emma Butcher, Molly Bayly and coxswain Charlotte Siermans) U15 Girls 8X+ (Emma Butcher, Emma Stead, Holly Williams, Fran Pollock, Samara Mockford, Molly Bayly, Millie Baker, Caitlin Huxtable coxswain Annabelle McGuire) Bronze U17 Girls 1X (Beckie Leigh) U15 Girls 2X (Atlanta Bruce, Emma Stead)   Photo Credit - Christ's College Facebook Finals on the last day of the 2018 Aon Maadi Cup saw a perfect combination of clear skies and fierce racing. Run by the NZSSRA and Rowing NZ, the Aon Maadi Cup is the national championships for school rowing and being New Zealand's largest rowing regatta, it's the most prestigious event on the school rowing calendar. The boy’s under 17 single sculls made for a great first event of the day, with a strong battle between Jason Nel of St Peter’s School (Cambridge), Jack McLaughlan of John McGlashan College and Cambridge High School’s Seth Hope. Nel maintained a consistent lead for the majority of the course with McLaughlan and Hope making last minute advances. McLaughlan only captured the lead just shy of the finishing line, finishing just over two tenths of a second ahead of Nel in 7:57.66. McLaughlan also took home gold in the boy’s under 17 double sculls with crewmate Nic Chamberlain. The girl’s under 17 single sculls was another tight race with only three seconds between medallists. Mollie Gibson of Ashburton College made a comeback after placing second in her semi-final, taking gold after making an impressive time of 8:23.38. In addition to their gold medals, Aon’s new Aon Maadi Cup Legacy initiative will also see Nel and Gibon’s school take home a new skiff from Aon & Laszlo Boats, and a set of new sculls from Concept 2. Russell Bailey of Aon commented, “We wanted to recognise rowing excellence in the under 17 single sculls category and we’re delighted to award John McGlashan College and Ashburton College with new equipment for their rowing programmes. Jack and Mollie each made impressive performances to take away gold today, and we are proud to be a part of their event.” Taking home the Dawn Cup was St Peter’s School (Cambridge), securing an easy first place in the girl’s under 18 coxed four and finishing 9 seconds ahead of second place Rangi Ruru Girls’ School. The Dawn Cup was donated by Noel Lynch at a Maadi regatta held on the Wairoa River in 1980, and the cup’s name is a tribute to its first race where due to darkness, finals were scheduled for a Sunday morning at 6.30am. Originally won by Queen Charlotte College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School have gone on to win the cup 15 times. Winning back to back medals was Waikato Diocesan School taking gold in the girl’s under 17 coxed eight, with four of the eight’s sweepers also taking gold shortly after in the girl’s under 16 coxed four, missing their first medal presentation. Coxswain of the eight Emma Barker also takes home the Simon Briggs Cup for coxswain of the regatta, coxing the most crews into A finals. Representing the south was Roncalli College’s Jack Gibbs, a crowd favourite today winning the boy’s under 18 single sculls in an impressive fashion and three seconds ahead of second place Fergus Ritchie of Lindisfarne College. Jonte Wright of Wanganui Collegiate School took bronze, fine form for a novice season. In perhaps one of the most anticipated races, eight crews battled it out for the Levin Jubilee Cup, awarded to the fasted under 18 girl’s eight. In a comfortable lead from the 1000m mark, St Peter’s School (Cambridge) took an easy first place in 6:55.10, with Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and Waikato Diocesan School placing second and third respectively. Winning the Levin Jubilee Cup also meant St Peter’s School left their mark on the scoreboard with an impressive trifecta in the under 18 girl’s events, winning gold in the coxed four, the coxless pair and the coxed eight. Not to be forgotten was their novice double sculls, also taking home gold. Hamilton Boys’ High School made their trip south worthwhile, taking home no less than four medals in today’s finals. Their haul included gold in the boy’s under 16 coxed quad sculls, boy’s under 18 novice eight, boy’s under 15 coxed eight, and boy’s under 18 coxed four - just missing out on gold in the boy’s under 18 eight. After Hamilton Boys’ High School lead from the 500m mark, Christ’s College pulled away at 1750m, crossing the line first and clocking a time of 6:01.90. The Maadi Cup hails from WWII, where two second NZEF members based at Maadi Camp in Egypt raced in regattas on the Nile against the Egyptians. The Kiwi Oarsmen beat the Cairo River Club in 1943 to win the Freyburg Cup, which was then gifted back to Cairo River Club. In return, Youssef Baghat also presented the Kiwi crew with a cup. At the end of that year the cup was offered to the New Zealand Rowing Association as a trophy for an annual boy’s eight-oared race between secondary schools, and it was then that it was renamed the Maadi Cup.  23/3/2018 2018 AON MAADI CUP - DAY FIVE RESULTS PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE MCARTHUR/ROWING NZ Gentle winds on Lake Ruataniwha made for great racing at day five of the 2018 Aon Maadi Cup, with crews taking to the water to battle it out in semi-finals and C & D finals.It was a tight race in both semi-finals for the girl’s under 17 double sculls. With only the first four crews in each race progressing, the fight for a lane in the A final tomorrow made for great viewing. Craighead Diocesan School, Glendowie College and Rotorua Lakes High School all move forward in the first semi final. There was a fierce race between Glendowie College number 2 and St Hilda’s Collegiate for fourth place, with St Hilda’s Collegiate missing out by nearly two tenths of a second. In the second semi-final, Mt Albert Grammar School, St Peter’s School (Cambridge), Avonside Girls’ High School and Maclean’s College also moved forward to the A final tomorrow. Semi-final one of the girl’s under 16 coxed four saw both Waikato Diocesan School and Rangi Ruru Girl’s School competing for a spot in the A final, each winning the North Island and South Island Secondary School Championships respectively. Waikato Diocesan School finished first in 7:32.94, with Rangi Ruru Girls’ School finishing in 7:37.61. The second semi-final was won by South Island Secondary School Championship bronze medallists St Margaret’s College, followed by Wellington Girls’ College, Sacred Heart Girls’ College and Epsom Girls’ Grammar. Jack McLaughlan of John McGlashan College took out his semi-final in the boy’s under 17 single and went on to win his semi-final in the under 17 double when he teamed with Nic Chamberlain, beating Takapuna Grammar School by five seconds. The second semi-final was a much closer race with 0.63 seconds between Cambridge High School and St Peter’s School (Cambridge) in second. With only the first four in each race progressing, there was another close race between Cambridge High School’s second crew and Timaru Boys’ High School, with TImaru Boys’ High School making their way into the A final by 0.84 seconds. Timaru Girls’ High School took out a confident win in the second semi-final of the girl’s under 16 double. Brian Mallinson and Molly Clayton opened a gap of more than two boat lengths over the rest of the field, finishing in an impressive nine seconds ahead of second place Craighead Diocesan School. Racing concludes tomorrow with all A and B finals, including A finals for the boy’s and girl’s under 17 single sculls, with each winner’s school taking home a new skiff from Aon & Laszlo Boats, and a set of new sculls from Concept 2. Full event schedule, entries and live results will be available on rowit.nz A live webcast of finals will be available tomorrow from 8am via the Aon Maadi Cup website maadi.co.nz  22/3/2018 2018 AON MAADI CUP - DAY FOUR RESULTS PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE MCARTHUR/ROWING NZ Severe headwinds delayed the majority of races today at day four of the 2018 Aon Maadi Cup at Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel. The girl’s under 17 coxed quad sculls were the first crews out on the water with the first quarter final starting at 6pm after winds finally subsided. After an even battle to the 1000m mark, St Peter’s School (Cambridge) broke ahead and maintained their lead finishing in an impressive time of 7:44.03, 13 seconds ahead of second place Mt Aspiring College. With the first four crews progressing, Dunstan Arm College and Villa Maria College fought a tight battle for fourth place with Dunstan Arm College joining St Hilda’s Collegiate in the semi-final, less than a second ahead of Villa Maria College. Ashburton College also maintained an impressive lead in their quarter final finishing six seconds ahead of second place Maclean’s College. Nelson College for Girl’s and Whanganui High School also move forward to the semi-final, both making a comfortable first place in their respective quarter-finals. The boy’s under 16 single sculls saw another striking performance from Evan Williams of Takapuna Grammar School, securing his spot in the semi-final and winning his quarter final by six seconds. St John’s College (Hamilton) also moves forward to the semi-final, joined by Wanganui Collegiate School and Whakatane High School after each narrowly won their respective quarter finals. In the girl’s under 16 double sculls, Southland Girls’ High School’s Anna Rikiti and Shakira Mirfin showed incredible strength in tough conditions, crossing the line ten seconds ahead of second place Craighead Diocesan School. In similar style, Westlake Girls’ High School’s Devon Thorpe and Sylvia Leadley crossed the line eight seconds ahead of second place St Hilda’s Collegiate. Timaru Girls’ High School, Dunstan High School and Southland Girls’ High School also move forward to the semi-final. Racing begins tomorrow from 8am with a full schedule of semi-finals and C & D finals, with all A & B finals scheduled for Saturday.  21/3/2018 2018 AON MAADI CUP - DAY THREE RESULTS PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE MCARTHUR/ROWING NZ Settled wind and light rain set the scene at the third day of racing at the 2018 Aon Maadi Cup. Repechages made for sensational watching as crews competed at their last opportunity to make it through to qualifying races, with many events only progressing first place. The boy’s under 18 four proved to be a cut throat race with St Bede’s College and Hamilton Boys’ High School winning their respective repechages and securing the last two spots in the A final. Hamilton Boys’ High School fought their way to the finish with Tauranga Boys’ College only two seconds behind. The girl’s under 16 single sculls saw another fierce battle with only the first of each repechage making it through to the quarter final. Maddie Marshall of Nayland College clocked an impressive time of 9:06.37, well ahead of second place. Aquinas College and Macleans College also move forward to the quarter final. The boy’s under 15 double sculls saw a strong performance from Lindisfarne College’s Henry Windhager and Jasper Wallace, cementing their spot in the semi-final by finishing their race well ahead of all other repechage winners’ times. New Plymouth Boys’ High School and St Bedes College also move forward to the semi-final tomorrow. Fourteen crews across two repechages contested the last six lanes in the A final for the girl’s under 16 coxed eight. An even split between north and south saw Christchurch Girls’ High School, St Margaret’s College, Columba College, Diocesan School for Girls (Auckland), Westlake Girls’ High School and Wellington Girls’ College move into Saturday’s final, with all other crews eliminated. The boy’s under 18 pair which is one of the pennant events saw a great display of sweep oar racing with Auckland Grammar School clocking 7:32.75 in their repechage to progress to the semi-final. Joining them is Whanganui High School and John McGlashan College who also won their respective repechages. n the girl’s under 18 pair the progression took the top three crews straight into the A final which will be raced on Friday. Taking those spots in the first repechage was Onslow College, Craighead Diocesan School and Villa Maria College, with Baradene College, St Margaret’s College and Marian College progressing from the second repechage. Repechages for the girl’s under 17 double sculls made for excellent watching with Bayfield High School, who are attending their first Aon Maadi Cup, securing a spot in the quarter final with Marlborough Girls’ College missing out by only a second. Joining Bayfield High School are Queen Margaret’s College who fought off persistent advances by Onewhero Area School to also win their repechage by one second. Dunstan High School moves forward to the quarter final comfortably winning the event’s last repechage. Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, St Paul’s College and Craighead Diocesan School all lead the way to win their respective repechages and progress through to the semi-finals of the girl’s under 17 coxed four. Racing continues tomorrow with the end of quarter finals, and semi-finals. Full event schedule, entries and live results will be available on rowit.nz A live webcast of finals will be available from tomorrow (Thursday) onward via the Aon Maadi Cup website maadi.co.nz  20/3/2018 2018 AON MAADI CUP - DAY TWO RESULTS PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE MCARTHUR/ROWING NZ St Peter’s School Cambridge Girl’s U18 eight: Briana Perry (stroke), Brooke Kilmister, Morgan Blind, Anna Cairns, Rebecca Leigh, Katie Bell, Amy Butler, Kaylin Wren + Lauren Gibb (cox) Moderate head winds delayed afternoon racing at the second day of the 2018 Aon Maadi Cup, but the first part of the day allowed for heats to be completed.
Takapuna Grammar School’s Evan Williams made a standout performance winning his heat in the boy’s under 16 single sculls in 7:38.23, 10 seconds quicker than any other heat winner. Williams also won his heat in the boy’s under 16 double sculls and placed second in the boy’s under 17 double sculls. A new event this year saw the under 18 novices take to the water in quadruple sculls. Listed on the programme as exhibition events, the first heat of the girl’s event saw Dunstan High School, John Paul College, Roncalli College and St Peter’s School (Cambridge) all take first place and progress to the semi-final. St Peter’s School (Cambridge) and St Peter’s College (Auckland) took the win in the boy’s heats and will progress straight to the final held on Saturday. Clocking the fastest time in the girl’s under 16 coxed four was Waikato Diocesan School in the first heat. Epsom Girls’ Grammar School also won their heat, joined by southern schools Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and St Margaret’s College, also taking first place in their respective heats. The boy’s under 18 double sculls took to the water across five heats with recent winners at the Aon North Island Secondary School Championships William Thompson and Luke Taylor of Hamilton Boys’ High School securing the fastest time in 6:54.15. Thompson and Taylor were also part of the Hamilton Boys’ High School under 18 eight who won their heat. St Peter’s School (Cambridge) performed well in the girl’s under 18 eight winning their heat and moving forward to the A final on Saturday. Waikato Diocesan School also move through to the A final after winning their heat by 7 seconds, with all other crews moving to repechages. Saturday’s A final will determine the winner of the famous Levin Jubilee Cup, historically dominated by schools from the Canterbury region despite its North Island origins. The 1981 regatta was held at Lake Horowhenua and Levin’s then Mayor Jack Bolderson contributed an award to celebrate the Levin Borough Council’s 75th Jubilee, which fell on the same year as Levin-hosted Maadi regatta. First won by Whanganui Girls’ College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School have since won it 15 times. Hamilton Boy’s High School had another strong day winning their heat in the boy’s under 18 eight, with their second crew taking third in the same heat. Christ’s College showed strength in the second heat crossing the line 8 seconds before second place Westlake Boys’ High School. With 14 entries this year, 12 other crews must now move into repechages. Saturday’s final will determine the winner of the Maadi Cup. The Maadi Cup hails from WWII, where two second NZEF members based at Maadi Camp in Egypt raced in regattas on the Nile against the Egyptians. The Kiwi Oarsmen beat the Cairo River Club in 1943 to win the Freyburg Cup, which was then gifted back to Cairo River Club. In return, Youssef Baghat also presented the Kiwi crew with a cup. At the end of that year the cup was offered to the New Zealand Rowing Association as a trophy for an annual boy’s eight-oared race between secondary schools, and it was then that it was renamed the Maadi Cup. Racing continues tomorrow with repechages, quarter finals and petite finals. Full event schedule, entries and live results will be available on rowit.nz A live webcast of finals will be available from Thursday onward via the Aon Maadi Cup website maadi.co.nz 19/3/2018 2018 AON MAADI CUP - DAY ONE RESULTS Photo Credit - Aon Maadi Cup Facebook 2283 athletes from 120 schools will take to the waters this week for the 2018 Aon Maadi Cup. Run by the NZSSRA and Rowing NZ, the Aon Maadi Cup is the national championships for school rowing and being New Zealand's largest rowing regatta, it's the most prestigious event on the school rowing calendar. Rowing NZ are proud to announce that the 2018 regatta is once again sponsored by Aon, long-time supporters of Kiwi sports men and women. The regatta hosts alternate between the North and South Island, this year hosted by South Island Rowing at the Meridian Rowing Centre, Lake Ruataniwha. Yesterday the Twizel Township and Mayor Graham Smith welcomed schools to the region and regatta after an athlete parade ending in the town centre. Today 136 races took place between 8am and 5pm after slight lift in temperature from the previous two training days, making for comfortable racing conditions. 14 crews competed for a spot in the final for the Dawn Cup, awarded to the winning crew in the girl’s under 18 coxed four. St Peters School (Cambridge) and Wanganui Collegiate School both won their heat moving into the final on Friday, with all other crews facing a repechage. The Dawn Cup was donated by Noel Lynch at a Maadi regatta held on the Wairoa River in 1980, and the cup’s name is a tribute to its first race where due to darkness, finals were scheduled for a Sunday morning at 6.30am. Originally won by Queen Charlotte College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School have gone on to win the cup 14 times. Hamilton Boys’ High School comfortably won their heat in the boy’s under 18 coxed four, nine seconds ahead of second place Auckland Grammar School. Heat two was considerably closer with Westlake Boys’ High School finishing three seconds ahead of second place Christ’s College. Heat three saw Christchurch Boys’ High School placing first and a second crew from Christ’s College placing second. All first and second places in heats move forward to the A final on Friday with remaining crews moving to repechages. All crews in the A final will be completing for the Springbok Shield – a wooden shield made of South African wood and a replica of a South African award called, unsurprisingly, the Kiwi Shield – made from a variety of New Zealand wood. Hamilton Boy’s High School have won the award a record 15 times, starting in the award’s first ever regatta in 1965 where crews raced each other in Oriental Bay, Wellington. The girl’s under 17 single sculls is the largest event in the regatta, with 64 entries. Eva Hofman from Bayfield High School (Otago) won her heat with seven seconds to spare, a double feat considering this year’s regatta is the first time Bayfield have entered the event. Eva will progress to the next round with Rebecca Leigh from St Peters School (Cambridge), recent Aon North Island Secondary School champion, who also won her heat. Shakira Mirfin from Southland Girls’ High School, who at the recent South Island Secondary School Championships won the girl’s under 16 single sculls, girl’s under 16 double sculls and placed second in the girl’s under 17 single sculls, won her heat by a clear 8 seconds. Winners from five other heats will move forward to the quarter final, with the A final on Friday afternoon. The winner from the A final will receive not only a gold medal but a new skiff from Aon and Laszlo Boats for their school, under a new initiative called the Aon Maadi Cup Legacy, as will the boy’s under 17 single sculls. The boy’s under 16 coxed four heat winners was an all North Island affair, with Sacred Heart College (Auckland), Hamilton Boys’ High School, Westlake Boys’ High School and St Paul’s Collegiate all taking a win in their respective heats. All will progress directly to the semi-final. Dunstan High School lead the way into the girl’s under 15 quadruple sculls event with the crew of Hanna Scarlet, MacKenzie Ealson, Paige Furrie, Hariet Scherp and coxswain Grace Furrie, clocking the fastest overall time from the heats. The school’s second crew also won their heat, meaning both will progress to the quarter finals. Winners of the two heats in the boy’s under 15 coxed eight dominated the field, with Shirley Boys’ High School winning their heat by 8 seconds and Hamilton Boys’ High School winning their heat by 10 seconds. Both crews progress straight to the A final on Friday, making for a classic North vs. South showdown. A similar showdown will also be seen in the girl’s under 16 coxed eight with Rangi Ruru Girls’ School winning their heat by 8 seconds, with their North Island counterparts from Epsom Girls’ Grammar School also winning their heat by 8 seconds, both progressing to contest the A final on Friday. Westlake Boys’ High School, Hamilton Boys’ High School and Christchurch Boys’ High School all have something in common – winning their hears in the boy’s under 18 coxless pair with plenty of time to spare. St Kentigern also won their heat, with all four crews moving to the A final on Friday. Racing continues tomorrow with heats and the beginning of the repechages round.  |
RSS Feed
OrganisationCollege Sport Media is dedicated to telling the story of successful young sportspeople in New Zealand
|